Georgia won UNESCO World Heritage status for the 636-square-mile Okefenokee Swamp to bolster conservation; the result raised global attention around a wetland home to 15,000 alligators and hundreds of species

Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage list, bringing international recognition to a vast wetland home to an estimated 15,000 American alligators and hundreds of other plant and animal species.

The designation has brought global attention to the 636-square-mile freshwater landscape, which stretches across southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. UNESCO's recognition highlights both the swamp's rich biodiversity and its role as a natural carbon sink, as per a TCD report.