French Polynesia’s Marquesas islands are now part of UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
The UN endorsement came as a result of the meeting of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee 46th session in New Delhi, India, on Friday.
The classification of “Te Henua Enata” – The Marquesas Islands, “land of men” – is based on both cultural and natural values, the UN organisation said, on the grounds of being “an exceptional testimony to the territorial occupation of the Marquesas archipelago by a human civilisation that arrived by sea around the year 1000 CE, and developed on these isolated islands between the 10th and the 19th centuries”.
“It is also a hotspot of biodiversity that combines irreplaceable and exceptionally well conserved marine and terrestrial ecosystems”, the committee stated.
“The archipelago is a major centre of endemism, home to rare and diverse flora, a diversity of emblematic marine species, and one of the most diverse seabird assemblages in the South Pacific.
“Virtually free from human exploitation, Marquesan waters are among the world’s last marine wilderness areas.
“The property also includes archaeological sites ranging from monumental dry-stone structures to lithic sculptures and engravings.”
The UN announcement sparked unanimous reactions and celebrations in French Polynesia, which is currently hosting the surfing events as part of the Paris Olympics.
French Polynesia’s government said the UN endorsement was “30 years in the making”.
“”This listing marks a new step in the history of the Marquesas Islands and French Polynesia.
“It brings international recognition and prospects of sustainable development for future generations.”
It is also the second UN-listed property for French Polynesia, after the cultural landscape of Taputapuātea in 2017.
French Polynesia’s President Moetai Brotherson told local media: “Now we have to make sure this classification is alive. We have to take care of the sites and implement all the UNESCO classifications rules.”
Moerani Frébault, French Polynesia’s recently-elected MP at the French National Assembly, who is from the Marquesas, said this was “a great source of pride and joy for the Marquesas of course, but also for all of French Polynesia”.
“We have been waiting for this for 30 years.
“It is truly an incredible moment for French Polynesia… Not only are we celebrating the Olympics, but we’re also celebrating the ranking of the Marquesas.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Hiva Oa in 2021 and has since supported the Marquesas’ UN classification, wrote on X: “What a pride for France!”
“This is a universal treasure of biodiversity and culture that we must preserve at all costs,” the president wrote.
The Marquesas have also had an impact on several artists, such as British author Robert Louis Stephenson and US writer Herman Melville, over the past centuries.
French painter Paul Gauguin and Belgian author/singer Jacques Brel have lived there in the later part of their lives, and are buried there too, side by side, on Hiva Oa island.
Brel’s last album, released in 1977, is simply entitled “Les Marquises.
