Greek Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni has announced that Mount Olympus has been nominated as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
Together with the Greek Environment Ministry and the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organisation, the preliminary nomination dossier was submitted.
“A symbol name, one of the most recognizable internationally, Olympus, is connected to the mythology of the Greek Dodecatheon, while it stands out for its valuable biodiversity,” says Ms Mendoni.
“It is the ideal combination of nature, mythology and history.”
If this submission is successful, it would make it the third site in Greece to join the infamous index, along with Agios Oros and Meteora.
In order to qualify, an area must meet a series of criteria related to intangible cultural heritage elements, geological-morphological features, rich biodiversity, and the existence of important ecological-biological processes for the evolution of life.
3.5 million square kilometres in more than 250 terrestrial and marine locations in more than 100 nations have so far been included to the list, according to UNESCO data.
Mount Olympus became the first National Park in Greece in 1938, and it is currently also recognized as a World Biosphere Reserve.
As part of the nomination process for the designation of Mount Olympus as a Natural World Heritage site, UNESCO is required to provide input on the preliminary Mount Olympus dossier to the Greek ministries over the next several months so that a revised final dossier can be presented in early 2023.
Source: Greek Reporter
