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Overview

International Conventions and Agreements on the Environment

UNESCO

The World Heritage Convention (1972)

The General Conference of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) meeting in Paris in 1972, adopted the Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention), which has now been signed by 152 State Parties as of 28 October 1997.

Definitions

The primary objective of the World Heritage Convention is to define and conserve the world?s cultural and natural heritage, by drawing up a list of sites whose outstanding values should be preserved for all humanity, and to ensure their protection through closer co-operation among nations.

In particular, natural heritage is defined under Article 2 of the World Heritage Convention as either:

Natural features consisting of physical and biological formations or groups of such formations, which are of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view;

Geological and physiographical formations and precisely delineated areas which constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation; and/or

Natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty?.

The text of the World Heritage Convention consists of 38 articles. The World Heritage Committee is the body in charge of its implementation, including maintenance and publication of a list of properties forming part of the world's cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage List).

A total of 552 sites are included on the World Heritage List (as of December 1997), of which 114 are natural and 20 are mixed natural/cultural. 28 of these sites (18 natural, 7 mixed) are located in Europe.

Criteria

Criteria for the inscription of properties on the Natural World Heritage List are included in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. To be inscribed on the World Heritage List, sites must meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. be outstanding examples representing major stages of the earth's history, including the record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features; or

2. be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals; or

3. contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance; or

4. contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

Cultural landscapes

The cultural landscapes are divided in three categories:

1. The most easily identifiable is the clearly defined lanscape designed and created intentionally by man. This embraces garden and parkland landscapes constructed for aesthetic reasons which are often (but not always) associated with religious or other monumental buildings and ensembles.

2. The second category is the organically evolved landscape. This results from an initial social, economic, administrative, and/or religious imperative and has developed its present form by association with and in response to its natural environment. Such landscapes reflect that process of evolution in their form and component features. They fall into two sub-categories:

- a relict (or fossil) landscape is one in which an evolutionary process came to an end at some time in the past, either abruptly or over a period. Its significant distinguishing features are, however, still visible in material form;

- a continuing landscape is one which retains an active social role in contemporary society closely associated with the traditional way of life, and in wich the evolutionary process is still in progress. At the same time it exhibits significant material evidence of its evolution over time.

3. The final category is the associative cultural landscape. The inclusion of such landscapes on the World Heritage List is justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic or cultural associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent.

World Heritage sites in danger

The World Heritage Committee may include a property in the List of World Heritage in Danger when the following requirements are met:

i. the property under consideration is on the World Heritage List;

ii. the property is threatened by serious and specific danger;

iii. major operations are necessary for the conservation of the property;

iv. assistance under the Convention has been requested for the property; the Committee is of the view that its assistance in certain cases may most effectively be limited to messages of its concern, including the message sent by inclusion of a site on the List of World Heritage in Danger and that such assistance may be requested by any Committee member or the Secretariat.

When considering the inclusion of a property in the List of World Heritage in Danger, the Committee shall develop, and adopt, as far as possible, in consultation with the State Party concerned, a programme for corrective measures. The Committee shall examine the information available and take a decision concerning the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

On the basis of regular reviews, the Committee shall decide, in consultation with the State Party concerned whether:

i. additional measures are required to conserve the property

ii. to delete the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger if the property is no longer under threat;

iii. to consider the deletion of the property from both the List of World Heritage in Danger if the property has deteriorated to the extent that it has lost those characteristics which determined its inclusion in this List.

Additional information on Conventions can be found at the external web sites listed in the Links section.