World Heritage and Wilderness World Heritage and Wilderness

In Focus World Heritage and wilderness World Heritage and wilderness

Cyril F. Kormos Vice-Chair for World Heritage International Union for Conservation of Nature–World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN–WCPA) Vice President for Policy The WILD Foundation

Russell A. Mittermeier President Conservation International

The vast natural forest of Yellowstone National Park (United States) covers nearly 9,000 km2.

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Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe) is the world’s greatest sheet of falling water.

ecent global environmental growing environmental crisis. Protected In short, protected areas are increasingly conferences held by the United areas of all types – whether they are recognized as essential life-support systems Nations, including the 10th established and managed by governments, on all scales – local, national, regional and Conference of the Parties of communities, Indigenous groups or private global. Greater appreciation of the central the Convention on Biological entities – are an integral part of the global importance of protected areas has translated Diversity in 2010 and the Rio+20 meetings in response. They are essential to protect into rapid and continuing expansion of the 2012, provided the scientific community with biodiversity and to provide natural solutions global protected areas estate over the last the opportunity to take stock of the state of to climate change. few decades, including in the marine biome the planet’s environment. Unfortunately, They also play a crucial role in ensuring where conservation efforts have lagged but the results were not encouraging. Scientists livelihoods and safeguarding traditional are finally making major strides. Significant confirmed that the global biodiversity cultures, and forested protected areas additional resources and more protected and climate change crises are accelerating in particular are indispensable for food areas are needed to ensure comprehensive, rapidly. In fact, they suggested that we security and for regulating the quality and effective, representative and viable global have now altered our natural environment flow of freshwater supplies. Protected areas networks. But the good news is that we are so profoundly that we may be approaching are also important places for humans to making progress. a human-induced global ‘state-shift’, an interact with wild nature for their physical, ecological transformation that could be even mental and spiritual health. In recognition of A global protected greater than the changes brought about by the many benefits they provide, protected areas strategy the end of the last Ice Age. areas are now understood to be the Accelerating climate change combined foundation of green economies and more with the very rapid fragmentation of the The upside attention is being paid by governments to remaining intact landscapes dictates that Fortunately the continuing bad news integrating the value of natural capital into a global protected areas strategy must is tempered by the fact that we do have national income accounting and corporate include a wilderness component: i.e. we mechanisms at our disposal to address the accounting processes. need a systematic strategy for creating

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A manta ray in Phoenix Islands Protected Area (Kiribati).

©UNESCO/Ron Van Oers larger protected areas and ensuring these The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) areas are interconnected. These landscape of Kiribati, at 408,000 km2, is the largest and and seascape conservation efforts linking deepest World Heritage site on Earth. core terrestrial and marine protected areas are essential for long-term protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, including climate change mitigation and of French Guiana and the northernmost Heritage Committee in Doha in June 2014, adaptation. Here too, we are seeing parts of the Brazilian Amazon, and includes many very large sites are listed. Another some progress. Large-scale connectivity many very large protected areas. World is the amazing Phoenix Islands Protected conservation initiatives are moving forward Heritage sites (e.g. Central Suriname Nature Area (PIPA) of Kiribati, at 408,000 km2, the around the world, often across borders and Reserve and Canaima National Park in largest and deepest World Heritage site on on continental scales – from the Yellowstone Venezuela) often serve as anchors for these Earth. As one of the few site-based global to Yukon Conservation Initiative in North large connectivity initiatives. environmental agreements (the Ramsar America to the Eastern Pacific Conservation The World Heritage Convention is Convention is perhaps the only other Marine Corridor between Costa Rica, well-situated to contribute to wilderness example), the World Heritage Convention Panama and Colombia to the Kavango conservation globally. One reason is that the is a very useful international instrument Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area Convention has recognized, and continues to bring a focus to the importance of which includes parts of Angola, Botswana, to recognize, very large iconic areas. From wilderness areas. Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The the Central Amazon Conservation Complex Another reason why the Convention Guiana Shield is the most intact tropical (Brazil) to Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier is a useful mechanism for wilderness rainforest wilderness left on Earth and covers Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek (Canada/United protection is that it is unique in its explicit large portions of the countries of Suriname, States) and Okavango Delta (Botswana), linkage of nature and culture. In practice Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of the 1,000th site to be added to the World procedural and methodological challenges Venezuela, the French overseas department Heritage List at the 38th session of the World have made it difficult to recognize these

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linkages in individual sites as often as they for millennia. These lands are often sacred could be done, simply because cultural or hold special spiritual value, which can and natural values are evaluated separately further contribute to their protection. by two different organizations (ICOMOS The important issue of the often and IUCN). However, these challenges are indissoluble links between nature and in the process of being addressed. This is culture, and in particular Indigenous very timely because nature–culture linkages peoples, has now been taken up by are particularly important in the context the Convention, in part as a result of of wilderness conservation involving a Committee decision relating to the Indigenous peoples and local communities. nomination of the very large, intact and Indigenous managed Pimachiowin Aki area Nature and culture in Canada. Much more can and must be Indigenous peoples and local done to support Indigenous peoples and communities make enormous contributions local communities in their conservation to protecting the planet’s biodiversity and efforts, and to implement rights-based ecosystem services: the area protected approaches to conservation. A wilderness in Indigenous and community conserved approach under the Convention can areas is probably as large or larger than contribute to these important objectives in the approximately 13 per cent of the the case of large Indigenous managed sites planet’s terrestrial area which is already with Outstanding Universal Value. in protected areas. The individual areas A third key point with respect to the under protection by Indigenous peoples Convention and wilderness conservation and communities are often quite large has to do with the added protection against and very intact wilderness areas (e.g. industrial threats that the Convention Kayapó Indigenous Territories in the can provide to existing and prospective southern Brazilian Amazon, covering 11.5 wilderness World Heritage sites. The million ha). The reason that some of these Convention was established in response areas remain in good condition and under to international concern that some of the good stewardship is precisely because they most extraordinary places around the world are owned and managed by Indigenous were being destroyed or threatened with peoples whose cultures and traditional imminent destruction. The Convention lifestyles are inseparable from the wild requires sites to be well protected and lands they have long inhabited, sometimes managed and to demonstrate ‘integrity’. As

Kayapó people are protecting their traditional lands, the Kayapó Indigenous Territories Guitarfish at Coiba National Park (Panama). in the southern Brazilian Amazon. © LASZLO ILYES © CIFOR amazon

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Canaima National Park (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) is spread over 3 million ha in south-eastern Venezuela along the border between Guyana and Brazil. © Erik Cleves Kristensen a result, sites inscribed on the World Heritage late 2013. A well-attended side event chaired List are clearly understood to be no-go by IUCN-WCPA and co-organized with the zones for industrial activity as this would Pew Charitable Trusts was subsequently held be inconsistent with good management. at the World Heritage Committee meeting Whereas many sites continue to be under in Doha, and the possibility of a wilderness threat despite their World Heritage status, approach was very well received. IUCN’s there is a growing number of examples World Parks Congress will be the next major where the no-go principle is being adhered international venue for further discussion to. Governments are cancelling concessions and deliberation on this important theme. in sites to ensure World Heritage listing (as in Wilderness will figure prominently in the case of Okavango Delta), companies are the World Heritage cross-cutting theme foregoing concessions that were granted in sessions at the congress, which are being World Heritage sites, recognizing that these co-organized by IUCN, IUCN-WCPA and the should not have been awarded (as in the World Heritage Centre. case of the oil company Total in Virunga Following the World Parks Congress National Park, companies are refusing the objective will be to hold a workshop products sourced in World Heritage sites specifically dedicated to this theme, (e.g. Tiffany’s policy on diamond sourcing) preparatory to developing IUCN thematic and banks are refusing to fund projects in guidance on World Heritage and wilderness. World Heritage sites (e.g. HSBC). Developing thematic guidance will involve some complexity, as the wilderness theme Protection of sites brings together a number of important The World Heritage Convention has been issues – from rights-based approaches, to instrumental in protecting many wilderness nature – cultural linkages where wilderness sites around the world. However, we believe protection is inextricably tied to cultural that it can and should adopt an even practices, to an examination of the more systematic approach to protecting potential of each of the natural criteria to wilderness areas. Discussions regarding contribute to a wilderness approach under a potential World Heritage wilderness the Convention. But developing thematic approach under the Convention were guidance will be worthwhile and will initiated by IUCN’s World Commission on constitute a useful tool to help implement Protected Areas at WILD10, the 10th World a more systematic approach to wilderness Wilderness Congress in Salamanca (Spain) in conservation under the Convention.

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