Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch
The extension of the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn Natural World Heritage Site (first inscribed in 2001) has increased the site's area from 53,900 to 82,400 hectares to the east and west. The site is an outstanding example of Alpine mountain formation and includes the most glaciated part of the range and the largest glacier in Eurasia. It hosts a wide variety of ecosystems, including successional stages formed by the retreat of glaciers due to climate change. The site is of Outstanding Universal Value not only for its beauty but also for the rich information it contains on mountain and glacier formation and ongoing climate change. It is also invaluable in illustrating ecological and biological processes, especially through planned succession. Its impressive landscapes have played an important role in European art, literature, mountaineering and Alpine tourism.