Back to success stories

Immense outstanding universal value within the HKH

Leveraging the World Heritage Convention for conservation and recognition

70% Complete

Visionary leaders in 1972 established the World Heritage Convention through a General Conference of UNESCO where parties to the convention agreed that certain places on Earth are of outstanding universal value and should therefore form part of the common heritage of humankind. Fifty years later, we are still leveraging this unique and powerful global mechanism for conservation in the HKH. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a technical advisor to the World Heritage Committee on natural world heritage and with IUCN and our partner Wild Heritage, we researched and wrote a report that brings a focus to the HKH, supporting identification of potentials for new natural World Heritage sites in the region and for extending already-listed World Heritage sites to adjacent areas that belong together ecologically.

The HKH stands out globally for its exception natural values and diversity. Today, 17 World Heritage sites are listed in the region, including 10 for their natural values. Natural World Heritage sites are globally recognised for their ‘Outstanding Universal Value’, such as the scale of natural habitats, intactness of ecological processes, viability of populations of rare species, as well as exceptional natural beauty. Only a few sites gain this status following a long and rigorous process that does not guarantee inscription. The World Heritage Convention remains under-leveraged in the HKH region. Through this report, we have fostered international cooperation and promoted greater recognition of the region’s global significance under the World Heritage Convention.

Visionary leaders in 1972 established the World Heritage Convention through a General Conference of UNESCO where parties to the convention agreed that certain places on Earth are of outstanding universal value and should therefore form part of the common heritage of humankind. Fifty years later, we are still leveraging this unique and powerful global mechanism for conservation in the HKH.

Other stories

Women take the lead in homestay management

An all-women committee will oversee homestay services in Mai Pokhari, eastern Nepal

Building a member-led consortium

The thematic working groups (TWGs) of the Himalayan University Consortium have proven to deepen network sustainability. ...

11 Jul 2021 HI-LIFE
A shared landscape for tigers

India and Myanmar discuss concrete, collaborative action for tiger conservation

9 Jul 2021 REDD+
Supporting policy formulation and reporting

Providing inputs to RMCs for policy making and for meeting national reporting requirements

Promoting ambitious climate action for the HKH

Delegates from the eight HKH countries, including UNFCCC national focal points and HKH High-Level Task Force ...

Mountains in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

In 2021, we worked with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, partners and CBD ...

3 Dec 2019 REDD+
REDD+ for green communities

Global uptake of a community-based REDD+ approach Recognizing the importance of reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), there was ...

Gender equality in tourism enterprises

Tourism is an important priority area for national and local governments across Bhutan, India, and Nepal. ...