Why did UNESCO designate the Namib Sand Sea as a World Heritage site in 2013?

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Namib Sand dunes and vegetation at Sossusvlei in the Namib desert, Namibia.

UNESCO designated the Namib Sand Sea as a World Heritage site in 2013 because it is the only coastal desert in the world that features extensive dune fields influenced by fog.1

This unique environment relies on fog as its primary source of water, creating a specialized ecosystem where endemic invertebrates, reptiles, and mammals have adapted to a diverse array of microhabitats and ecological niches.1