Kakadu National Park

Marconcini Asia and Veiz Cullhaj 5BT

The Kakadu National Park is a huge nature reserve located in Australia in the Northern Territory, which is rich in animal and plant species, home to marshes, rivers and sandstone cliffs, as well as about 2000 species of plants and wildlife that includes saltwater crocodiles, flat-backed tortoises and birds. Since 1981 the Kakadu national park has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO

Where is it?

Kakadu National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia. The park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory.

Why is it included in the unesco world heritage list?

Criterion I

To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius.

Kakadu’s indigenous communities and their myriad rock art and archaeological sites represent an outstanding example of humankind’s interaction with the natural environment.

Criterion VI

To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.

The rock art and archaeological record is an exceptional source of evidence for social and ritual activities associated with hunting and gathering traditions of Aboriginal people from the Pleistocene era until the present day.

Criterion VII

to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance

Kakadu National Park shows a remarkable contrast between the internationally recognised wetlands and the spectacular rocky escarpment. The vast expanse of wetlands to the north of the park extends over tens of kilometres and provides habitat for millions of waterbirds. The escarpment consists of vertical and stepped cliff up to 330 metres high and extends in a jagged and unbroken line for hundreds of kilometres. The plateau areas behind the escarpment are inaccessible by vehicle and contain large areas with no human infrastructure and limited public access. The views from the plateau are breathtaking.

Criterion IX

to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals.

The area incorporates significant elements of four major river systems of tropical Australia. Kakadu’s ancient escarpment and stone country count more than two billion years of geological history. The floodplains are recent, dynamic environments, shaped by changing sea levels and big floods every wet season.

Criterion X

to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

The place protects an extraordinary number of plant and animal species including over one third of Australia’s bird species, one quarter of Australia’s land mammals and an exceptionally high number of reptile, frog and fish species. Huge concentrations of waterbirds make seasonal use of the park’s extensive coastal floodplains.

Tourism flows

Every year over 1 million visitors arrive in Australia from all over the world just to visit the Kakadu National Park, this large influx of tourists has made local people worry about the pollution and the destruction of the park's ecosystem. In the coming years new forms of tourism will be organized to limit the damage that natural environments suffer each year due to these high flows of tourists.

ACTIVITIES TO DO ...

Boat cruises

Yellow Water Cruises take guests on a discovery tour through the rich wildlife, dramatic scenery and ever-changing landscape of world-famous Yellow Water Billabong.

Birdwatching

Yellow Water Cruises will provide you with an intimate adventure tour that you will never forget. About one third of Australia’s bird species are represented in Kakadu, with at least 60 species found in the wetlands.

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