Natural World Heritage sites conserve the planet’s most significant ecosystems, species, and natural phenomena – from the highest mountain peaks, to forests, deserts, wetlands and reefs. As the official advisor on nature for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, IUCN evaluates if new site nominations meet protection and management requirements and monitors the state of conservation of listed sites. Yet fundamental questions remain: How do we measure management effectiveness? How do we know if investments lead to results? How can fair and equitable governance be assessed?
Since the 1970s, IUCN has advised the intergovernmental World Heritage Committee on the protection of natural World Heritage sites. While the World Heritage Convention is the only active UN oversight mechanism for protected areas with global coverage, it still lacks quantitative performance standards.
