World Heritage Sites

Definition

World Heritage Sites are locations that have been designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having “outstanding value to humanity.” Locations can be of natural significance, such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, or cultural significance, such as the necropolis of ancient Memphis in Egypt, which includes the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. UNESCO encourages the identification and preservation of these locations, keeping them in trust for humanity as a whole, not just for the country in which they are located.

One of the earliest examples of preservation on a global scale was the effort to protect the Abu Simbel and Philae temples in Egypt. These temples, which date back to the thirteenth century BCE, were in danger of being flooded by the Nile River during the construction of the Aswan High Dam. In 1959, UNESCO responded to a request for assistance from Egypt and Sudan to preserve the temples. Fifty countries financially contributed to the effort to relocate the monuments to high ground, which was completed in 1968. This global cooperation effort led to similar projects in Venice, Italy; Moenjodaro, Pakistan; and the Borobudur Temple Compounds in Indonesia.

In 1965, a conference at the White House recommended the establishment of a “world heritage trust” to encourage international cooperation to protect similar sites of global significance. A similar plan was proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1968. At the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, the two plans were presented, the result being the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (or World Heritage Convention for short), which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on November 16, 1972.

Into the mid-2020s, there were 196 nations that remained party to the convention and eligible to nominate locations to be considered for protection under its terms. In doing so, the member nation (called a “State Party”) is expected to oversee each location and provide periodic updates. It can also request monetary assistance if needed. This process is overseen by the World Heritage Committee, which consists of representatives from twenty-one states, who are elected by the General Assembly of State Parties and traditionally serve four-year terms, although officially their terms can last up to six years.

Into the mid-2020s, there were 1,248 natural and cultural sites in 170 States Parties; at that time, fifty-six of these sites were considered endangered. To be eligible for World Heritage designation, a site must “be of outstanding universal value” and meet at least one of ten selection criteria. Prior to 2005, cultural and natural sites had different criteria for selection; since then, these criteria have been merged into a single list, which includes “be[ing] an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape,” “be[ing] an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use,” “contain[ing] superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty,” “be[ing] outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, ”and “represent[ing] a masterpiece of human creative genius.”

Environmental Significance

The process for identifying and protecting World Heritage Sites can be traced back to two separate groups of people: those interested in nature conservation and those interested in the protection of natural sites. The goal of the World Heritage program is to present these sites as worthy of preservation from both natural and cultural standpoints. The sites remain the property of the country in which they are located, but those countries are assisted in maintaining and promoting the sites.

There are many benefits to having a site designated as a World Heritage Site, with tourism being the most obvious. Locations that would otherwise go unvisited become known, and some travelers are eager to visit culturally significant sites before they disappear. Tourism benefits local economies, thus bringing in the revenue needed to maintain the sites, which is especially important in developing countries. The downside to this is that increased tourist traffic, especially when it reaches the level of overtourism, can threaten the integrity of an already-threatened site. World Heritage status can help national and local governments manage the delicate balance between no interest and too much interest. Through the World Heritage Fund, the program can provide financial assistance for the protection and restoration of designated sites.

One function of the 1972 convention is to identify sites that are in immediate danger. Melting glaciers, deforestation, and pollution are just a few of the environmental factors that can disrupt or destroy an ecologically sensitive site. Warmer sea and ocean temperatures could bring about a loss of biodiversity in an already-threatened location, such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Human-made sites are also threatened by global climate change. Acid rain, changes in temperature and humidity, and rising sea levels can wreak havoc on ancient stone, and some scientists are predicting that the historic city of Venice, Italy, a designated World Heritage Site, could see daily flooding by the end of the twenty-first century.

In addition to threats from the environment and overtourism, World Heritage Sites are also threatened by war, redevelopment, and political instability. These threats gained renewed attention during a number of armed conflicts in the twenty-first century. For example, after taking over large portions of Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State (ISIS), a terrorist organization, destroyed or vandalized a number of World Heritage Sites in these countries between 2015 and 2017. In 2022, the city of Liverpool, England, was delisted as a World Heritage Site following the construction of new developments that, in the words of a United Nations committee, caused an "irreversible loss of attributes conveying the outstanding universal value of the property."

Bibliography

Cattaneo, Marco, and Jasmina Trifoni. Ancient Civilizations: World Heritage Sites. Translated by Timothy Stroud, White Star, 2004.

Fowler, Peter J. Landscapes for the World: Conserving a Global Heritage. Windgather Press, 2004.

Halliday, Josh. “Unesco Strips Liverpool of Its World Heritage Status.” The Guardian, 21 July 2021, www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/21/unesco-strips-liverpool-waterfront-world-heritage-status. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.

Harrison, David, and Michael Hitchcock, editors. The Politics of World Heritage: Negotiating Tourism and Conservation. Channel View Publications, 2005.

Sarkis, Christine. “Disappearing Wonders: 10 World Heritage Sites in Danger.” USA Today, 16 May 2013, www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/05/16/disappearing-wonders-10-world-heritage-sites-in-danger/2163883/. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.

Sayre, Carolyn. “The Oscars of the Environment.” Time, 22 June 2007, content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1636166,00.html. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.

"States Parties." UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 22 Oct. 2024, whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.

“World Heritage.” UNESCO World Heritage Convention, whc.unesco.org/en/about. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.

“World Heritage in Danger.” UNESCO World Heritage Convention, whc.unesco.org/en/danger. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.

“World Heritage List.” UNESCO World Heritage Convention, whc.unesco.org/en/list. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.