Okefenokee Swamp earns UNESCO World Heritage status

Among the great wonders of the world like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park now sits Georgia’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Commonly known as the Okefenokee Swamp, the place prides itself on being one of the most intact wetland ecosystems left on the planet with more than 1,270 species of plants and animals.

The UNESCO World Heritage List is a collection of the world’s most treasured natural and cultural sites, and after more than four decades of advocacy, the Okefenokee made the cut.

Josh Howard, operations manager for the guided tour company Okefenokee Adventures in Folkston, said he started coming to the swamp nearly 50 years ago with his grandfather. He said the UNESCO designation puts the swamp on the world stage.

“I’ve always known that this place is iconic, and now I think when we get this status, it shows the world and shows the broader United States that there is a special place right there in Southeast Georgia that you need to come and see,” Howard said.

A study from The Conservation Fund found that annual visitation of the swamp could double to 1.6 million people by 2035.

Although the designation does not bring with it legal protections, Georgia Sierra Club Director Adrien Webber said it raises the stake in protecting the swamp’s future.

“What’s next for the Okefenokee? Are we going to continue to protect the remaining acreage, or are we going to just kind of hope for the best and hope that nothing happens to it? The last time that happened, we ended up getting a potential mine, and luckily it was stopped,” Webber said.

A major conservation victory was won last year by The Conservation Fund, which purchases an 8,000-acre mining site from Twin Pines Minerals. However, the state legislature has not passed the Okefenokee Protection Act, which would ban mining on the swamp’s eastern boundary.