Lisa Hanna, Jamaica's Minister of Culture and Youth, was visibly moved as she thanked the UNESCO committee at the annual meeting in Bonn. Now the island nation will be known for more than the reggae of Bob Marley and star athletes Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The list has grown to include Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park.

The remote mountainous region is home to a great number of rare animal species as well as an indigenous people. The new World Heritage status offers much in the way of protection for the biodiversity and wildlife found there.

As Jamaica is awarded its first World Heritage, the UNESCO Committee in Bonn is winding down. Additional new World Heritage sites will be named before the meetings conclude on Sunday, 5 July.

ak/ks/mj (UNESCO)