Caves of Peruaçu, Mount Kumgang, and nine other hopefuls vie for UNESCO status at the 47 COM in Paris (6–16 July 2025). Get the shortlist and the stakes.
Blink and you might miss a pivot in global patrimony. From 6–16 July 2025 the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (a.k.a. 47 COM) gathers in Paris to decide which natural wonders and cultural marvels get the coveted inscription.
Translation? Destinies—and tourism flows—change overnight. Before the votes are cast, here’s your cheatsheet to the most talked‑about contenders.
Brazil’s Minas Gerais state hides a 60‑kilometre limestone canyon riddled with caverns. Inside: Pleistocene megafauna bones, 12‑metre high speleothems, and rock art older than the pyramids. The bid emphasises:
Geo‑diversity: Hundreds of quartzite dripstones and one of the planet’s largest stalactites (spanning a casual 28 metres).
Living culture: Maxakali and Xacriabá Indigenous groups still visit for cosmic alignment rituals.
Conservation cred: 97 percent native cerrado vegetation intact thanks to a strict federal park created in 1999.
World Heritage 2025 seekers are whispering that this North Korean granite massif—already celebrated in classic Joseon‑era ink scrolls—may become geopolitics’ soft power darling. Highlights include:
Crystal‑peak geomorphology: Sheer cliffs, 12 waterfall systems, and glacial cirques form a “granite Disneyland” for geomorphologists.
Biosphere bonus: Endemic Korean pine and endangered Amur goral roam the slopes.
Diplomatic subplot: South Korean eco‑NGOs quietly lobby for a future trans‑border peace park.
Kagoshima Sunami‑Tomioka Saltpans (Japan): Edo‑period engineering still crystallising sea salt with zero fossil fuels.
Old Yeniseisk (Russia): Siberian river town whose baroque churches wear permafrost like couture.
Qhapaq Ñan Southern Spur (Bolivia/Argentina): The Inca road’s final missing link, complete with llama‑caravan way‑stations.
Wadden Sea Extension – Skaggerak (Denmark/Norway): Bird‑migration super‑highway aims to stitch a pan‑North‑Sea protected corridor.
Cuatrocienegas Wetlands (Mexico): Microbial stromatolites nicknamed “living fossils” in neon‑blue pools.
Zagros Intangible Cultural Landscape (Iran): Oak‑forest agro‑silvo‑pastoralism that seeds wheat’s wild cousins.
Outstanding Universal Value: Must make a scholar say “whoa” in any language.
Integrity & Authenticity: No Frankenstein reconstructions please.
Management Plan: Think five‑year strategy with climate‑proofing baked in.
Advisory Body Reports: ICOMOS and IUCN do the homework; Committee does the headline.
Climate Resilience: Proposals now come with carbon‑budget annexes.
Bi‑National Cooperation: Expect more joint bids—political goodwill equals brownie points.
Digital Twins: LIDAR scans submitted as part of dossiers for disaster‑recovery insurance.
Whether you’re rooting for the glow‑worm murals of Peruaçu or the mist‑veiled crags of Mount Kumgang, the World Heritage 2025 slate proves that humanity’s crown jewels still surface in unexpected corners.
Keep July’s Paris vote on your watchlist; by autumn, your travel bucket list could have a few dazzling new entries. Ready to whisper “Outstanding Universal Value” into your boarding pass?
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