World Heritage Site

2022-04-29T14:54:28Z

116.15.15.64: robot: import pages using Special:Import

{{Short description|Place of significance listed by UNESCO}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English Oxford spelling|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
[[File:World Heritage Logo global.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|The World Heritage emblem is used to identify properties protected by the World Heritage Convention and inscribed on the official World Heritage List.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/emblem/ |title=World Heritage Emblem |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=1 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601151307/https://whc.unesco.org/en/emblem/ |archive-date=1 June 2020}}</ref>]]A '''World Heritage Site''' is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the [[UNESCO|United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)]]. World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance. The sites are judged to contain "[[cultural heritage|cultural]] and [[natural heritage|natural]] heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to [[World population|humanity]]".<ref name="about" />

To be selected, a World Heritage Site must be a somehow unique landmark which is geographically and historically identifiable and has special cultural or physical significance. For example, World Heritage Sites might be ancient ruins or historical structures, buildings, cities,{{efn|In 1978 two entire cities have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site: first [[Quito]] in Ecuador, and later [[Kraków]] in Poland.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Katia |last1=Hetter |title=Exploring the world's first 12 heritage sites |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/unesco-first-12-world-heritage-sites/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=16 June 2014 |access-date=22 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526195934/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/unesco-first-12-world-heritage-sites/index.html |archive-date=26 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/&order=year |title=World Heritage List (ordered by year) |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526200147/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/%26order%3Dyear |archive-date=26 May 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} deserts, forests, islands, lakes, monuments, mountains, or wilderness areas.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Ann Marie |last1=Sullivan |title=Cultural Heritage & New Media: A Future for the Past |journal= [[John Marshall Review of Intellectual Property Law]] |url=https://repository.jmls.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1392&context=ripl |volume=15 |pages=604–46 |year=2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/cobi.12976 |pmid=28664996 |title=Gaps and opportunities for the World Heritage Convention to contribute to global wilderness conservation |journal=[[Conservation Biology (journal)|Conservation Biology]] |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=116–126 |year=2018 |last1=Allan |first1=James R. |last2=Kormos |first2=Cyril |last3=Jaeger |first3=Tilman |last4=Venter |first4=Oscar |last5=Bertzky |first5=Bastian |last6=Shi |first6=Yichuan |last7=MacKey |first7=Brendan |last8=Van Merm |first8=Remco |last9=Osipova |first9=Elena |last10=Watson |first10=James E.M.|s2cid=28944427 }}</ref> A World Heritage Site may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet, or it might be a place of great natural beauty.<ref name="SelectionCriteria" /> As of July 2021, a total of 1,154 World Heritage Sites (897 cultural, 218 natural, and 39 mixed properties) exist across [[Table of World Heritage Sites by country|167 countries]]. With 58 selected areas, [[List of World Heritage Sites in Italy|Italy]] is the country with the most sites on the list.<ref name="WHList"/>

The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored, uncontrolled or unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence. Sites are demarcated by UNESCO as protected zones.<ref name="about">{{cite web |title=World Heritage |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/about/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705131353/https://whc.unesco.org/en/about/ |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |archive-date=5 July 2020 }}</ref> [[Lists of World Heritage Sites|The World Heritage Sites list]] is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO [[World Heritage Committee]], composed of 21 "states parties" that are elected by their General Assembly.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/comittee/ |title=The World Heritage Committee |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=14 October 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705131510/https://whc.unesco.org/en/committee/ |archive-date=5 July 2020 }}</ref> The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common culture and heritage of humanity. The programme began with the "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-en.pdf |title=Convention Concerning the Protection of World's Cultural and Natural Heritage |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705131631/https://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-en.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2020 |access-date=22 May 2020 }}</ref> which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 194 states have ratified the convention,<ref name="unesco">{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|title=States Parties – UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=21 March 2022}}</ref> making it one of the most widely recognised international agreements and the world's most popular cultural programme.{{sfn|Edmondson|Jordan|Prodan|2020|p=144}}

==History==
===Origin===
In 1954, the government of [[Egypt]] decided to build the new [[Aswan Dam|Aswan High Dam]], whose resulting future reservoir would eventually [[Flood|inundate]] a large stretch of the [[Nile]] valley containing cultural treasures of [[ancient Egypt]] and ancient [[Nubia]]. In 1959, the governments of Egypt and [[Sudan]] requested UNESCO to assist them to protect and rescue the endangered monuments and sites. In 1960, the Director-General of UNESCO launched the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/172/ |title=Monuments of Nubia-International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705131757/https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/172/ |archive-date=5 July 2020 |access-date=22 May 2020 }}</ref> This appeal resulted in the excavation and recording of hundreds of sites, the recovery of thousands of objects, as well as the salvage and relocation to higher ground of several important temples. The most famous of these are the temple complexes of [[Abu Simbel temples|Abu Simbel]] and [[Philae]]. The campaign ended in 1980 and was considered a success. To thank countries which especially contributed to the campaign's success, Egypt donated four temples; the [[Temple of Dendur]] was moved to the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in [[New York City]], the [[Temple of Debod]] to the [[Parque del Oeste]] in [[Madrid]], the [[Temple of Taffeh]] to the [[Rijksmuseum van Oudheden]] in [[Leiden]], and the [[Temple of Ellesyia]] to [[Museo Egizio]] in Turin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/173/ |title=The Rescue of Nubian Monuments and Sites |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705131914/https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/173/ |archive-date=5 July 2020 |access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref>

The project cost US$80 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|80|1980|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}), about $40 million of which was collected from 50 countries.<ref name="WHC-history">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/ |title=The World Heritage Convention – Brief History / Section "Preserving cultural heritage" |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526200434/https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/ |archive-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> The project's success led to other safeguarding campaigns, such as saving [[Venice]] and [[Venetian Lagoon|its lagoon]] in Italy, the ruins of [[Mohenjo-daro]] in Pakistan, and the [[Borobodur]] Temple Compounds in Indonesia. Together with the [[International Council on Monuments and Sites]], UNESCO then initiated a draft convention to protect cultural heritage.<ref name="WHC-history"/>

===Convention and background===
{{Infobox treaty
| name = Convention concerning the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage
| long_name =
| image =
| image_width =
| caption =
| type =
| date_drafted =
| date_signed = 16 November 1972
| location_signed = Paris, France
| date_sealed =
| date_effective = 17 December 1975
| condition_effective = 20 ratifications
| date_expiration =
| signatories =
| parties =
| ratifiers = 194 <small>(190 [[Member states of the United Nations|UN member states]] plus the [[Cook Islands]], the [[Holy See]], [[Niue]], and [[State of Palestine|Palestine]])</small>
| depositor = Director-General of the [[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]]
| language =
| languages = Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hebrew, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/conventiontext/ Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage - Complete Text] UNESCO. Retrieved 8 June 2021.</ref>
| wikisource =
}}
The convention (the signed document of [[treaty|international agreement]]) guiding the work of the [[World Heritage Committee]] was developed over a seven-year period (1965–1972).

The United States initiated the idea of safeguarding places of high cultural or natural importance. A [[White House]] conference in 1965 called for a "World Heritage Trust" to preserve "the world's superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future of the entire world citizenry". The [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] developed similar proposals in 1968, which were presented in 1972 to the [[United Nations Conference on the Human Environment]] in [[Stockholm]].<ref name="convention1"/> Under the World Heritage Committee, signatory countries are required to produce and submit periodic [[data reporting]] providing the committee with an overview of each participating nation's implementation of the World Heritage Convention and a 'snapshot' of current conditions at World Heritage properties.{{Cn|date=August 2021}}

Based on the draft convention that UNESCO had initiated, a single text was eventually agreed upon by all parties, and the "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage" was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972.<ref name="convention1">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/ |title=The World Heritage Convention – Brief History / Section "Linking the protection of cultural and natural heritage" |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526200434/https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/ |archive-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> The Convention came into force on 17 December 1975. As of March 2022, it has been ratified by 194 states: 190 [[member states of the United Nations|UN member states]], 2 [[United Nations General Assembly observers#Present non-member observers|UN observer states]] (the [[Holy See]] and the [[State of Palestine]]), and 2 [[Associated state#States currently in a formal association|states in free association]] with [[New Zealand]] (the [[Cook Islands]] and [[Niue]]). Only three UN member states have not ratified the convention: [[Liechtenstein]], [[Nauru]], and [[Tuvalu]].<ref name="unesco" />

==Objectives and positive results==
By assigning places as World Heritage Sites, UNESCO wants to help to pass them on to future generations. Its motivation is that “[h]eritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today” and that both cultural and natural heritage are “irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration”.<ref name="about" /> UNESCO's mission with respect to World Heritage consists of eight sub targets. These include encouraging the commitment of countries and local population to World Heritage conservation in various ways, providing emergency assistance for sites in danger, offering technical assistance and professional training, and supporting States Parties' public awareness-building activities.<ref name="about" />

Being listed as a World Heritage Site can positively affect the site, its environment, and interactions between them. A listed site gains international recognition and legal protection, and can obtain funds from among others the World Heritage Fund to facilitate its conservation under certain conditions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/funding/ |title=Funding |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=30 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530074900/https://whc.unesco.org/en/funding/ |archive-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> UNESCO reckons the restorations of the following four sites among its success stories: [[Angkor]] in Cambodia, the Old City of [[Dubrovnik]] in Croatia, the [[Wieliczka Salt Mine]] near Kraków in Poland, and the [[Ngorongoro Conservation Area]] in Tanzania.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/107/#successful |title=Success stories - successful restorations |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=30 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530085037/https://whc.unesco.org/en/107/ |archive-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> Additionally, the local population around a site may benefit from significantly increased tourism revenue.<ref name="Maurel" /> When there are significant interactions between people and the natural environment, these can be recognised as "cultural landscapes".{{efn|This type of recognition exists since 1992.<ref name="SelectionCriteria"/>}}

==Nomination process==
A country must first identify its significant cultural and natural sites in a document known as the Tentative List. Next, it can place sites selected from that list into a Nomination File, which is evaluated by the [[International Council on Monuments and Sites]] and the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|World Conservation Union]]. A country may not nominate sites that have not been first included on its Tentative List. The two international bodies make recommendations to the World Heritage Committee for new designations. The Committee meets once a year to determine what nominated properties to add to the World Heritage List; sometimes it defers its decision or requests more information from the country that nominated the site. There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one to be included on the list.<ref name="WHS Guidelines">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines/ |title=The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=10 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714073431/https://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines/ |archive-date=14 July 2017 }}</ref>

==Selection criteria==
Until 2004, there were six sets of criteria for cultural heritage and four for natural heritage. In 2005, UNESCO modified these and now has one set of ten criteria. Nominated sites must be of "outstanding universal value" and must meet at least one of the ten criteria.<ref name="SelectionCriteria">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/ |title=Criteria for Selection |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=14 October 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612152223/https://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/ |archive-date=12 June 2016 }}</ref>

===Cultural===
[[File:Taj Mahal, Agra, UP, India.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Site No. 252: [[Taj Mahal]], an example of a cultural heritage site|alt=Site No. 252: The Taj Mahal, an example of a World Heritage Site]]
<ol type="i" start="1">
<li>"To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius"</li>
<li>"To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design"</li>
<li>"To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared"</li>
<li>"To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history"</li>
<li>"To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change"</li>
<li>"To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance"{{efn|The World Heritage Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria.<ref name="SelectionCriteria"/>}}</li>
</ol>

===Natural===
[[File:Zerbras drinking.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Site No. 156: [[Serengeti National Park]], an example of a natural heritage site]]
[[File:80 - Machu Picchu - Juin 2009 - edit.2.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Site No. 274: [[Machu Picchu|Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu]], an example of a mixed heritage site]]
<ol type="i" start="7">
<li>"To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance"</li>
<li>"To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features"</li>
<li>"To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals"</li>
<li>"To 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"</li><ref name="SelectionCriteria"/>
</ol>

==Extensions and other modifications==
A country may request to extend or reduce the boundaries, modify the official name, or change the selection criteria of one of its already listed sites. Any proposal for a significant boundary change or to modify the site's selection criteria must be submitted as if it were a new nomination, including first placing it on the Tentative List and then onto the Nomination File.<ref name="WHS Guidelines"/> A request for a minor boundary change, one that does not have a significant impact on the extent of the property or affect its "outstanding universal value", is also evaluated by the advisory bodies before being sent to the committee. Such proposals can be rejected by either the advisory bodies or the Committee if they judge it to be a significant change instead of a minor one.<ref name="WHS Guidelines"/> Proposals to change a site's official name are sent directly to the committee.<ref name="WHS Guidelines"/>

==Endangerment==
{{main|List of World Heritage in Danger|Former UNESCO World Heritage Sites}}
[[File:Paisaje_en_Punta_Pitt,_isla_de_San_Cristóbal,_islas_Galápagos,_Ecuador,_2015-07-24,_DD_75.JPG|thumb|Site No. 1, the [[Galápagos Islands]], had its boundaries extended in 2001 and 2003, and was included on the danger list from 2007 to 2010]]
A site may be added to the [[List of World Heritage in Danger]] if conditions threaten the characteristics for which the landmark or area was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Such problems may involve armed conflict and war, natural disasters, pollution, poaching, or uncontrolled urbanisation or human development. This danger list is intended to increase international awareness of the threats and to encourage counteractive measures. Threats to a site can be either proven imminent threats or potential dangers that could have adverse effects on a site.<ref name="UNESCO-WHinDanger">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/158/ |title=World Heritage in Danger |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=10 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705132146/https://whc.unesco.org/en/158/ |archive-date=5 July 2020 }}</ref>

The state of conservation for each site on the danger list is reviewed yearly; after this, the Committee may request additional measures, delete the property from the list if the threats have ceased or consider deletion from both the List of World Heritage in Danger and the World Heritage List.<ref name="WHS Guidelines"/> Only three sites have ever been [[Former UNESCO World Heritage sites|delisted]]: the [[Arabian Oryx Sanctuary]] in Oman, the [[Dresden Elbe Valley]] in Germany, and the [[Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City]] in the United Kingdom. The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary was directly delisted in 2007, instead of first being put on the danger list, after the Omani government decided to reduce the protected area's size by 90 per cent.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/362 |title=Oman's Arabian Oryx Sanctuary : first site ever to be deleted from UNESCO's World Heritage List |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |date=28 June 2007 |access-date=10 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705132243/https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/362 |archive-date=5 July 2020 }}</ref> The Dresden Elbe Valley was first placed on the danger list in 2006 when the World Heritage Committee decided that plans to construct the [[Waldschlösschen Bridge]] would significantly alter the valley's landscape. In response, Dresden City Council attempted to stop the bridge's construction. However, after several court decisions allowed the building of the bridge to proceed, the valley was removed from the World Heritage List in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/522 |title=Dresden is deleted from UNESCO's World Heritage List |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |date=25 June 2009 |access-date=10 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707003437/https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/522/ |archive-date=7 July 2017 }}</ref> [[Liverpool]]'s World Heritage status was revoked in July 2021, following developments ([[Liverpool Waters]] and [[Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium]]) on the northern docks of the World Heritage site leading to the "irreversible loss of attributes" on the site.<ref>{{Cite news|date=21 July 2021|title=Liverpool stripped of Unesco World Heritage status|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-57879475|access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Josh Halliday |title=Unesco strips Liverpool of its world heritage status |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/21/unesco-strips-liverpool-waterfront-world-heritage-status |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=21 July 2021 |date=21 July 2021}}</ref>

The first global assessment to quantitatively measure threats to Natural World Heritage Sites found that 63 per cent of sites have been damaged by increasing human pressures including encroaching roads, agriculture infrastructure and settlements over the last two decades.<ref name=forestloss>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2016.12.011 |title=Recent increases in human pressure and forest loss threaten many Natural World Heritage Sites |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=206 |pages=47–55 |year=2017 |last1=Allan |first1=James R. |last2=Venter |first2=Oscar |last3=Maxwell |first3=Sean |last4=Bertzky |first4=Bastian |last5=Jones |first5=Kendall |last6=Shi |first6=Yichuan |last7=Watson |first7=James E.M. |url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:417883/UQ417883_OA.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1038/ncomms12558 |pmid = 27552116 |pmc = 4996975 |title = Sixteen years of change in the global terrestrial human footprint and implications for biodiversity conservation |journal = [[Nature Communications]] |volume = 7 |pages = 12558 |year = 2016 |last1 = Venter |first1 = Oscar |last2 = Sanderson |first2 = Eric W. |last3 = Magrach |first3 = Ainhoa |last4 = Allan |first4 = James R. |last5 = Beher |first5 = Jutta |last6 = Jones |first6 = Kendall R. |last7 = Possingham |first7 = Hugh P. |last8 = Laurance |first8 = William F. |last9 = Wood |first9 = Peter |last10 = Fekete |first10 = Balázs M. |last11 = Levy |first11 = Marc A. |last12 = Watson |first12 = James E. M. |bibcode = 2016NatCo...712558V}}</ref> These activities endanger Natural World Heritage Sites and could compromise their unique values. Of the Natural World Heritage Sites that contain forest, 91 per cent experienced some loss since 2000. Many of them are more threatened than previously thought and require immediate conservation action.<ref name=forestloss/>

Furthermore, the destruction of cultural assets and identity-establishing sites is one of the primary goals of modern asymmetrical warfare. Therefore, terrorists, rebels and mercenary armies deliberately smash archaeological sites, sacred and secular monuments and loot libraries, archives and museums. The [[UN]], [[United Nations peacekeeping]] and [[UNESCO]] in cooperation with [[Blue Shield International]] are active in preventing such acts. "No strike lists" are also created to protect cultural assets from air strikes.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Peter |last1=Stone |title=Monuments Men: protecting cultural heritage in war zones |publisher=[[Apollo (magazine)|Apollo – The International Art Magazine]] |date= 2 February 2015 |access-date=22 May 2020 |url=https://www.apollo-magazine.com/inquiry-monuments-men/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526201349/https://www.apollo-magazine.com/inquiry-monuments-men/ |archive-date=26 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Mehroz |last1=Baig |title=When War Destroys Identity |work=[[HuffPost|The Huffington Post]] |date=12 May 2014 |access-date=22 May 2020 |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/when-war-destroys-identity_b_5290161 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526201558/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/when-war-destroys-identity_b_5290161 |archive-date=26 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=UNESCO Director-General calls for stronger cooperation for heritage protection at the Blue Shield International General Assembly |publisher=UNESCO |date=13 September 2017 |access-date=22 May 2020 |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/unesco_director_general_calls_for_stronger_cooperation_for_h/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526201857/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/unesco_director_general_calls_for_stronger_cooperation_for_h/ |archive-date=26 May 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|O’Keefe|Péron|Musayev|Ferrari|2016}} However, only through cooperation with the locals can the protection of World Heritage Sites, archaeological finds, exhibits and archaeological sites from destruction, looting and robbery be implemented [[sustainably]]. The founding president of Blue Shield International [[Karl von Habsburg]] summed it up with the words: “Without the local community and without the local participants, that would be completely impossible”.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Christoph |last1=Matz |title=Karl von Habsburg auf Mission im Libanon |trans-title=Karl von Habsburg on a mission in Lebanon |newspaper=[[Kronen Zeitung]] |url=https://www.krone.at/1911689 |access-date=22 May 2020 |date=28 April 2019 |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526200932/https://www.krone.at/1911689 |archive-date=26 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/action-plan-to-preserve-heritage-sites-during-conflict |title=Action plan to preserve heritage sites during conflict |publisher=United Nations peacekeeping |date=12 April 2019 |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527103531/https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/action-plan-to-preserve-heritage-sites-during-conflict |archive-date=27 May 2020}}</ref>

==Criticism==
Despite the successes of World Heritage listing in promoting conservation, the UNESCO-administered project has attracted criticism. This was caused by perceived under-representation of heritage sites outside Europe, disputed decisions on site selection and adverse impact of mass tourism on sites unable to manage rapid growth in visitor numbers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barron |first1=Laignee |title='Unesco-cide': does world heritage status do cities more harm than good? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/aug/30/unescocide-world-heritage-status-hurt-help-tourism |access-date=3 September 2017 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=30 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527103655/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/aug/30/unescocide-world-heritage-status-hurt-help-tourism |archive-date=27 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Vallely |first1=Paul |title=The Big Question: What is a World Heritage Site, and does the accolade make a difference? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/the-big-question-what-is-a-world-heritage-site-and-does-the-accolade-make-a-difference-997955.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=7 November 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027192333/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/the-big-question-what-is-a-world-heritage-site-and-does-the-accolade-make-a-difference-997955.html |archive-date=27 October 2016 }}</ref> A large [[Lobbying|lobbying industry]] has grown around the awards, because World Heritage listing can significantly increase tourism returns. Site listing bids are often lengthy and costly, putting poorer countries at a disadvantage.

Eritrea's efforts to promote [[Asmara]] are one example.<ref>{{cite news |title=Modernist masterpieces in unlikely Asmara |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/07/architecture-eritrea?zid=317|author=T.G. |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=20 July 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715102559/https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/07/architecture-eritrea?zid=317 |archive-date=15 July 2017 }}</ref> In 2016, the Australian government was reported to have successfully lobbied for the World Heritage Site [[Great Barrier Reef]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Great Barrier Reef|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/154/|url-status=live|access-date=25 October 2021|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en}}</ref> conservation efforts to be removed from a UNESCO report titled "World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate". The Australian government's actions, involving considerable expense for lobbying and visits for diplomats, were in response to their concern about the negative impact that an "at risk" label could have on tourism revenue at a previously designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Slezak |first1=Michael |title=Australia scrubbed from UN climate change report after government intervention |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/27/australia-scrubbed-from-un-climate-change-report-after-government-intervention |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=26 May 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027130133/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/27/australia-scrubbed-from-un-climate-change-report-after-government-intervention |archive-date=27 October 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hasham |first1=Nicole |title=Government spent at least $400,000 lobbying against Great Barrier Reef 'danger' listing |url=https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/government-spent-at-least-400000-lobbying-against-great-barrier-reef-danger-listing-20150914-gjlwr2.html |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=17 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228235450/http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/government-spent-at-least-400000-lobbying-against-great-barrier-reef-danger-listing-20150914-gjlwr2.html |archive-date=28 December 2016 }}</ref> In 2021, international scientists recommended UNESCO to put the Great Barrier Reef on the endangered list,<ref>{{Cite web|title=UNESCO World Heritage Centre - List of World Heritage in Danger|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/|url-status=live|access-date=25 October 2021|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en}}</ref> as global [[climate change]] had caused a further negative state of the corals and water quality.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Readfearn|first=Graham|date=22 June 2021|title=Political ploys and an ocean jewel: what's behind the UN's 'in danger' warning for the Great Barrier Reef|url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/23/political-ploys-and-an-ocean-jewel-whats-behind-the-uns-in-danger-warning-for-the-great-barrier-reef|url-status=live|access-date=25 October 2021|work=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> Again, the Australian government campaigned against this, and in July 2021, the [[World Heritage Committee]], made up diplomatic representatives of 21 countries, ignored UNESCO's assessment, based on studies of scientists, "that the reef was clearly in danger from climate change and so should be placed on the list." According to environmental protection groups, this "decision was a victory for cynical lobbying and that Australia, as custodians of the world’s biggest coral reef, was now on probation."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Readfearn|first=Graham|date=23 July 2021|title=World Heritage Committee agrees not to place Great Barrier Reef on 'in danger' list|url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/23/world-heritage-committee-agrees-not-to-place-great-barrier-reef-on-in-danger-list|url-status=live|access-date=25 October 2021|work=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

Several listed locations, such as [[George Town, Penang|George Town]] in Penang, [[Casco Viejo, Panama|Casco Viejo]] in Panama and [[Hội An]] in Vietnam, have struggled to strike a balance between the economic benefits of catering to greatly increased visitor numbers after the recognition and preserving the original culture and local communities.<ref name="Maurel">{{cite news |last1=Maurel |first1=Chloé |title=The unintended consequences of UNESCO World Heritage listing |url=https://theconversation.com/the-unintended-consequences-of-unesco-world-heritage-listing-71047 |date=11 January 2017 |access-date=4 September 2017 |publisher=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527103829/https://theconversation.com/the-unintended-consequences-of-unesco-world-heritage-listing-71047 |archive-date=27 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Caust |first1=Jo |title=Is UNESCO World Heritage status for cultural sites killing the things it loves? |url=https://theconversation.com/is-unesco-world-heritage-status-for-cultural-sites-killing-the-things-it-loves-98546 |date=10 July 2018 |access-date=30 May 2020 |publisher=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530083557/https://theconversation.com/is-unesco-world-heritage-status-for-cultural-sites-killing-the-things-it-loves-98546 |archive-date=30 May 2020}}</ref>

==Statistics==
{{Main|List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription}}

[[File:Unesco_world_heritage_sites.png|thumb|upright=1.1|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]]
The World Heritage Committee has divided the world into five geographic zones which it calls regions: Africa, Arab states, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Russia and the [[Caucasus]] states are classified as European, while Mexico and the Caribbean are classified as belonging to the Latin America and Caribbean zone. The UNESCO geographic zones also give greater emphasis on administrative, rather than geographic associations. Hence, [[Gough Island]], located in the South Atlantic, is part of the Europe and North America region because the British government nominated the site.

The table below includes a breakdown of the sites according to these zones and their classification {{as of|2021|07|lc=y}}:<ref name="WHList">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&l=en&&&&mode=table&order=region |title=World Heritage List (ordered by region) |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705125635/https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&l=en&&&&mode=table&order=region |archive-date=5 July 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/stat |title=World Heritage List Statistics |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705130603/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/stat |archive-date=5 July 2020 }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
!class=unsortable|Zone/region!!Cultural !!Natural!!Mixed!!Total!!Percentage
!State Parties with inscribed properties
|-
!style=text-align:left;|[[List of World Heritage Sites in Africa|Africa]]
|54||39||5||98||8.49%
|35
|-
!style=text-align:left;|[[List of World Heritage Sites in the Arab states|Arab states]]
|80||5||3||88||7.63%
|18
|-
!style=text-align:left;|[[Lists of World Heritage Sites#Asia|Asia]] and the [[List of World Heritage Sites in Oceania|Pacific]]
|195||70||12||277*||24.00%
|36
|-
!style=text-align:left;|[[Lists of World Heritage Sites#Europe|Europe]] and [[List of World Heritage Sites in North America|North America]]
|468||66||11||545*||{{pct|529|1120|2|pad=yes}}
|50
|-
!style=text-align:left;|[[List of World Heritage Sites#Americas|Latin America]] and the [[List of World Heritage Sites in the Caribbean|Caribbean]]
|100||38||8||146*||12.65%
|28
|-
!Total||897||218||39||1154||100%
!
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> The properties "Uvs Nuur Basin" and "Landscapes of Dauria" (Mongolia, Russian Federation) are trans-regional properties located in Europe and Asia, and the Pacific region. They are counted here in Asia and the Pacific region.

<nowiki>*</nowiki> The property "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement" (Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Japan, Switzerland) is a trans-regional property located in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean region. It is counted here in Europe and North America.

===Countries with 15 or more sites===
{{See also|World Heritage Sites by country}}
Countries with 15 or more World Heritage Sites {{as of|2021|07|lc=y}}:
<div>
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from: 0 till: 58 color:green text:"[[List of World Heritage Sites in Italy|Italy]]" (58)
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from: 0 till: 35 color:orange text:"[[List of World Heritage Sites in Mexico|Mexico]]" (35)
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from: 0 till: 17 color:black text:"[[List of World Heritage Sites in Poland|Poland]]" (17)
from: 0 till: 17 color:black text:"[[List of World Heritage Sites in Portugal|Portugal]]" (17)
from: 0 till: 16 color:black text:"[[List of World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic|Czech Republic]]" (16)
from: 0 till: 15 color:black text:"[[List of World Heritage Sites in Belgium|Belgium]]" (15)
from: 0 till: 15 color:black text:"[[List of World Heritage Sites in South Korea|South Korea]]" (15)
from: 0 till: 15 color:black text:"[[List of World Heritage Sites in Sweden|Sweden]]" (15)

barset:skip
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==See also==
{{portal|Environment|Society|World}}
* [[GoUNESCO]] – initiative to promote awareness and provide tools for laypersons to engage with heritage
* [[Index of conservation articles]]
* [[Lists of World Heritage Sites]]
* [[Former UNESCO World Heritage Sites]]
* [[Memory of the World Programme]]
* [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists]]
* [[Ramsar Convention]] – international agreement on wetlands recognition

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first1=Ray |last1=Edmondson |first2=Lothar |last2=Jordan |first3=Anca Claudia |last3=Prodan |title=The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme: Key Aspects and Recent Developments |page=144 |publisher=[[Springer Nature|Springer Nature Switzerland AG]] |location=Cham, Switzerland |year=2020 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-18441-4 |isbn=978-3-030-18440-7 |s2cid=243052987 }}
* {{cite book|first1=Roger |last1=O’Keefe |first2=Camille |last2=Péron |first3=Tofig |last3=Musayev |first4=Gianluca |last4=Ferrari |title=Protection of Cultural Property. Military Manual. |publisher=UNESCO |location=Sanremo |year=2016 |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CLT/pdf/MilitaryManuel-En.pdf |isbn=978-92-3-100184-0}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|World Heritage Sites}}
{{Wikivoyage|UNESCO World Heritage List}}
{{Library resources box |by=no |onlinebooks=yes |others=yes |about=yes |label=World Heritage Site
|viaf= |lccn= |lcheading= |wikititle= }}
* [http://whc.unesco.org UNESCO World Heritage portal] – Official website {{in lang|en|fr}}
** [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list The World Heritage List] – Official searchable list of all Inscribed Properties
** [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/kml KML file of the World Heritage List] – Official [[Keyhole Markup Language|KML]] version of the list for [[Google Earth]] and [[NASA Worldwind]]
** [https://whc.unesco.org/en/soc UNESCO Information System on the State of Conservation of World Heritage properties] – Searchable online tool with over 3,400 reports on World Heritage Sites
** [https://whc.unesco.org/en/forests Official overview of the World Heritage Forest Program]
** [https://whc.unesco.org/en/conventiontext Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage] – Official 1972 Convention Text in seven languages
*** [https://www.familytour.in/2020/12/world-heritage-sites-in-india.html The 1972 Convention at Law-Ref.org] – Fully indexed and crosslinked with other documents
* [https://cho.earth/ Heritage Map] managed by [[ABCOnlus]]
* [https://thelivenewz.com/articles/world-heritage-site-by-UNESCO Top Breathtaking world heritage sites by UNESCO]
* [http://protectedplanet.net Protected Planet] – View all Natural World Heritage Sites in the World Database on Protected Areas
* [http://ocean.si.edu/blog/world-heritage-goes-marine World Heritage Site – Smithsonian Ocean Portal]
* [http://www.unescochair.usi.ch/ UNESCO chair in ICT] to develop and promote [[sustainable tourism]] in World Heritage Sites
* [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/unesco UNESCO World Heritage Sites] showcased in [[Google Arts & Culture]]
* [https://www.culturalheritageonline.com/ Cultural Heritage On Line World Map Sites] managed by [[ABCOnlus]]

{{Lists of World Heritage Sites}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:World Heritage Sites| ]]
[[Category:1972 in the environment]]
[[Category:1972 introductions]]
[[Category:Global culture]]
[[Category:Protected areas]]
[[Category:UNESCO]]

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