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How can a habitat for endangered species qualify as a UNESCO World Heritage site?

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Ajanta Caves: reclining Buddha — World Heritage site Reclining Buddha statue, Ajanta Caves, north-central Maharashtra state, India.

To qualify as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a habitat for endangered species must be designated as having "outstanding universal value" under the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.1

Specifically, natural heritage sites are evaluated based on four criteria. A habitat qualifies if it meets the fourth criterion: it must furnish habitats for rare or endangered animals or plants or serve as a site of exceptional biodiversity.2

Other natural criteria include:
* Providing outstanding examples of Earth’s record of life or geologic processes.2
* Offering excellent examples of ongoing ecological and biological evolutionary processes.2
* Containing natural phenomena that are rare, unique, superlative, or of outstanding beauty.2

Once a site is inscribed on the World Heritage List, it becomes part of a framework for international cooperation aimed at preserving and protecting these vital natural areas. For example, parks like Virunga and Salonga have been recognized for their role in sheltering endangered and endemic species.13