World Heritage

What it means

The World Heritage List recognises places of universal value, and its natural branch singles out those that stand out for their ecological processes, their beauty, their geology or for holding habitats important to threatened species. Inscription does not in itself create a protection regime — each country provides that — but it commits the state to conserving the site and reporting on its condition, and it opens access to international assistance. When that condition deteriorates, a site can be moved to the List of World Heritage in Danger.