World Heritage Convention (WHC)
| Name: | World Heritage Convention |
| Abbreviation: | WHC |
| URL to homepage: | http://whc.unesco.org |
| Country: | France |
Mandate
- Provides for the protection of such heritage which is of "outstanding universal value" from several points of view (historical, aesthetic, ethnological, anthropological, scientific of natural), including conservation (Article 2)
- Places the primary duty on states to ensure the continuance of this heritage for future generations (Article 2)
- States are required to include in their planning the protection of their natural and cultural heritage and to take appropriate measures to protect, conserve, and rehabilitate this heritage
- International Community has a duty to cooperate in this regard, and parties undertake to provide assistance when so requested (Article 6)
- 61 forested areas have been designated as World Heritage (41 out of 61 are within tropical ecosystems; 37 out of 61 are within wetland/marine environments)
- Forest Protected Areas categorized into representative eco-realms: Near arctic, Palearctic, Afrotropical, Neotropical, Indomalayan, Australian, Oceanian [ref.5]
Relevance to forests by key words
protected areas; cultural heritage; natural heritage; conservation