Natural Monument on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance.
Under
A-Z of Areas of Biodiversity Importance: Natural Monument or FeatureNatural Monuments in Brazil
Outdoor sculptures Open-air museums Types of monuments and memorials Protected areas {{geo-term-stub
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance.
Under World Commission on Protected Areas
The World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is one of six commissions of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
History
In 1948, the IUCN established a Committee on National Parks. Two decades later the IUCN had been ask ...
guidelines, natural monuments are level III, described as:
:"Areas are set aside to protect a specific natural monument, which can be a landform, sea mount, submarine cavern, geological feature such as a cave or even a living feature such as an ancient grove. They are generally quite small protected areas and often have high visitor value."
This is a lower level of protection than level II (national parks) and level I (wilderness areas).
The European Environment Agency's guidelines for selection of a natural monument are:
* The area should contain one or more features of outstanding significance. Appropriate natural features include waterfalls, caves, craters, fossil beds, sand dunes and marine features, along with unique or representative fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...
and flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
; associated cultural features might include cave dwellings, cliff-top forts, archaeological sites, or natural sites which have heritage significance to indigenous peoples.
* The area should be large enough to protect the integrity of the feature and its immediately related surroundings.
See also
* IUCN Protected Area Management Categories: Category III Natural Monument or Feature *U.S. National Monument
In the United States, a national monument is a protected area that can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the President of the United States or an act of Congress. National monuments prot ...
*World Conservation Union
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
References
External links
*A-Z of Areas of Biodiversity Importance: Natural Monument or Feature
Outdoor sculptures Open-air museums Types of monuments and memorials Protected areas {{geo-term-stub