Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sancturay on Malpelo Island, which is located in the Pacific Ocean, along with China's Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary, was put on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),said Juan Lozano, Colombia's environment, housing and development minister.

    The decision, made by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at a meeting in Lithuania's capital Vilnius, was very important for the maintenance of biodiversity, Lozano said.

    Colombia asked the UN agency to make a special declaration for Malpelo, part of an archipelago about 500 km east of Buenaventura, Colombia's main Pacific port.

    Malpelo, an island with an area of 350 hectares, is a refuge for many endangered marine species, including fish, sharks, marine mammals and turtles.

    The World Conservation Union, which acts as UNESCO's advisor, has also campaigned for the addition of the island to the World Heritage List.

    UNESCO's World Heritage List, created in 1972, includes more than 800 sites worldwide, from the Giza pyramids in Egypt to the Great Wall of China.

    The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which will meet until Sunday in Vilnius, is expected to decide on the sites chosen from 30-odd nominated candidates around the world that will finally be included in its World Heritage List. Enditem