Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique is the map’s natural property, inscribed in 2023 under criteria (viii)(x). UNESCO records two component areas covering 13,980 hectares in northern Martinique: the older Pitons du Carbet and Morne Jacob massifs to the south, and the younger Montagne Pelée and Piton Mont Conil massifs to the north. This is not a cultural landscape shaped primarily by farming or urban design.

Its significance rests on the meeting of volcanic geology and biological continuity. The property contains forest types ranging from the coast to the summits, including climax and ancient secondary forests, with exceptionally preserved humid and lower-altitude drier forests. The Martinique Volcano Frog and Martinique Oriole are identified as strict endemic species. The property therefore differs from a scenic mountain viewpoint: its World Heritage meaning depends on geological processes, forest succession, geodiversity and biodiversity.

Mount Pelée reaches 1,396 metres and is associated with the 1902 eruption that destroyed Saint-Pierre and became a reference in modern volcanology, giving its name to the Pelean eruptive type. The Pitons du Carbet, by contrast, are elevated lava domes formed from viscous magma; their highest point, Piton Lacroix, reaches 1,197 metres. The two entities should not be collapsed into one volcanic form. Together they show distinct geological expressions and an unbroken plant continuum from coastline to summit. Their forests and threatened species also make conservation sensitivity central to any visit.