A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. Nature reserves may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions, regardless of nationality. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws.
Nature reserves
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4Aggtelek National Park
Aggtelek National Park is a national park in Northern Hungary, in the Aggtelek Karst region. It was founded in 1985. It contains 198.92 km² (of which 39.22 km² are under increased protection). It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1995.
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9Baodingshan
Baodingshan is a Buddhist site in the western Chinese province of Sichuan currently falling under the jurisdiction of the Chongqing municipal government.
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10Belovezhskaya Puscha (Bialowieza Forest)
Bialowieza Forest is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain. The forest is home to 800 European bison, Europe's heaviest land animal. UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) designated the Polish Biosphere Reserve Bialowieza in 1976 and the Belarusian Biosphere Reserve Belovezhskaya Puschcha in 1993.
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10Bialowieza Forest
Bialowieza Forest is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain. The forest is home to 800 European bison, Europe's heaviest land animal. UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) designated the Polish Biosphere Reserve Bialowieza in 1976 and the Belarusian Biosphere Reserve Belovezhskaya Puschcha in 1993.
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9Bundala National Park
Bundala National Park is an internationally important wintering ground for migratory water birds in Sri Lanka.
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10Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a United States National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave, Carlsbad Cavern. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
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10Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park hosting the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest. The park is located in northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, in a remote canyon cut by the Chaco Wash.
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3Copper Coast Geopark
The Copper Coast is a stretch of the southern coast of Ireland in County Waterford, extending for some 17 km from Kilfarrasy in the east to Stradbally in the west. It is named for the historic metal-mining industry, the legacies of which now constitute a tourist attraction.
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10Danube Delta
The waters of the Danube, which flow into the Black Sea, form the largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas. The Danube delta hosts over 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes.
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10Durmitor National Park
The Durmitor National Park, created in 1952, includes the massif of Durmitor, the canyons of Tara, Susica and Draga rivers and the higher part of the canyon plateau Komarnica, covering the area of 390 km².
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2El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve
El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, is a biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site managed by the Federal government of Mexico, specifically by Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources, in collaboration with state government of Sonora and the Tohono O'odham.
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2El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve
The El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, created in 1988, is located in Mulege Municipality in northern Baja California Sur, at the center of the Baja California Peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. With a landmass of over 9,625 square-miles (24,930 square km), it is the largest wildlife refuge in Mexico.
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10Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is a U.S. National Park in Florida that protects the southern 20 percent of the original Everglades. In the United States, it is the largest tropical wilderness, the largest wilderness of any kind east of the Mississippi River, and is visited on average by one million people each year.
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10Garajonay National Park
Garajonay National Park is located in the center and north of the island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands.
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10Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Montana, on the Canada–United States border with the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.
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10Goreme National Park
Goreme National Park. Goreme, located among the "fairy chimney" rock formations, is a town in Cappadocia, a historical region of Turkey. It is in the Nevsehir Province in Central Anatolia and has a population of around 2,000 people.
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10Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is the United States' 15th oldest national park. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the park is located in Arizona. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
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10Great Himalayan National Park
The Great Himalayan National Park, is one of India's national parks, is located in Kullu region in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
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10Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain.
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8Huanglong, Sichuan
Huanglong is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. This area is known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou, as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs.
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10Huangshan
Huangshan is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China. The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly-shaped granite peaks, Huangshan pine trees, hot springs, winter snow, and views of the clouds from above.
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1Ichkeul National Park
Ichkeul National Park. Lake Ichkeul is the last great freshwater lake of a chain that once stretched the length of North Africa.
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10Jiuzhaigou
Jiuzhaigou is a nature reserve and national park located in the north of Sichuan province, China.
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10Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses is a World Heritage Site.
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10Long Point, Ontario
Long Point is a sand spit and medium-sized hamlet on the north shore of Lake Erie, part of Norfolk County in the province of Ontario, Canada.
