World Heritage Committee meeting, Christchurch, New Zealand, June 2007

Since this years World Heritage Committee (run by UNESCO) has just started in Christchurch I thought I would find out more about what it does. The committee's main job is to identify, on the basis of nominations submitted by countries, cultural and natural properties of outstanding universal value which are to be protected under the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, and to list those properties on the World Heritage List.

The World Heritage List currently includes 830 properties which the Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 644 cultural, 162 natural and 24 mixed properties in 184 countries. The Committee consists of representatives from 21 countries that are party to the Convention. The current composition of the Committee is: Benin, Canada (Rapporteur), Chile, Cuba, India, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand (Chair), Norway, Peru, Spain, Republic of Korea, Tunisia, United States of America.

NZ has three World Heritage Sites on the list:
Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand (1990)
Tongariro National Park (1990, 1993)
New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands (1998)

So what are the advantages of having a listed site? It seems the main advantage for a country having World Heritage Sites is the kudos attached, the tourism potential and possible the provision of support from the World Heritage Fund ($4 million available annually) for managing listed sites. The downside is that you may be 'leaned on' by UNESCO to spend more protecting sites. While the Committee has no jurisdiction in the countries where the sites occur it is bad form to be seen to be letting sites fall into disrepair. Although to date I do not believe any site has ever been removed from the list.

My interest is mainly in the natural areas although when travelling I always seem to seek out and visit any Wolrd Heritage Site. During my travels I have been to 64 of the sites and if you at all interested they are listed below.

I wonder though, as the planet fills with more and more people and our evergrowing footprint spreads out across the surface of the globe whether we will increasingly seek out these places of outstanding universal value to humanity for solace and inspiration? I tend to think so. In which case the work of the World Heritage Committee must continue. More resources must be made available to protect these special sites. Those resources must come from the countries themselves and from the people that gain so much from industries associated with them. The Galapagos Islands are a good example. The Ecuadorian Government has asked the committee to list the islands as "In danger" due to continued growth in tourism and the pressures that brings. Tongariro National Park still looks beautiful but the exotic weeds - heather and wilding pines - are still spreading across the landscape impacting detrimentally on the unique indigenous plant communities there. We must, as a species, recognise the global need to conserve these spiritually vital places now and forever.

And here is a list of World Heritage Sites I have visited:

In Argentina:
Los Glaciares (1981)
Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina)
Iguazu National Park (1984)
Península Valdés (1999)

In Australia
Great Barrier Reef (1981)
Kakadu National Park (1981, 1987, 1992)
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (1987, 1994)
Wet Tropics of Queensland (1988)
Shark Bay, Western Australia (1991)
Fraser Island (1992)
Greater Blue Mountains Area (2000)
Purnululu National Park (2003)

In Bolivia
Historic City of Sucre (1991)

In Brazil
Iguaçu National Park (1986)
Brasilia (1987)
Central Amazon Conservation Complex (2000, 2003)
Pantanal Conservation Area (2000)

In Canada
Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek (1979, 1992, 1994)

In Chile
Churches of Chiloé (2000)
Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso (2003)

In Ecuador
City of Quito (1978)
Sangay National Park (1983)

In France
Palace and Park of Versailles (1979)
Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims (1991)
Paris, Banks of the Seine (1991)
Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret (2005)

In Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala (1979)
Tikal National Park (1979)

In Italy
Historic Centre of Florence (1982)
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa (1987)

In New Zealand
Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand (1990)
Tongariro National Park (1990, 1993)

In Paraguay
Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue (1993)

In Peru
City of Cuzco (1983)
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (1983)
Huascarán National Park (1985) #
Manú National Park (1987)
Historic Centre of Lima (1988, 1991) 18
Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa (2000)

In Portugal
Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon (1983)
Historic Centre of Évora (1986)

In Spain
Doñana National Park (1984, 2005)
Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid (1984)
Works of Antoni Gaudí (1984, 2005)
Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville (1987)
Old City of Salamanca (1988)
Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona (1997)

In Thailand
Historic City of Ayutthaya (1991)

In Britain
Durham Castle and Cathedral (1986)
Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast (1986)
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites (1986)
Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey (1986)
City of Bath (1987)
Frontiers of the Roman Empire (1987, 2005) * 27
Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church (1987)
Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church (1988)
Tower of London (1988)
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (1995)
Maritime Greenwich (1997)
Dorset and East Devon Coast (2001)
Saltaire (2001)
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2003)
Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City (2004)

In Uruguay
Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento (1995)