The Guardian Unlimited
The fossil studded cliffs of Britain's East Devon and Dorset, where 180 million years of geological history is laid out to view like the layers of a sandwich, have been declared a World Heritage Site, of equal importance to the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef.
The 94-mile (150-mile) stretch of rocky shores, beaches and cliffs, from Orcombe Point in Devon to Old Harry rocks near Swanage, has been called the Jurassic Coast.
Professor Denys Brunsden, a retired geomorphologist who has been working on the World Heritage bid for years, said: "Although the Dorset coastline probably does not possess the supreme beauty of the Grand Canyon, that does not mean it is not as important.
"It really is a walk through time, and shows the evolution of species from fish to dinosaurs to mammals."
The coastline is unique. At other fossil sites scientists must crawl through cracks in quarries and along mountain ledges, but in Dorset finds can be made by anyone walking along the beach.
Every winter storm reveals new discoveries in the fossil layers, even though scientists have been picking over them for two centuries.
The craze for fossil hunting began in the cliffs around Lyme Regis, where in 1810 an 11-year-old girl, Mary Anning, found a "dragon" in the rocks, the first complete ichthyosaurus fossil, a giant creature resembling a cross between a fish and a lizard. Her name became known to geologists worldwide, and she became a professional fossil hunter.
It was also the lure of fossils that drew the hero of John Fowles's novel, The French Lieutenant's Woman, to Lyme Regis.
The National Trust owns almost half the stretch of coast. Richard Offen, campaign manager of the Neptune Coastline project to acquire 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of British coastline, said: "This really is Jurassic joy for all those who love this spectacular stretch of coastline and want to ensure our natural heritage is protected.
"The coastline already attracts large numbers of visitors during the summer months but the broader designation should ensure that interest continues through the winter months as well, because of the scientific interest and the constant exposure of the coastline due to erosion."
The coast was among 49 sites proposed by 32 countries, considered at a Unesco meeting this week in Helsinki.
The Unesco list of the most important sites in the world is divided into cultural and natural sites. Britain already has 21 sites on the World Heritage list, but almost all are castles and cathedrals. The coastline joins a handful of natural sites including the Giant's Causeway, and tiny Pitcairn Island.
