Calling all World Heritage experts: help shape the next IUCN World Heritage Outlook

== > Register here before 30 September 2024 < ==

In 2014 IUCN launched the first IUCN World Heritage Outlook – a ground-breaking global assessment of World Heritage sites inscribed for their unique natural values and their prospects for maintaining these values over time. After successful updates in 2017 and 2020, efforts are now underway to complete a new cycle of conservation outlook assessments. These will be compiled in the fourth edition of the IUCN World Heritage Outlook report, to be released in 2025 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. The overall objective is to identify and anticipate conservation challenges while also recognizing successes. World Heritage Outlook 4 represents a chance to gauge the efforts to protect the world's most important protected areas over the past 10 years and reflect on the role of World Heritage in achieving global biodiversity and climate goals by 2030.

Recognised as the world’s most unique protected areas, over 270 World Heritage sites are inscribed for their natural values. Considering their significant international recognition and their Outstanding Universal Value, World Heritage sites should serve as models of conservation and have a good outlook in the face of global change. Their state of conservation is an indication for the success of conservation worldwide. World Heritage Outlook 4 will systematically collect inputs from a wide range of knowledge holders, including State Parties, management authorities, site managers, researchers, community groups, civil society, IUCN Members, and IUCN Expert Commissions to provide an independent global assessment of the state of conservation of all World Heritage sites inscribed for their natural values.

IUCN’s World Heritage Outlook consists of “Conservation Outlook Assessments” (available via the online platform here), which are in-depth, independent assessments for each World Heritage site, based on the best available data from a wide range of sources. These explore how sites have evolved over time, tracking trends, analysing drivers of change and identifying issues surrounding their protection and management. The global report draws on these assessments to compile analyses of key trends and issues facing natural World Heritage.

The method for individual site assessments was developed based on IUCN standards, best practice guidelines and assessment frameworks. As the core method remains unchanged, a comparison across datasets is possible. Minor updates have focussed on stronger alignment with the IUCN Green List Standard, integrating an Invasive Alien Species database and more thoroughly recognising cultural values and overlapping designations. This ensures a more integrated and inclusive approach.

Over the coming months, hundreds of World Heritage experts will take part in the consultation and review process. This will ensure that conservation outlook assessments are as accurate as possible and identify the most pressing issues facing World Heritage sites. Experts and knowledge holders interested in taking part in the 2025 update of the IUCN World Heritage Outlook can register here.

The IUCN World Heritage Outlook is not part of the collaboration with UNESCO, rather it aims to complement the monitoring mechanism organised by the World Heritage Committee and UNESCO.

Key results from previous World Heritage Outlook assessment cycles

The conservation outlook of 24 sites changed between 2017 and 2020, with 16 deteriorating and only 8 improving. This is a marked shift in the pattern from 2017, when almost equal numbers of sites either improved or deteriorated compared to 2014.

Climate change continues to affect more and more World Heritage sites inscribed for their unique natural values. In 2014, climate change was identified as the most significant potential threat, and in 2017, it became the fastest growing threat. In 2020, climate change has become the most prevalent current threat, and remains the largest potential threat.

The 2020 results show that just 50% of sites have effective or highly effective protection and management overall. When comparing the 228 sites for which three data sets are now available, this represents a slight improvement since 2017 (48%). The percentage of sites with overall effective management has increased in Europe, Asia, South America and the Arab States when compared to 2017.

• Results of the previous World Heritage Outlook assessment cycles are available here (overall trends) and here (site assessments).
• The IUCN World Heritage Outlook 3 report can be downloaded here.

About IUCN and the World Heritage Convention

Since the inception of the World Heritage Convention in 1972, IUCN has played a unique role as the official advisory body under the World Heritage Convention on natural World Heritage. This involves leading the technical recommendation of all new nominations of natural and mixed World Heritage sites, monitoring the status of existing natural and mixed World Heritage sites and the newly added Preliminary Assessment process to provide direct advice on the feasibility of potential nominations to states parties.

IUCN also works independently on the Convention to support World Heritage sites globally though our extensive network of programs and policies led though our central Secretariat team, our expert commissions, and our member organisations.

Find out more about IUCN's work on World Heritage here and discover natural World Heritage sites here.

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.