MontagueS

Sean Montague

Collaborator Contributions

<p>A school of blue-striped snapper gathers at&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20px;">Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection site in Panama.</span></p>

Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection, Panama

The Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection site in Panama was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2005. The site, protected from the cold winds and effects of El Nino, provides a key ecological link to the Tropical Eastern Pacific for the transit and survival of pelagic fish and marine mammals. The varied marine environments within the park provide habitat and resources for diverse marine life: nearly 800 species of fish, including 33 species of sharks, and 20 species of cetaceans.

<p>Steller’s sea eagles, a threatened species, gather on sea ice at the&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20px;">Shiretoko Peninsula in Japan.</span></p>

Shiretoko, Japan

The Shiretoko site in Japan was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2005. The site’s key feature is its exceptional productivity, largely resulting from the formation of relatively low-latitude seasonal sea ice, which feeds the growth of phytoplankton, the base of the marine food-web.

<p>The Sundarbans National Park site in India, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987, contains the world's largest mangrove forest and hosts a number of rare and endangered species including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds, and reptiles.</p>

Sundarbans National Park, India

The Sundarbans National Park site in India was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987. The site, located in the Ganges delta, contains the world's largest mangrove forest and hosts a number of rare and endangered species including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds, and reptiles.

<p>A leatherback sea turtle crawls across the sand at the<span style="line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 20px;">Area de Conservación Guanacaste site in Costa Rica.</span></p>

Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica

The Area de Conservación Guanacaste site in Costa Rica was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999. The site has the most intact inshore Pacific marine ecosystem between the Panama Canal Zone and Mexico, with major nutrient-rich upwelling currents, resulting in high biological productivity.

<p>A Socotra cormorant dries its wings on the shore at the&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20px;">Socotra Archipelago in Yemen.</span></p>

Socotra Archipelago, Yemen

The Socotra Archipelago site in Yemen was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2008. The marine life is diverse and includes 283 species of coral, 730 species of coastal fish, and 300 species of crab, lobster, and shrimp.

<p>A small giant clam -- yes, that's it's real name -- in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.</p>

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The Great Barrier Reef site in Australia was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981. The site is the world’s most extensive stretch of coral reef with probably the richest animal diversity anywhere. There are over 1,500 species of fish, about 400 types of coral, 4,000 types of mollusk (including the small giant clam, Tridacna maxima, pictured here), and a diverse assemblage of sponges, anemones, marine worms, crustaceans, and many other invertebrate and vertebrate species.

<p>The&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20px;">volcanic archipelago&nbsp;</span>St. Kilda in the United Kingdom has some of the highest cliffs in Europe and hosts large colonies of endangered seabirds.</p>

St. Kilda, United Kingdom

The St. Kilda site in the United Kingdom was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986. The volcanic archipelago and surrounding marine waters have some of the highest cliffs in Europe and host large colonies of rare and endangered birds.

<p>The Gough and Inaccessible Islands site in the United Kingdom was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1995. The site, located in the south Atlantic, is one of the least-disrupted island and marine ecosystems in the cool temperate zone. The spectacular cliffs, towering above the ocean, are free of introduced mammals and home to one of the world's largest colonies of sea birds, including millions of great shearwaters (<em>Puffinus gravis</em>). Southern elephant seals (<em>Mirounga leonina</em>) have only occasionally been sighted on shore, but there is a large breeding population of sub-Antarctic fur seals (<em>Arctocephalus tropicalis</em> – pictured here), as well as 10 percent of the global population of northern rockhopper penguins (<em>Eudyptes moseleyi</em>).</p>

Gough and Inaccessible Islands, United Kingdom

The Gough and Inaccessible Islands site in the United Kingdom was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1995. The site, located in the south Atlantic, is one of the least-disrupted island and marine ecosystems in the cool temperate zone. The spectacular cliffs, towering above the ocean, are free of introduced mammals and home to one of the world's largest colonies of sea birds, including millions of great shearwaters (Puffinus gravis).

<p>The Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture site in Spain was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999. The site’s dense prairies of <em>Posidonia oceanica</em>, an important (and highly productive) endemic sea grass, provide coastal protection from storms, food and habitat for a broad diversity of marine life, and critical nursery grounds for fishery species. Among the site’s other significant marine values are underwater caves that offer access to important geological features, the most diverse pillow coral community (<em>Cladocora caespitosa</em>) in the Mediterranean, and a valuable population of <em>Ecteinascidia turbinata</em>, a tunicate or “sea squirt” with recognized use in preventing and treating cancer. Ibiza also offers protection to three globally endangered species, including the Mediterranean monk seal (<em>Monachus monachus</em>).</p>

Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture, Spain

The Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture site in Spain was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999. The site’s dense prairies of Posidonia oceanica, an important (and highly productive) endemic sea grass, provide coastal protection from storms, food and habitat for a broad diversity of marine life, and critical nursery grounds for fishery species.

<p>The iSimangaliso Wetland Park site in South Africa was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999. Wind and water continue to shape the site’s diverse landforms: coral reefs, long sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and extensive reed and papyrus wetlands. As a result, the park contains critical habitat for an exceptional diversity of species from Africa's marine, wetland, and savannah environments. Pictured here is a whale shark (<em>Rhincodon typus</em>), which ranges between shallow near-shore and deeper offshore waters.</p>

iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park site in South Africa was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999. Wind and water continue to shape the site’s diverse landforms: coral reefs, long sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and extensive reed and papyrus wetlands. As a result, the park contains critical habitat for an exceptional diversity of species from Africa's marine, wetland, and savannah environments.