World Heritage Forest Programme
Ranging in size from 18 hectares (Vallée de Mai, Seychelles), to 8.8 million hectares (Lake Baikal, Russian Federation), World Heritage forest sites now have a total surface area of over 75 million hectares (1.5 times the surface area of France) and represent over 13% of all IUCN category I-IV protected forests worldwide.
Given these figures, it is clear that the World Heritage Convention is uniquely positioned amongst international conventions, programmes and agencies to play a leading role for in-situ conservation of forest biodiversity. In recognition of this solemn responsibility, the World Heritage Committee in its 25 th session (2001), agreed that forests warranted a particular focus, and approved the creation of the World Heritage Forest programme to ensure that the World Heritage Convention be leveraged as much as possible to further forest conservation on a global scale.
One new World Heritage site with important forest components was inscribed at the 37th World Heritage Committee meeting in June, 2013.
Xinjiang Tianshan, a four part serial property in China was recognized in part due to its forest ecosystems. This new inscription brings the number of World Heritage sites inscribed for reasons related to their forest ecosystems to 107.
This part of the World Heritage web site is dedicated to providing useful information to World Heritage forest conservation stakeholders. We welcome your feedback and recommendations.
News (19)
- Rosewood Poaching Turns Violent; Rapid Response Facility Provides Emergency Support Friday, May 17, 2013
- 10.5 billion tonnes of carbon stored in World Heritage forest sites Tuesday, September 18, 2012
- Presentation ceremony held to recognize tri-national World Heritage site Friday, November 18, 2011
- State of Conservation of World Heritage Forests report launched Thursday, November 10, 2011
- Five World Heritage Sites in Africa Selected to Participate in Business Planning Programme Friday, July 1, 2011
- Barbados enters World Heritage List with Bridgetown and its Garrison; Hiraizumi (Japan) and Germany’s Beech Forests also inscribed Saturday, June 25, 2011
- Japan's Ogasawara Islands on UNESCO's World Heritage List Friday, June 24, 2011
- Danger listing for Indonesia’s Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra Wednesday, June 22, 2011
- World Heritage Committee puts Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve on Danger List at the request of Honduras Wednesday, June 22, 2011
- Successful preservation of India's Manas Wildlife Sanctuary enables withdrawal from the List of World Heritage in Danger Tuesday, June 21, 2011
- Launch of InforMEA – the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Tuesday, June 14, 2011
- Anti-Poaching Patrols to continue at Niokolo Koba National Park, thanks to Rapid Response Facility emergency support Wednesday, May 18, 2011
- Increase in One-horned Rhinoceros reported at Royal Chitwan National Park World Heritage Site (Nepal) Thursday, April 28, 2011
- Director-General welcomes suspension of oil prospection at Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Friday, March 18, 2011
- Three guards and five soldiers killed in attack at Virunga National Park (DRC) Friday, January 28, 2011
- Kinshasa Declaration to protect DRC World Heritage sites signed Friday, January 14, 2011
- Two rhinos translocated to Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Tuesday, January 4, 2011
- 2011 is the International Year of Forests Monday, January 3, 2011
- Satellite analysis of global mangrove forests released Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Other activities (5)
- Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Protecting World Heritage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Business Skills for Natural World Heritage Site Managers programme
- Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI)
- Linking Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Tourism at World Heritage Sites
- World Heritage Centre’s Natural Heritage Strategy
World Heritage Sites (96)
- Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
- Area de Conservación Guanacaste
- Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves
- Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża Forest
- Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves
- Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
- Central Amazon Conservation Complex
- Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
- Central Sikhote-Alin
- Central Suriname Nature Reserve
- Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks
- Chitwan National Park
- Cocos Island National Park
- Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection
- Comoé National Park
- Darien National Park
- Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves
- Dja Faunal Reserve
- Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex
- Durmitor National Park
- East Rennell
- Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda
- Fraser Island
- Garajonay National Park
- Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
- Greater Blue Mountains Area
- Gros Morne National Park
- Gunung Mulu National Park
- Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
- Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
- Iguaçu National Park
- Iguazu National Park
- iSimangaliso Wetland Park
- Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
- Kahuzi-Biega National Park
- Kakadu National Park
- Kinabalu Park
- Lake Baikal
- Laurisilva of Madeira
- Lorentz National Park
- Los Katíos National Park
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
- Manú National Park
- Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park
- Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
- Mount Huangshan
- Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest
- Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve
- Mount Sanqingshan National Park
- Mount Taishan
- Mount Wuyi
- Nahanni National Park
- Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
- Niokolo-Koba National Park
- Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
- Ogasawara Islands
- Okapi Wildlife Reserve
- Pantanal Conservation Area
- Pirin National Park
- Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island
- Plitvice Lakes National Park
- Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany
- Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park
- Putorana Plateau
- Rainforests of the Atsinanana
- Río Abiseo National Park
- Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve
- Salonga National Park
- Sangay National Park
- Selous Game Reserve
- Shirakami-Sanchi
- Shiretoko
- Sian Ka'an
- Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains
- Sinharaja Forest Reserve
- Sundarbans National Park
- Taï National Park
- Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park
- Tasmanian Wilderness
- Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand
- The Sundarbans
- Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas
- Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries
- Tikal National Park
- Tongariro National Park
- Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra
- Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve
- Ujung Kulon National Park
- Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve
- Virgin Komi Forests
- Virunga National Park
- Waterton Glacier International Peace Park
- Wet Tropics of Queensland
- Wood Buffalo National Park
- Yakushima
Documents
- Business Planning for Natural World Heritage Sites – A Toolkit
- Case Studies on Climate change and World Heritage (2009 Edition)
- Forests Warranting Further Consideration as Potential World Heritage Sites
- Paper 21, World Heritage Forests
- Proceedings of the World Heritage Boreal Zone Workshop
- Table: Carbon stock of WHF sites 2012
- The State of Conservation of the World Heritage Forest Network (2005)
- The World Heritage Convention as a mechanism for conserving tropical forest biodiversity
- Threat Intensities for World Heritage Forests 2001-2006
- WH Forest Carbon Content 2012
- What Value Added from World Heritage Forests?
- World Heritage Forest Indicators
- World Heritage in the Congo Basin
Strategic objectives
- Conservation