Defenders Celebrates Vote to Add Okefenokee Refuge to UNESCO World Heritage List

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage Committee today voted to add the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to its World Heritage List, recognizing the Swamp as possessing “outstanding universal value” to humanity. The refuge, a 400,000-acre wetland that provides critical habitat for thousands of plant and animal species, was established by President Roosevelt and later designated by Congress as a wilderness area. It is the largest national wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River.

“With nothing like it in the world, the Okefenokee is truly one-of-a-kind and an irreplaceable habitat, and I’m thrilled the Swamp is receiving the global recognition it undoubtingly deserves,” said Christian Hunt, director of national parks and refuges programs at Defenders of Wildlife. "This designation will only help to preserve this special place as a source of inspiration for people and essential safe havens for wildlife."

The Okefenokee Refuge joins a list of 1,223 cultural and natural sites of world importance alongside iconic monuments like the Grand Canyon, Taj Mahal and Great Wall of China.  

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