Garajonay National Park

Garajonay National Park on La Gomera, inscribed in 1986, protects a laurel forest ecosystem (laurisilva) that flourished in southern Europe during the Tertiary period, 10 to 15 million years ago. Covering approximately 40% of the island, it is often shrouded in mist, creating a primeval landscape of ancient trees draped in mosses and ferns. This relict ecosystem predates every other UNESCO site on this list by tens of millions of years, standing as one of Earth's most important ecological reserves.