Updated · The Atlanta Journal Constitution · Jul 25
UNESCO Adds Georgia’s 407,000-Acre Okefenokee Refuge to World Heritage List
Updated
Updated · The Atlanta Journal Constitution · Jul 25
UNESCO Adds Georgia’s 407,000-Acre Okefenokee Refuge to World Heritage List
2 articles · Updated · The Atlanta Journal Constitution · Jul 25
Summary
Busan’s World Heritage Committee on Saturday inscribed the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, making it one of the few U.S. natural sites on UNESCO’s list.
The 407,000-acre southeast Georgia wetland won recognition for its “outstanding universal value” — a vast blackwater ecosystem with rare species and carbon-rich peat.
The designation caps a decades-long push that began in the 1980s, gained formal U.S. nomination under President Joe Biden in 2024 and drew bipartisan backing in Georgia.
The new status is expected to raise tourism and the swamp’s international profile, even as conservationists still press to block mining proposals near its edge.