India has proclaimed this years convention as particularly notable for its inscription of desert properties.

This brings to mind other impressive Desert properties preparing/waiting to be brought before the WHC. I included some nominations here, some that I knew, others that were easily found with a search. There are at least several more not listed here. Which properties have a strong case for OUV?

Sudan
*Khor Al-Adaid natural reserve

United States
*Petrified Forest National Park
*White Sands National Monument

China
*Taklimakan Desert—Populus euphratica Forests

Mongolia
*Great Gobi Desert

Iran
*Lut Desert

India
*Desert National Park

Egypt (3)
*Great Desert Landscapes
*Southern and Smaller Oases, the Western Desert
*Desert Wadis

If we look at T List sites for Natural Criteria only ( there are quite a lot of "Oases" on the T list)

Namibia
The Southern Erg as pointed out by IUCN as an extension to the Great Sand Sea
South Africa
The Succulent Karoo - which is considered a "Desert" area

Missing -
Nothing from Chile or neighbours for the Atacama or adjoining deserts.
Neither Algeria nor Tunisia have indicated any intention to go for the Saharan "Ergs" (Sand dune areas)

Assif's analysis on this Forum under ""Filling up the Gaps" lists the desert bioregions identified by IUCN as needing an inscribed site - this includes
a. Namib/Kalahari -covered this year
b. Temperate Deserts of E/C Asia
c. Central Mexico Desert - I am not quite sure what they mean here. I would have thought that this year's Sonoran Desert inscription was too far North to be "Central Mexxico" but maybe they were using "Mexico" in a geographical sense to include parts of US??
d Coastal Deserts of Peru/Chile

The Atacama seems to be the most significant "total" gap from both Inscribed AND T List sites? Chile has only gone for "Cultural" sites in the region.

I will pursue Solivagant's analysis as to what gaps are mentioned by IUCN:

1) Cold winter deserts (only partially filled with this year's Tian Shan): Colorado Plateau, Great Basin Desert (both USA), Patagonian Desert (Chile and Argentina)...
2) Polar deserts: Antarctia, Northern Canada, Greenland...
3) Central Asian deserts (all of which are cold winter deserts): Gobi (China and Mongolia), Karakum (Turkmenistan), Kyzyl Kum (Uzbekistan)...
4) Karoo Desert (South Africa)
5) Temperate deserts of central and eastern Asia: Thar (Pakistand and India)
6) Coastal deserts of Chile and Peru: Atacama

I think central Mexico means between east and west, not north and south. The north-south middle of Mexico is not a desert.

Uluru is the only Australian desert site on the National Heritage List and it isn't secifially listed for "desert" values.

My purpose here is to elaborate on 5 deserts in North America (exclusively focused on natural criteria) and the possibilities and potential of world heritage recognition. Two such sites are tentative nominations (Petrified Forest and Big Bend) and some others might be considered aspiring sites (Organ Pipe Cactus). The serial potential of the Colorado Plateau and Mojave lands are perhaps the most interesting, though somewhat unlikely without strong community support and the vision to progress a nomination. In this regard, Mojave would have more potential as there has been broad collaboration amongst various communities, including private/public sector work completed to protect the Desert Tortoise, Joshua Trees, and the overall connectivity of the Mojave ecosystem. Moreover, a significant portion of this landscape is already a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Cold Deserts (2)
â–ºColorado Plateau (serial property - see below; single property Petrified Forest National Park)
â–ºGreat Basin (single property - Great Basin National Park)

Hot Deserts (3)
►Chihuahuan (transnational property) - Big Bend National Park and Cañón de Santa Elena
â–ºMojave (serial property - see below)
â–ºSonoran (transnational extension) - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Colorado Plateau (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico)

Nearly a half million hectares, all ten representative sites are managed by the National Park Service.

National Parks (5)
- Bryce Canyon National Park (UT) (14,501.91 ha)
- Arches National Park (UT) (31,030.89 ha)
- Canyonlands National Park (UT) (136,621.06 ha)
- Capitol Reef National Park (UT) (97,895.08 ha)
- Zion National Park (UT) (59,325.70 ha)

National Monuments (5)
- Cedar Breaks National Monument (UT) (2,490.84 ha)
- Colorado National Monument (CO) (8,309.41 ha)
- El Malpais National Monument (NM) (46,245.86 ha)
- Natural Bridges National Monument (UT) (3,090.18 ha)
- Sunset Crater National Monument (AZ) (1,269.90 ha)

Mojave (California, Nevada, Arizona)

Between 4 and 5 million hectares of protected lands within 14 components primarily in California, but also Nevada and Arizona. These sites are managed by the National Park Service, BLM, the Wildlands Conservancy, Tribal governments, and Nevada State Parks.

Mojave (Flickr Album)

National Parks (2)
- Death Valley National Park (1,365,030.17 ha)
- Joshua Tree National Park (321,788.22 ha)

National Park Service Units (2)
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area (605,331.21 ha)
- Mojave National Preserve (624,339.30 ha)

National Monuments (6)
- Avi Kwa Ame National Monument (204,770.94 ha)
- Castle Mountains National Monument (8,466.02 ha)
- Mojave Trails National Monument (647,497.03 ha)
- Sand to Snow National Monument (62,321.59 ha)
- Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (9,166.13 ha)

National Natural Landmarks (4)
- Grapevine Mesa Joshua Tree Forest (17,898.44 ha)
- Rainbow Basin Natural Area (793.59 ha)
- Trona Pinnacles (1,537.81 ha)
- Valley of Fire State Park (18,590.40 ha)