7 World Heritage Sites Entrepreneurs Can Save

With just $2 million and human ingenuity, organizers of a unique campaign hope to save these extraordinary natural treasures. Also see these 10 Hidden Gems in the U.S. National Park System.

By Dan Shapley

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Preserving the world's most extraordinary natural features might seem like a no-brainer, but it is never as easy as it should be, or as cheap. But a unique new program hopes to jumpstart conservation efforts at the seven preserves featured here with a paltry $2 million. (How paltry is $2 million? U.S. national parks have a deferred maintenance backlog of $8 billion.) The idea: finance community-based entrepreneurs who have ideas to preserve the landscape, employ fellow third-world citizens -- and make a profit. Examples of eligible businesses include sustainable agriculture, ecotourism services and harvest of forest products such as oils, nuts and fibers. Here's a look at the seven sites that will share in the program, developed by the United Nations Development Program, the U.N. Foundation and Conservation International.

Mount Kenya is Africa's second-tallest peak, at 17,000 feet. The extinct volcano supports 12 glaciers (all rapidly receding), a bamboo forest, buffalo, elephants, leopards and giant forest hogs. Four secondary peaks sitting at the head of a forested U-shaped valley make this "one of the most impressive landscapes in East Africa," according to its UNESCO World Heritage site description.

Puerto Princesa National Park

puerto princesa national park, world heritage site, conservation international, entrepreneurs puerto princesa national park How many underground estuaries are there in the world? The Philippines has one of them: An underground river carving its way through spectacular limestone karst caves and emerging directly into the sea, where the tides infiltrate. Not surprisingly, this unique feature, and its surrounding forests, comprise one of Asia's most critical habitats, a World Heritage site.

Sian Ka'an

sian ka'an, world heritage site, entrepreneurs, conservation international sian ka'an This extraordinary stretch of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula boasts tropical forests, mangroves, marshes, a barrier reef, more than 300 species of birds -- and the "Origin of the Sky." At least, that's what the ancient Mayan's thought when they named this beautiful World Heritage site.

Mount Kilimanjaro

mount kilimanjaro, world heritage site, entrepreneurs, conservation international mount kilimanjaro The tallest peak in Africa, the subject of one of Hemingway's celebrated short stories, and, of course a World Heritage site, 19,340-foot Mount Kilimanjaro is a loner looming over Tanzania's savannah. Many endangered species rely on the mountain, its forested slopes or the surrounding savannah to survive, and the mountain's once formidable glaciers are fast receding.

Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System

belize barrier reef reserve system, entrepreneurs, conservation international, world heritage sites belize barrier reef reserve system The largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere is off the coast of Belize, the little Central American nation on the Caribbean Sea. Offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries only make the country's coastal ecosystem, a World Heritage site, more unique, and critical for the protection of several threatened species, including marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile.

Morne Trois Pitons National Park

morne trois pitons national park, world heritage site, entrepreneurs, conservation international morne trois pitons national park What's better than an incredibly scenic 4,400-foot volcano set in lush tropical rain forest? One set on a remote Caribbean island (Dominica) and pocked with "deeply incised valleys, 50 fumaroles, hot springs and waterfalls, three freshwater lakes and a 'boiling lake'." This preserve has the richest biodiversity in the Lesser Antilles, justifying its inclusion on the list of World Heritage sites.

Madagascar's Tropical Dry Forests

tsingy, madagascar dry forests, world heritage site, conservation international, entrepreneurs tsingy in madagascar dry forests Not yet a World Heritage site, but up for consideration, Madagascar's tropical dry forests are characterized in parts by unique rock formations called “tsingy.” Only 3% of the original dry forests of Madagascar remain, according to one estimate. The forests support an amazing diversity of life, including lemurs, a forest moose, the fossa, chameleons, endangered tortoises, birds and other species wholly unique to Madagascar and this region.