WORLD HERITAGE SITE

" The Minister of Culture, Román Rodríguez , announced at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris that the Cíes-Atlantic Islands candidacy is now 'in the final' to become a World Heritage Site."

THE NATIONAL PARK CANDIDACY

" The candidacy of the Islas Cíes-Atlánticas national park, promoted by the Xunta de Galicia , has just been recognized by Unesco, which is a very important step that, using a football analogy, means that we have already passed the semi-finals and are going to play the final," said Rodríguez.

The councilor met at the institution with the director of the World Heritage Centre, Mechtild Rössler , and others responsible for validating the application dossier, which has been on UNESCO's tentative list since October.

The nomination will remain on that list for a year before the "studies and technical checks to demonstrate that this natural heritage can be recognized by UNESCO evaluators and declared a World Heritage Site" begin, said the Galician official in charge of Culture.

He noted that it is "difficult to speak of specific timelines" and insisted that the important thing now is to "take sure and firm steps" to ensure the candidacy's success. In this regard, he called on the people of Galicia to "work together to definitively join this select group." For Rodríguez, this recognition would have value not only for conservation but also for its "impact" on the local area, providing an economic boost "for the promotion of tourism and other activities."

OTHER CANDIDATES REGISTERED ON THE LIST

The regional minister emphasized to Rössler the importance of this designation for Galicia, as a "peripheral territory of Europe but with many doors to America," and thanked the director for UNESCO's work in preserving world cultural heritage.

The meeting, which was attended by Spain's ambassador to the UN, Teresa Lizaranzu , also addressed the status of the other two Galician nominations, Ribeira Sacra and Ferrol de la Ilustración, which, although initiated earlier, are further behind. If ultimately approved, the Cíes-Atlantic Islands would become Spain's fourth natural park on the World Heritage List, joining Doñana, Garajonay, and Teide (Canary Islands).

Galicia already boasts five sites inscribed on the World Heritage List: the Roman Walls of Lugo, the Tower of Hercules in A Coruña, the old town of Santiago de Compostela, and several routes of the Camino de Santiago. The Cíes Islands will begin their season in a few days with the first ferry trips during Holy Week.

The Cíes Islands makes its website available to the relevant authorities so that access permits to the islands can be requested; many people are already contacting us to request them.

---------------------------------

➡ Visit our website: https://lasislascies.com

❤ Take home a souvenir from the Cíes Islands: https://tienda.lasislascies.com