World Heritage Facts and Figures June 2012
There are 211 natural World Heritage Sites (183 classified as natural sites, and 28 mixed sites classified as both natural and cultural under the World Heritage Convention). 1 Natural World Heritage Sites are globally recognized as the world’s most important natural areas based on criteria that include scale of natural habitats, intactness of ecological processes, viability of populations of rare species, and rarity, notwithstanding aesthetic appeal which almost always accompany these natural wonders.
IUCN is the advisory body to the World Heritage Committtee on natural and mixed World Heritage Sites and has been supporting the process to inscribe, monitor and effectively manage these sites for more than three decades,
Natural and mixed World Heritage Sites protect over 266 million hectares (ha) of land and sea
This figure amounts to around:
. 11% of the total area of all recorded protected areas . 25% of the total area of all recorded marine protected areas . 6% of the total area of all recorded terrestrial protected areas
Of all areas listed as protected areas in the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), World Heritage Sites include:
• 16% of the total protected area in the Asia Pacific Region • 11% of the total protected area in Africa • 8% of the total protected area in Latin America and the Caribbean • 9% of the total protected area in the Arab States • 13% of the total protected area in Europe and North America.
89 countries have an area designated as a natural or mixed World Heritage Site.
• In 21 countries the extent of World Heritage Sites is more than 25% of all protected areas • In 41 countries the extent of World Heritage Sites is more than 10% of all protected areas • More than half of the member states of the World Heritage Convention have no natural World Heritage Site. • Of all natural World Heritage Sites, 104 sites are forest sites, 45 are marine sites and 13 are transboundary sites
More than a status symbol, World Heritage Sites often play a pivotal role in sustaining the livelihoods and cultures of indigenous peoples and local communities who have been living in harmony with the surrounding resources for centuries.
Many natural World Heritage Sites face increasing pressure from resource extraction, climate change, human conflict and poaching and would benefit from stronger management measures. To date, 17 natural and mixed World Heritage Sites are on the UNESCO World Heritage Danger list.
1 IUCN, June 2010 (Sources: UNEP IUCN World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The area figures used for the 40 largest sites are the figures currently recorded by UNESCO). The WDPA is a joint product of UNEP and IUCN, prepared by UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas working with governments and collaborating NGOs (www.wdpa.org). With the exception of the total figures for the number of natural and mixed sites, figures do not include new sites inscribed since July 2008. Natural World Heritage Sites include many household names of conservation such as Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro, Galapágos, Virunga National Park, the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef. The ten countries with the largest areas of natural and/or mixed World Heritage Sites are: The 10 countries with the largest natural/mixed World Heritage area
Country or Territory Total area of World World Heritage Heritage Sites (ha) Area as % of national Protected Areas2 1. United States of America 46,504,289 19% 2. Australia 45,419,645 27% 3. Kiribati 40,825,812 91% 4. Russian Federation 22,120,829 9% 5. Ecuador 14,920,112 73% 6. Canada 10,691,411 12% 7. Niger 8,092,111 96% 8. Algeria 7,571,266 52% 9. Tanzania, United Republic 7,014,864 26% 10. Congo, The Democratic Republic 6,895,267 30% of The
The average area of a natural World Heritage Site is c. 1,263,100 ha (12,631 square kilometers). Excluding the very large Phoenix Islands Protected Areas, Papahānaumokuākea and Great Barrier Reef, the average size is c. 727,000 ha (7,270 square kilometers). The 20 largest World Heritage Sites are the following:
The 20 largest natural World Heritage Sites
hectares 1. Phoenix Islands Protected Area (Kiribati 2010) 40,825,000 2. Papahānaumokuākea (United States of America 2010) 36,207,499 3. Great Barrier Reef (Australia 1981) 34,870,000 4. Galápagos Islands (Ecuador 1978) 14,066,514 5. Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek 9,839,121 (Canada / United States of America 1979) 6. Lake Baikal (Russian Federation 1996) 8,800,000 7. Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger 1991) 7,736,000 8. Tassili n’Ajjer (Algeria 1982) 7,200,000 9. Central Amazon Conservation Complex (Brazil 2000) 5,323,018 10. Selous Game Reserve (United Republic of Tanzania 1982) 5,000,000 11. Wood Buffalo National Park (Canada 1983) 4,480,000 12. Volcanoes of Kamchatka (Russian Federation 1996) 3,830,200 13. Salonga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo 1984) 3,600,000 14. Virgin Komi Forests (Russian Federation 1995) 3,280,000 15. Canaima National Park (Venezuela 1994) 3,000,000 16. Te Wahipounamu, South West New Zealand (New Zealand 1990) 2,600,000 17. Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia 2004) 2,595,124 18. Lorentz National Park (Indonesia 1999) 2,350,000 19. Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Canada 1984) 2,306,884 20. Shark Bay, Western Australia (Australia 1991) 2,197,300
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2 The figure for national protected areas refers to all areas noted in the WDPA.