# Morne Trois Pitons World Heritage Site (December 1997)

URL: https://allhistories.com/dominica/timeline/1997-morne-trois-pitons-world-heritage-site
Location: Morne Trois Pitons National Park
Themes: main-event

Morne Trois Pitons National Park, established in July 1975 as Dominica's first legally protected park, covers about 6,857 hectares of the island's volcanic interior around the 1,342-metre peak of Morne Trois Pitons. It contains a remarkable concentration of volcanic features, including fumaroles, hot springs, freshwater lakes and the Boiling Lake, a flooded fumarole whose water reaches 82–92 °C at its edges. In December 1997, at its 21st session, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the park on the World Heritage List under natural criteria (viii) and (x), recognising both its geological processes and its biodiversity. The site includes the Valley of Desolation, an area of boiling mud pools and small geysers, the Emerald Pool and Middleham Falls, and lush tropical rainforest, montane forest and elfin woodland that shelter many endemic species. The inscription gave Dominica its first and so far only World Heritage Site and international recognition for its claim to be the 'Nature Island' of the Caribbean. It became the centrepiece of the island's eco-tourism, and its trails were later linked to the Waitukubuli National Trail. At this point in the timeline (December 1997), the President of Dominica was Crispin Sorhaindo (25 October 1993 – 5 October 1998). Government: the Prime Minister of Dominica was Edison James (14 June 1995 – 3 February 2000).

## Why it matters
World Heritage status brought international recognition to Dominica's volcanic and rainforest heritage.

Ruler at the Time: [Crispin Sorhaindo](https://allhistories.com/dominica/rulers/crispin-sorhaindo)

Prime Minister of Dominica: Edison James (United Workers' Party)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Morne Trois Pitons National Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morne_Trois_Pitons_National_Park)
- [UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Morne Trois Pitons National Park](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/814)
- [Wikipedia — Boiling Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_Lake)
- [Wikipedia — Independence And The Charles Years (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominica)