Furthermore, the fertility of their imaginations is matched by the fertility of Orchid Island's volcanic geology. Clearly, this is a place that enjoys the double good fortune of possessing equally rich natural and cultural heritages. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the CCA's World Heritage Commission, the pollution arising from tourism and the storage of nuclear waste on Orchid Island are serious blemishes on that heritage.
作為「人文、自然」兼具的世界雙遺產，蘭嶼當之無愧，但在文建會世界遺產評選委員眼中，近世的人為干擾，包括旅遊行為造成的污染與核廢料儲存，卻成為世界遺產的污點。