The 26th June 2009 the World Heritage Committee has officially entered the Dolomites mountains to the list of UNESCO Universal Heritage of Humanity. Alta Badia has two sites which are UNESCO heritage, the Puez - Odle nature park and the Fanes - Senes - Braies nature park.

The nature parks of South Tyrol were instituted by a provincial law and have the following functions: to protect the natural environment and landscape, to assist scientific research, information on and education about the environment and to provide opportunities for recreation.

Besides the main objective to protect and conserve the environment, a natural park also performs the important task of assisting the visitor in understanding nature through providing accurate, in depth information and thus making them more aware of behaving in a responsible and conscious way when confronted with nature.

In the natural parks the aim is to keep large areas free of tourist infrastructure and to offer the visitor authentic recreation through individual experiences of contact with nature. The traditional use of the ground is to be kept, respecting, however, the environmental protection laws. Permanently inhabited areas are included in the protected area.

The nature parks of Alta Badia are:

The South Tyrolean Dolomites survived the phase of their formation, lasting between 50 and 60 million years, in relatively good condition. For this reason the Puez - Odle natural park can be seen as an "open history book of the earth."

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The Fanes-Senes-Braies natural park is the shining and expressive face of the Dolomites. Here, perhaps as in no other Dolomite zone, you will find such a variety of beauty and shapes, and an infinite number of crossings, ascents and climbs to satisfy even the most demanding mountaineer.

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