Conserving World Heritage

Article 4 of the World Heritage Convention states:

Each State Party to this Convention recognizes that the duty of ensuring the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the cultural and natural heritage referred to in Articles 1 and 2 and situated on its territory, belongs primarily to that State. It will do all it can to this end, to the utmost of its own resources and, where appropriate, with any international assistance and co-operation, in particular, financial, artistic, scientific and technical, which it may be able to obtain.

Article 5 of the Convention states:

To ensure that effective and active measures are taken for the protection, conservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage situated on its territory, each State Party to this Convention shall endeavor, in so far as possible, and as appropriate for each country:

1. adopt a general policy which aims to give the cultural and natural heritage a function in the life of the community and to integrate the protection of that heritage into the protection of that heritage into comprehensive planning programmes;
2. to set up within its territories, where such services do not exist, one or more services for the protection, conservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage with an appropriate staff and possessing the means to discharge their functions;
3. to develop scientific and technical studies and research and to work out such operating methods as will make the State capable of counteracting the dangers that threaten its cultural or natural heritage;
4. to take the appropriate legal, scientific, technical administrative and financial measures necessary for the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of this heritage; and
5. to foster the establishment or development of national or regional centres for training in the protection, conservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage and to encourage scientific research in this field.

• The World Heritage Convention

The Operational Guidelines provide guidance on conservation management systems and sustainable use (Paragraphs 108-119). These guidelines are frequently updated to reflect decisions of the World Heritage Committee and the General Assembly of the States Parties.

Revisions to the Operational Guidelines have already included, among others, a reference to local communities and indigenous peoples in paragraphs 40 and 123, and in particular to their involvement in the conservation and management of a World Heritage property and in the nomination process.

• The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention

In 2015 the General Assembly (decision 20 GA 13) adopted the World Heritage Sustainable Development Policy (WH-SDP), following a World Heritage Committee decision (decision 39 COM 5D) to endorse a Policy Document for the integration of a sustainable development perspective into the processes of the World Heritage Convention. The WH-SDP provides guidance for States Parties to mainstream sustainable development principles in their national processes related to World Heritage to ensure the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage properties is not compromised. Changes will be made to the Operational Guidelines to reflect the policy. The text of the World Heritage Sustainable Development Policy can be found at:

• 20th General Assembly of States Parties

Efforts are also being made by the secretariats of various international agreements to seek synergies and efficiencies. For example, in February 2016 a workshop was held for the organisations responsible for the 7 biodiversity-related conventions. The workshop considered a wide range of issues including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the science-policy interface, national reporting, monitoring and indicators, capacity building and the mobilisation and use of resources.

• Convention on Biological Diversity: Meeting Documents - Workshop on synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature or IUCN has also prepared guidance on harmonising the integrated management system of areas designated under multiple international agreements: Ramsar Sites, World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks.

• New IUCN guidelines to harmonise management in natural areas with multiple international designations

According to the World Heritage Centre today, the existence of the network of properties on the World Heritage List is proving to be of the highest importance in monitoring changing conditions and advancing solutions on the ground. Issue 77 of the World Heritage Review was dedicated to climate change.

• World Heritage Review - Issue 77

In December 2015 stakeholders from UNESCO sites, researchers, experts and policy-makers shared their experiences in an event to explore how the UNESCO-designated World Heritage properties, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks can serve as a global climate change field observatory.

• COP21: UNESCO Sites - A Climate Change Observatory, thematic day at UNESCO Pavilion le Bourget

As noted in the page about Protecting World Heritage, management arrangements for World Heritage properties in Australia need to be consistent with Australia’s obligations under the Convention.  These requirements are interpreted in the World Heritage management principles contained in Schedule 5 of the EPBC Regulations.

• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)
• Federal Register of Legislation

The World Heritage management principles contained in Schedule 5 of the EPBC Regulations are as follows:

1 General principles

1.01 The primary purpose of management of natural heritage and cultural heritage of a declared World Heritage property must be, in accordance with Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Convention, to identify, protect, conserve, present, transmit to future generations and, if appropriate, rehabilitate the World Heritage values of the property.

1.02 The management should provide for public consultation on decisions and actions that may have a significant impact on the property.

1.03 The management should make special provision, if appropriate, for the involvement in managing the property of people who:

1. have a particular interest in the property; and
2. may be affected by the management of the property.

1.04 The management should provide for continuing community and technical input in managing the property.

2  Management planning

2.01 At least 1 management plan should be prepared for each declared World Heritage property.

2.02 A management plan for a declared World Heritage property should:

1. state the World Heritage values of the property for which it is prepared; and
2. include adequate processes for public consultation on proposed elements of the plan; and
3. state what must be done to ensure that the World Heritage values of the property are identified, conserved, protected, presented, transmitted to future generations and, if appropriate, rehabilitated; and
4. state mechanisms to deal with the impacts of actions that individually or cumulatively degrade, or threaten to degrade, the World Heritage values of the property; and
5. provide that management actions for values, that are not World Heritage values, are consistent with the management of the World Heritage values of the property; and
6. promote the integration of Commonwealth, State or Territory and local government responsibilities for the property; and
7. provide for continuing monitoring and reporting on the state of the World Heritage values of the property; and
8. be reviewed at intervals of not more than 7 years.

3  Environmental impact assessment and approval

3.01 This principle applies to the assessment of an action that is likely to have a significant impact on the World Heritage values of a property (whether the action is to occur inside the property or not).

3.02 Before the action is taken, the likely impact of the action on the World Heritage values of the property should be assessed under a statutory environmental impact assessment and approval process.

3.03 The assessment process should:

1. identify the World Heritage values of the property that are likely to be affected by the action; and
2. examine how the World Heritage values of the property might be affected; and
3. provide for adequate opportunity for public consultation.

3.04 An action should not be approved if it would be inconsistent with the protection, conservation, presentation or transmission to future generations of the World Heritage values of the property.

3.05 Approval of the action should be subject to conditions that are necessary to ensure protection, conservation, presentation or transmission to future generations of the World Heritage values of the property.

3.06 The action should be monitored by the authority responsible for giving the approval (or another appropriate authority) and, if necessary, enforcement action should be taken to ensure compliance with the conditions of the approval.

Additionally, State and territory governments manage their World Heritage properties in accordance with legislation relevant to the cultural and/or natural heritage these properties contain as well as through management arrangements and management plans. Refer to the website for the Australasian Legal Information Institute for the most current version of relevant Australian laws.

• Australasian Legal Information Institute