Latest news with #NaturalWorldHeritage
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
The greatest outdoor travel destinations have been named in a new ranking
We love the city at Time Out, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate some off-the-beaten track adventure. And now, a brand-new ranking has shed some light on the greatest outdoor travel destinations the world has to offer. KÜHL has unveiled its Global Outdoor Destination Index, which has analysed 183 countries on 12 different metrics under the umbrella of adventure opportunities, landscape richness, nature preservation and comfort and peace. Claiming the crown as the world's best outdoor travel destination is (drum roll, please) Australia! Recommended: This underrated country has been named the world's best adventure destination for 2025. We know, shocker. Australia performed well in all outdoor categories, ranking first for nature preservation. There are 12 UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites, after all. Oh, and that's on top of the fact that around 25 percent of its land and 45 percent of its marine territory is protected. In second place was the USA, thanks to its sheer scale and the diversity of landscapes it encompasses, from bayous to glacial valleys, and in third place it was New Zealand, with Canada and France rounding out the top 5. These are the world's greatest outdoor travel destinations Australia USA New Zealand Canada France Mexico China Bhutan Malta Brazil
Miami Herald
29-04-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Rare creature appears on trail camera in Thailand — then its family follows
In the forests of Thailand, a massive creature moves slowly through the trees. From a distance, it may seem like the large, black figure is moving without touching the ground. Really, it's just a bovine with stocking-like legs that blend into the tall grass. The animal is a wild gaur, the world's largest living cow, and it calls the mountain forests of India, southeast Asia and the Malay Peninsula home. Despite their large size, sometimes more than 6 feet tall, the species is considered vulnerable thanks to pressures like deforestation and poaching. Now, a Thai national park is celebrating good gaur news — a new family. Trail cameras stationed in Huai Kha Khaeng Forest captured the moments adults and calves walked through the national park, wildlife officials said in an April 29 Facebook post from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Officials said seeing young gaur in the park is a positive sign for the rare species and shows good health of the ecosystem in order to sustain the gaur. Gaur reproducing in the wild means there are enough food resources and a generally safe environment, officials said, a reflection of previous conservation efforts. In previous decades, gaur were hunted not only for their meat but also for their horns and medicinal products, according to the World Land Trust. This was partially responsible for a 70% population decline since 1986. In order to protect the species from extinction, samples of their genetic material have been cryogenically preserved, according to the trust. The Huai Kha Khaeng Forest, where the gaur family was found, is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site and includes more than 1.4 million acres of protected forest. Aside from gaur, the forest is home to other rare creatures like tigers and elephants, according to UNESCO. The park is in western Thailand near the eastern border of Myanmar. ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, was used to translate the Facebook post from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
