The Benefits of Natural World Heritage

The Benefits of Natural World Heritage

Identifying and assessing ecosystem services and benefits provided by the world's most iconic natural places

About IUCN

IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges.

IUCN's work focuses on valuing and conserving nature, ensuring effective and equitable governance of its use, and deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food and development. IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world, and brings governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.

IUCN is the world's oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO Members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN's work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world.

About the IUCN World Heritage Programme

IUCN is the advisory body on nature to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Working closely with IUCN Members, Commissions and Partners, and especially the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), and with a range of partners, IUCN's World Heritage Programme evaluates new sites nominated to the World Heritage List, monitors the conservation of listed sites, promotes the World Heritage Convention as a leading global instrument for conservation, and provides support, advice and training to site managers, governments, scientists and local communities.

The IUCN World Heritage Programme also initiates innovative ways to enhance the role of the World Heritage Convention in protecting the planet's biodiversity and natural heritage and positioning the worlds' most iconic places as exemplars of nature-based solutions to global challenges. worldheritage

About UNEP-WCMC

The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is the specialist biodiversity assessment centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world's foremost intergovernmental environmental organisation. The Centre has been in operation for over 30 years, combining scientific research with practical policy advice.

About BfN

The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt f?r Naturschutz ? BfN) is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government's departmental research agencies and reports to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). The Agency provides the Ministry with professional and scientific assistance in all nature conservation and landscape management issues and in international cooperation activities. BfN furthers its objectives by carrying out related scientific research and is also in charge of a number of funding programmes. bfn.de

Photo credits

Cover: Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, Thailand ? Our Place World Heritage Collection Page 4: Central Amazon Conservation Complex, Brazil ? Steve McCool Page 19: Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica ? Liam Quinn (CC BY-SA 2.0) Page 20: Sundarbans National Park, India and The Sundarbans, Bangladesh ? Sourav Mahmud Page 21: Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture, Spain ? G. Pergent Page 23: Golden Mountains of Altai, Russian Federation ? Andrew Kudrin (CC BY 2.0) Page 25: Wadi Al-Hitan, Egypt ? Peter Howard Page 26: Sian Ka'an, Mexico ? Our Place World Heritage Collection Page 28: Gunung Mulu National Park, Malaysia ? Our Place World Heritage Collection Page 31: Pantanal Conservation Area, Brazil ? Tambako The Jaguar (CC BY-ND 2.0) Page 35: Skocjan Caves, Slovenia ? Borut Lozej Page 36: Do?ana National Park, Spain ? Calvin Smith (CC BY 2.0) Page 37: Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo ? IUCN G?rard Collin Page 38: Tubbataha Reefs National Park, Philippines ? IUCN Josephine Langley Page 39: Lagoons of New Caledonia, France ? IUCN Dan Laffoley Page 42: Yellowstone National Park, USA ? Our Place World Heritage Collection Page 44: Kakadu National Park, Australia ? Our Place World Heritage Collection Page 45: Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves World Heritage Site, Brazil ? Daniel Mitsuo (CC BY-NC 2.0) Page 46: Mount Athos, Greece ? Our Place World Heritage Collection Page 47: Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System ? IUCN Elena Osipova Page 48: Cape Floral Region Protected Areas, South Africa ? IUCN Elena Osipova Page 49: The Wadden Sea, Denmark / Germany / the Netherlands ? IUCN Wendy Strahm Page 52: Yakushima ? Our Place World Heritage Collection

The Benefits of Natural World Heritage

Identifying and assessing ecosystem services and benefits provided by the world's most iconic natural places

Disclaimers

The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organizations.

Published by:

IUCN, Gland, Switzerland

Copyright:

? 2014 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Citation:

Osipova, E., Wilson, L., Blaney, R., Shi, Y., Fancourt, M., Strubel, M., Salvaterra, T., Brown, C., Verschuuren, B. (2014). The benefits of natural World Heritage: Identifying and assessing ecosystem services and benefits provided by the world's most iconic natural places. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. vi + 58 pp.

ISBN:

978-2-8317-1694-7

Cover photo:

? OUR PLACE World Heritage

Layout by:

Guilder Design, Dublin, Ireland ()

Available from:

IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) World Heritage Programme Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland Tel +41 22 999 0000 Fax +41 22 999 0002 publications

The text of this book is printed on paper made from wood fibre from well-managed forests certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

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Contents

Acknowledgements................................................................................................................................................................... iv Executive summary.................................................................................................................................................................... v Abbreviations and acronyms..................................................................................................................................................... vi

1. Introduction..........................................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Purpose, scope and structure of the study........................................................................................................................1 1.2 The World Heritage Convention and Outstanding Universal Value.................................................................................1 1.3 Ecosystem services, benefits and human well-being.........................................................................................................1 1.4 Threats and management of sites.....................................................................................................................................2

2. Conceptual and methodological framework for the study.....................................................................................................5 2.1 Conceptual framework....................................................................................................................................................5 2.2 Ecosystem services typology.............................................................................................................................................5 2.3 Methodology and datasets used in this study...................................................................................................................6

2.3.1 Global geospatial analysis.....................................................................................................................................6 2.3.2 Data from the IUCN World Heritage Outlook....................................................................................................6 2.3.3 Case studies..........................................................................................................................................................6

3. Global scale analysis of ecosystem services and benefits provided by World Heritage sites...................................................9 3.1 Global spatial analysis......................................................................................................................................................9

3.1.1 Carbon storage.....................................................................................................................................................9 3.1.2 Water provision..................................................................................................................................................13

3.2 Conservation Outlook Assessments...............................................................................................................................16 3.2.1 Methodology for analysing Conservation Outlook Assessments data..................................................................16 3.2.2 Global assessment..............................................................................................................................................16 3.2.3 Knowledge gaps.................................................................................................................................................17 3.2.4 Drivers of change...............................................................................................................................................17 3.2.5 Conclusions.......................................................................................................................................................18

4. Site scale analysis: Case studies of ecosystem services and benefits, economic valuation and governance models...............19 4.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................................19 4.2 Ecosystem services and benefits......................................................................................................................................19

4.2.1 The value of water resources: Morne Trois Pitons National Park (Dominica)......................................................19 4.2.2 Natural hazard regulation: Sundarbans National Park (India) and The Sundarbans (Bangladesh).......................20 4.2.3 Climate regulation: Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Canada) and Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture (Spain).....21 4.2.4 Cultural and spiritual values: Golden Mountains of Altai (Russian Federation) and Laponian Area (Sweden)....23 4.2.5 Nature-based tourism: Wadi Al-Hitan (Egypt)...................................................................................................25 4.2.6 Knowledge and Education: Sian Ka'an (Mexico)................................................................................................26 4.2.7 The provision of natural resources: Gunung Mulu National Park (Malaysia) and the Great Barrier Reef (Australia)....28

4.3 The economic valuation of ecosystem services at natural World Heritage sites................................................................29 4.3.1 Economic values................................................................................................................................................29 4.3.2 Valuation methods for World Heritage sites.......................................................................................................30 4.3.3 Difficulties with monetary valuation..................................................................................................................31 4.3.4 Case studies: economic studies of World Heritage sites......................................................................................31 4.3.5 Overall conclusions and recommendations from monetary valuation case studies..............................................41 4.3.6 Caveats for the use of economics........................................................................................................................41

4.4 Governance and management case studies......................................................................................................................42 4.4.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................42 4.4.2 Governance by government: Yellowstone National Park (USA)..........................................................................42 4.4.3 Indigenous Lands: Joint Management at Kakadu National Park (Australia)........................................................44 4.4.4 Private protected areas: Salto Morato Natural Heritage Private Reserve (component of Atlantic

Forest South-East Reserves World Heritage Site, Brazil).....................................................................................45 4.4.5 A unique Community Conservation Area: Mount Athos (Greece)......................................................................46 4.4.6 Co-management: Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (Belize).............................................................................47 4.4.7 Biodiversity Stewardship: Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (South-Africa).....................................................48 4.4.8 Transboundary management of ecosystem services and benefits: The Wadden Sea (Denmark/Germany/the Netherlands).......................................................................................................................................................49

5. Conclusions..........................................................................................................................................................................51

6. References............................................................................................................................................................................53

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