The World Heritage Forest Programme
One new World Heritage site with important forest components was inscribed at the 35th World Heritage Committee meeting in June, 2011. The Ogasawara Islands (Japan) were recognized in part due to their forest ecosystems. This new inscription brings the number of World Heritage Forest sites to 104.
Ranging in size from 18 hectares (Vallée de Mai, Seychelles), to 8.8 million hectares (Lake Baikal, Russian Federation), World Heritage forest sites now have a total surface area of over 75 million hectares (1.5 times the surface area of France) and represent over 13% of all IUCN category I-IV protected forests worldwide.
Given these figures, it is clear that the World Heritage Convention is uniquely positioned amongst international conventions, programmes and agencies to play a leading role for in-situ conservation of forest biodiversity. In recognition of this solemn responsibility, the World Heritage Committee in its 25th session (2001), agreed that forests warranted a particular focus, and approved the creation of the World Heritage Forest programme to ensure that the World Heritage Convention be leveraged as much as possible to further forest conservation on a global scale.
This part of the World Heritage web site is dedicated to providing useful information to World Heritage forest conservation stakeholders. We welcome your feedback and recommendations.
Documents
- Business Planning for Natural World Heritage Sites – A Toolkit
- Case Studies on Climate change and World Heritage (2009 Edition)
- Forests Warranting Further Consideration as Potential World Heritage Sites
- Paper 21, World Heritage Forests
- Proceedings of the World Heritage Boreal Zone Workshop
- The State of Conservation of the World Heritage Forest Network
- The World Heritage Convention as a mechanism for conserving tropical forest biodiversity
- Threat Intensities for World Heritage Forests 2001-2006
- What Value Added from World Heritage Forests?
- World Heritage Forest Indicators
- World Heritage in the Congo Basin
Other activities
- Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Protecting World Heritage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Business Skills for Natural World Heritage Site Managers programme
- Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI)
- Linking Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Tourism at World Heritage Sites
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre’s Natural Heritage Strategy
News
- Presentation ceremony held to recognize tri-national World Heritage site Nov 18, 2011
- State of Conservation of World Heritage Forests report launched Nov 10, 2011
- Five World Heritage Sites in Africa Selected to Participate in Business Planning Programme Jul 1, 2011
- Barbados enters World Heritage List with Bridgetown and its Garrison; Hiraizumi (Japan) and Germany’s Beech Forests also inscribed Jun 25, 2011
- Japan's Ogasawara Islands on UNESCO's World Heritage List Jun 24, 2011
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World Heritage Sites
- Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
- Area de Conservación Guanacaste
- Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves
- Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża Forest
- Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
- Canaima National Park
- Central Amazon Conservation Complex
- Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
- Central Sikhote-Alin
- Central Suriname Nature Reserve
- Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks
- Chitwan National Park
- Cocos Island National Park
- Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection
- Comoé National Park
- Darien National Park
- Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves
- Dja Faunal Reserve
- Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex
- Durmitor National Park
- East Rennell
- Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda
- Fraser Island
- Garajonay National Park
- Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Greater Blue Mountains Area
- Gros Morne National Park
- Gunung Mulu National Park
- Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
- Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
- Iguaçu National Park
- Iguazu National Park
- iSimangaliso Wetland Park
- Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
- Kahuzi-Biega National Park
- Kakadu National Park
- Kinabalu Park
- Lake Baikal
- Laurisilva of Madeira
- Lorentz National Park
- Los Katíos National Park
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
- Manú National Park
- Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park
- Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
- Mount Huangshan
- Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest
- Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve
- Mount Sanqingshan National Park
- Mount Taishan
- Mount Wuyi
- Nahanni National Park
- Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
- Niokolo-Koba National Park
- Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
- Ogasawara Islands
- Okapi Wildlife Reserve
- Olympic National Park
- Pantanal Conservation Area
- Pirin National Park
- Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island
- Plitvice Lakes National Park
- Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany
- Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park
- Putorana Plateau
- Rainforests of the Atsinanana
- Redwood National and State Parks
- Río Abiseo National Park
- Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve
- Rwenzori Mountains National Park
- Salonga National Park
- Sangay National Park
- Selous Game Reserve
- Shirakami-Sanchi
- Shiretoko
- Sian Ka'an
- Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains
- Sinharaja Forest Reserve
- Sundarbans National Park
- Taï National Park
- Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park
- Tasmanian Wilderness
- Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand
- The Sundarbans
- Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas
- Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries
- Tikal National Park
- Tongariro National Park
- Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra
- Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve
- Ujung Kulon National Park
- Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve
- Virgin Komi Forests
- Virunga National Park
- Waterton Glacier International Peace Park
- Wet Tropics of Queensland
- Wood Buffalo National Park
- Yakushima
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yosemite National Park