The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has decided, after a decade of waiting, that Paraty and Ilha Grande, in the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro, would be granted the title of World Heritage Site. The site includes the historic center of Paraty and Ilha Grande.
This is Brazil’s first mixed heritage site, meaning it includes both cultural and natural assets. The official date of recognition is November 12, 2022. Of the more than a thousand World Heritage Sites, only 39 sites in 31 countries are mixed sites. Paraty and Ilha Grande join 21 other Brazilian World Heritage Sites, of which seven are natural and 14 are cultural.
The country’s heritage list includes Ouro Preto (MG), Olinda (PE), São Luís (MA), City of Goiás (GO) and Salvador (BA), the Brasília Pilot Plan, the Pantanal, the islands of Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas, the Iguaçu National Park (PR), the Cariocas Landscapes (RJ) and the Valongo Pier (RJ).
One way Paraty and Ilha Grande won the UNESCO prize, ten years after their first attempt failed, was to focus their dossier on the relevance of local biodiversity. In 2009, the claim had been for the title of cultural heritage. At the second attempt, the title was Cultural and Natural Heritage. In the opinions of Icomos and IUCN, UNESCO advisory bodies, the criteria for victory are explained.
In reaction Rio’s secretary of tourism in 2022, Otávio Leite, highlighted the pride provided by the achievement: “Now, we have to think about preserving, extolling, bringing tourists and the world to enjoy this charm, which is being recognized by this institution”, he said. To discover more about Paraty, be charmed by the historic seaside city.
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