WILDLIFE HABITAT, FAUNA (34 whs)

Aldabra Atoll
Banc d'Arguin
Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Bialowieza Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Chitwan National Park
Dja Faunal Reserve
Donana National Park
Dong Phayayen
Galapagos Islands
Garamba National Park
Gulf of California
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kaziranga National Park
Keoladeo National Park
Komodo National Park
Lopé-Okanda
Los Katios National Park
Mana Pools
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
Ngorongoro
Niokolo-Koba National Park
Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Rainforests of the Atsinanana
Selous Game Reserve
Serengeti
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries
Virunga National Park
W National Park of Niger
Wood Buffalo National Park
Wrangel Island
Yellowstone

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/categories/category1.html

My selection

Dja Faunal Reserve
Dong Phayayen
Galapagos Islands
Garamba National Park
Gulf of California
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kaziranga National Park
Komodo National Park
Los Katios National Park
Manovo-Gounda
Ngorongoro
Rainforests of the Atsinanana
Selous Game Reserve
Serengeti
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries
Wrangel Island
Virunga National Park

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve of course!

My selection:
Galapagos
Komodo
Monarch butterfly reserve
Ngorongoro
Serengeti
Sichuan
Virunga NP

Should birds be included here or perhaps we could have a separate connection?

Birds ARE included as "Fauna" for this Category. E.g the Galapagos endemic fauna is primarily avian - Darwin's Finches etc) as well as reptilian. Others also - eg Band d'Arguin's significant fauna is entirely avian. Most of the other ones with this category (unless as per eg Okapi or Monarch, inscribed for a specified example of fauna) are likely to include some avian wildlife as part of their OUV

There is no doubt that Avi- fauna has significant contribution for OUV. However, there are some site which got inscribed mostly due to Avi- fauna. Those can be better represented if we add a separate category. We can add Bird migration route to represent these sites as most of these WHS are in migration route.

We can refer to these connection
http://www.worldheritagesite.org/tags/tag5.html

However some WHS like (Peninsula Valdes, Putorana Plateau, Serengeti, Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino and Wrangel Island) from the above connection won't fit as they are mainly for animal and whale migration.

This category is going to take me a while to go through. One thing that struck me is that we don't have a link to a WHS with Australian fauna in this category. I'd recommend adding a site such as Wet Tropics of Queensland, Kakadu National Park, or Gondwana Rainforests. For that matter, the Great Barrier Reef has an astounding amount of biodiversity.

Because I'd like to be representative of the scope of fauna found on Earth, I'll probably be including Rainforests of the Atsinanana as one of my selections to represent Madagascar, which, like Australia and the Galapagos, has a variety of endemic flora and fauna.

Why?? Avi-fauna is perfectly well encompassed within the definition of "fauna" just as is Repitilian and Insect! Categories are not meant to be "Connections" which can potentially bring in every aspect of a site (and the more the merrier), but to "Broadly" describe what a site is about without creating too many different categories. Of the 34 sites in the Fauna Category I would suggest that ONLY Banc d'Arguin is there primarily because of its Avian (rather than for other sorts of animals or for geological, scenic etc) significance. We can perfectly well allow for the fact that the Fauna category includes several types and species of fauna and consider how many of these different types need to be included in our "Essential" list (as well as whether those types are going to be adequately covered by another site within "fauna"" or by one which belongs to a different category.

Regarding the selections. In my view this category has been excessively culled (some suggestions as low as 5 out of 34!). I am closer to (but above) kkhanekhan with his 17 than to any of the others but that too lacks e.g Monarch butterfly. Whilst i am with the general view that a "ring fence" should not protect Natural sites I do feel that they probably deserve culling LESS than the cultural ones! So, taking kkhanekhan's suggestions as a starting point
I would agree that Wrangel must surely be included as the only site on the List where Polar Bears exist - as well as to ensure an "Arctic" presence.
The range of African sites has been decimated in some of the suggestions - we need to ensure that a range of habitats and "iconic" species is covered. I think I would add Okapi as well as Banc d'Arguin as a flyway.
There must be an Indian site - I also would go for Kaziranga.
The Americas and Asia must be adequately covered as per kkhanekhan (plus Monarch).
I would also consider that Aldabra should be added since it also covers "Atoll creation" as well as its birds and tortoises

I think there may be some sites which deserves better in this category. Some NP created primarily for protecting some endangered species and some species got their identity from the NP itself. Eg

Rio Abiseo National Park- Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey
Tropical Rainforest Sumatra- Sumatran orangutan
Ujung Kulon National Park- Javan Rhinoceros

Now they are listed in forest, but they deserve better in this category (specially Rio Abiseo National Park).

My selection:
Aldabra Atoll
Banc d'Arguin
Galapagos Islands
Gulf of California
Komodo National Park
Ngorongoro
Serengeti
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries
Virunga National Park
Yellowstone

A tough one. Similar to some other natural sites, I find it difficult to cut sites out. I think many sites are deserving. Considering 1) the fact that there are way too little natural sites on the WHS list and 2) that the selection of natural sites is much more serious with IUCN recommendations largely followed and 3) that it is difficult to say one animal is more valuable than another, I consider it fair to include most of the sites at least at the 400 list.

Aldabra Atoll
Banc d'Arguin
Chitwan National Park
Dja Faunal Reserve
Dong Phayayen
Galapagos Islands
Gulf of California
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kaziranga National Park
Keoladeo National Park
Komodo National Park
Mana Pools
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
Ngorongoro
Niokolo-Koba National Park
Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Rainforests of the Atsinanana
Selous Game Reserve
Serengeti
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries
Virunga National Park
W National Park of Niger
Yellowstone

Here's where we're standing now. The reasoning is falling a bit behind compared to other categories.
We have some iconic species (polar bear, panda), some important migration sites.
We need sites as the best representation for the great apes for example.

Bold is a Yes, Italic a Maybe.

Aldabra Atoll - Example of Atoll creation plus notable bird and tortoise species
Banc d'Arguin - Representing the Eastern Atlantic Migratory (Birds) Flyway
Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Bialowieza Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Chitwan National Park
Dja Faunal Reserve
Donana National Park
Dong Phayayen
Galapagos Islands
Garamba National Park
Gulf of California
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kaziranga National Park
Keoladeo National Park
Komodo National Park
Lopé-Okanda
Los Katios National Park
Mana Pools
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve - Spectacular butterfly migration
Ngorongoro
Niokolo-Koba National Park
Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Rainforests of the Atsinanana
Selous Game Reserve
Serengeti
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Giant Panda
Virunga National Park
W National Park of Niger
Wood Buffalo National Park
Wrangel Island - Arctic + Polar Bears
Yellowstone

What's wrong with Virunga for great apes?