La Jornada: D-Day beaches, in France, and Mount Olympus, in Greece, on the UNESCO heritage list

Seoul. The World War II D-Day landing beaches in northern France and Mount Olympus in Greece were added to the world heritage list yesterday during a meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) committee in South Korea.

Also inscribed were the ancient Japanese capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara, and the Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape, in South Sudan, scene of one of the largest migrations of land mammals in the world.

The French designation covers the five Normandy landing beaches – Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold and Juno – where more than 150,000 Allied troops landed on June 6, 1944, along with the Pointe du Hoc assault site, all central elements of the campaign to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites, which evaluates proposals submitted to the heritage committee, said the sites contain extensive remains, from German fortifications and bombarded landscapes to Allied port structures and sunken ships, marking an “event widely perceived as allowing the return of freedom and heralding lasting peace on the European continent.”

He also called for stronger monitoring and greater preservation efforts at the sites, citing possible threats from tourism, climate change and sea level rise, as well as the development of wind farms near the areas.

The inscription of Mount Olympus as a world heritage site capped a 12-year effort by Greece to achieve recognition of its highest mountain as a mixed cultural and natural heritage site. The site, which rises 2,918 meters from a base near sea level, was believed to be the throne of Zeus, king of the gods; In addition, it houses a rich biodiversity.

Meanwhile, the Japanese cities added to the list, located in the western prefecture of Nara, encompass 19 archaeological complexes of the capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara, from the 6th to 8th centuries, where Japan established its first centralized state, modeled after Chinese systems. The sites preserve the largely buried remains of royal palaces, government offices, Buddhist temples and capital tombs that influenced the later capitals of Nara and Kyoto.

Natural areas

South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo site encompasses vast wetlands, floodplains and savannas shaped by seasonal rainfall and flood dynamics, with an estimated 6 million white-eared kobs, tiangs and Mongalla gazelles moving across the landscape in response to changing environmental conditions. According to the international organization, it is also the habitat of elephants, lions, cheetahs and other fauna, while supporting ethnic communities that have lived from livestock, agriculture and fishing for centuries.