Property: Ischigualasto/Talampaya Natural Parks
Id. N°: 966
State Party: Argentina
Criteria: N (i)
The Committee inscribed Ischigualasto/Talampaya Natural Parks on the World Heritage List under natural criterion (i).
Criterion (i). The site contains a complete sequence of fossiliferous continental sediments representing the entire Triassic Period (45 million years) of geological history. No other place in the world has a fossil record comparable to that of Ischigualasto-Talampaya which reveals the evolution of vertebrate life and the nature of palaeoenvironments in the Triassic Period.
IUCN noted that existing pressures on the site are low, that the site is effectively managed and that a positive response was received from the State Party concerning a cooperative management plan.
A number of delegates, in supporting the nomination, highlighted the uniqueness of the site covering the whole Triassic period.
The Observer of Argentina thanked the Committee for the decision, which will strengthen the protection of natural areas in his country. He informed the Committee that the two areas are now well integrated and that a joint management plan is in place since 2 October 2000. He also agreed to a name change from Ischigualasto Provincial Park and Talampaya National Park to Ischigualasto/ Talampaya Natural Parks as suggested by some delegates who felt the name was complicated.