Chin State’s Mt Victoria shortlisted for World Heritage status

02 December 2013: Mount Victoria, the highest mountain in Chin State, has been chosen among the seven locations in Burma for a shortlist for the World Heritage site.

The meeting marking the launch of UNESCO’s ‘Safeguarding Natural Heritage in Myanmar within the World Heritage Framework’ project announced the sites for further confirmation.

They include the Khonumtung National Park, Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve, Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Irrawaddy River Corridor, Khakaborazi National Park with Hponkanraziand proposed extension, Myeik Archipelago, and the Tanintharyi Forest Corridor.

In a statement released on 27 November 2013, UNESCO said that the project introduces the World Heritage framework as a means to enhance the protection of Burma’s natural heritage in conformity with the highest international standards.

“As the next step, a high-level national consultation meeting is proposed for early in 2014 to seek further inputs and endorsement from other concerned ministries, state and local authorities and other stakeholders,” it added.

Khonumtung, also known as Khonumsung or Khonumthung, has been recognized as the 32nd ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Heritage Park since late last year.

The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF) and UNESCO on November 21-22, 2013, with cooperation from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Norwegian Environmental Agency.#