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Home/Current Affairs/Seven Indian Sites Added in Tentative List of UNESCO’s Natural Heritage Sites

Seven Indian Sites Added in Tentative List of UNESCO’s Natural Heritage Sites

16 Sep 2025

Seven Indian Sites Added in Tentative List of UNESCO’s Natural Heritage Sites

Seven Sites from India have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO’s Natural Heritage Sites.

  • As of August,  14 sites are added in 2025, and There are 69 sites currently in the tentative list

About Tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (UNESCO)

  • Tentative list status is the first step before full World Heritage inscription.
  • It is an inventory of natural and/or cultural heritage sites that a State Party considers to demonstrate potential Outstanding Universal Value to humanity.

List of New Entrants

Sites Location Key Features
Naga Hill Ophiolite

Natural Heritage Sites

 Nagaland
  • Geological Significance: Rare exposure of oceanic crust and upper mantle rocks uplifted onto continental crust.
  • Earth’s History: Records tectonic processes of the Indo-Myanmar orogeny and closure of the Tethys Ocean.
  • Scientific Value: Helps understand plate boundary dynamics and mineralogical diversity.
  • Aesthetic Value: Rugged, forested terrain with striking rocky outcrops.
  • Global Comparison: Comparable to ophiolite belts in Cyprus and Oman.
Deccan Traps at Panchgani & Mahabaleshwar

Natural Heritage Sites

 Satara, Maharashtra
  • Geological Significance: World’s largest continental flood basalt province.
  • Earth’s History: Linked to the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event (~65 Mya).
  • Scientific Value: Offers insights into volcanism, mass extinctions, and climatic change.
  • Aesthetic Value: Table-top plateaus, gorges, and waterfalls shaping the Western Ghats landscape.
  • Global Comparison: Among the most extensive volcanic provinces alongside Siberian Traps.
Geological Heritage of St. Mary’s Island Cluster

Natural Heritage Sites

 Udapi, Karnataka
  • Geological Significance: Exceptional columnar jointing in rhyolitic lava, globally rare.
  • Earth’s History: Formed during breakup of India–Madagascar plates (~88 Mya).
  • Scientific Value: Provides geochronological & palaeomagnetic insights into continental drift.
  • Aesthetic Value: Hexagonal columns dramatically rising along the Arabian Sea coast.
  • Global Comparison: Comparable to Giant’s Causeway (Ireland) and Devil’s Postpile (USA).
Meghalayan Age Caves

Natural Heritage Sites

 Meghalaya
  • Geological Significance: Longest and deepest cave systems in South Asia.
  • Earth’s History: Defines the Meghalayan Age of the Holocene Epoch (~4200 years BP).
  • Scientific Value: Stalagmites record past climatic fluctuations and monsoon history.
  • Aesthetic Value: Majestic limestone caves with speleothems.
  • Global Comparison: Recognised globally for stratigraphic markers, similar to China’s Yunnan caves.
Natural Heritage of Tirumala Hills

Natural Heritage Sites

 Andhra Pradesh
  • Geological Significance: Ancient Proterozoic sedimentary formations of Eastern Ghats.
  • Earth’s History: Record of Precambrian tectonic and erosional cycles.
  • Scientific Value: Supports research on mineralogy and Eastern Ghats Supergroup geology.
  • Aesthetic Value: Forest-clad hills, waterfalls, and religious landscapes.
  • Global Comparison: Unique for blending sacred cultural traditions with ancient geology.
Natural Heritage of Erra Matti Dibbalu

Natural Heritage Sites

 Andhra Pradesh
  • Geological Significance: Quaternary sand dunes dating back to the Last Glacial Maximum (~18,500 BP).
  • Earth’s History: Evidence of sea-level fall and coastal evolution of Bay of Bengal.
  • Scientific Value: Archaeological finds of microlithic, mesolithic, and palaeolithic tools.
  • Aesthetic Value: Striking rust-red dunes along the Visakhapatnam coast.
  • Global Comparison: Comparable to Quaternary dune systems in Australia and Africa.
Natural Heritage of Varkala

Natural Heritage Sites

 Kerala
  • Geological Significance: Unique coastal sedimentary formations known as the Varkala Formation.
  • Earth’s History: Provides records of Miocene–Pliocene marine transgressions.
  • Scientific Value: Fossil evidence of marine life and stratigraphic evolution.
  • Aesthetic Value: Spectacular cliffs abutting the Arabian Sea, rare in peninsular India.
  • Global Comparison: Similar coastal cliff systems seen in Portugal’s Algarve coast.

Additional Reading: Six Sites in Tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

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