THE Marble Arch Caves in Co Fermanagh have been granted special UNESCO status.
UNESCO says the status "will help to ensure protection of their natural and cultural heritage".
The decision was taken to award the Marble Arch Caves at UNESCO’s General Conference in Paris earlier this month.
It is the second site in Northern Ireland to be granted the prestigious global recognition.
The limestone caves are approximately 330 million years old and were formed as a result of ground water slowing dissolving the rock.
The Marble Arch Caves formally became recognised as a Global Geopark in 2004.
The Geopark ethos is to benefit the economy of a region through sustainable tourism based on the landscape and the Global Geopark Network says sites are visited by around 300,000 people annually and provide education services for over 10,000 students.
The Giant's Causeway in County Antrim was the first site in the north to be awarded UNESCO status in 1986.
