All you need to know about natural heritage conservation

July 22, 2021

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This article is written by Ishan Arun Mudbidri, from Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s Shankarrao Chavan Law College, Pune. This article talks about the conservation of natural heritage.

Table of Contents

About natural heritage

Nature is the only thing we human beings have in common, so it becomes our duty to cherish and nurture it. Natural Heritage in simplest terms, is the natural and delineated features of nature carved out of nature’s beauty which provides a natural habitat to endangered species in the world. These natural heritage sites are a gift from nature to mankind. These sites provide a good source of employment and are crucial sources of water. However, in today’s world, these sites are becoming victims of the constant urge for economic growth and development.

Conservation of natural heritage

Conservation of nature is important. For our future generation to witness the scenic beauty that nature provides us, it becomes our duty to protect it. Even the thought of nature creating such masterpieces without a single human being touching it is in itself a dream. Such is the natural heritage sites around the globe. There are around 252 natural heritage sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List which comprise around one in five sites on the list including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. These sites are facing pressure due to climate change, concrete jungles, mining, hunting, etc. Climate change seems to be the most dangerous threat. According to the IUCN World Heritage Outlook 3 report, climate change poses a 33% threat to natural heritage sites. Climate change has mainly affected glaciers and reefs. In 2016, around 80% of all the reefs were affected due to climate change.

Major development such as the construction of roads, dams, tourism facilities, mining, and oil and gas projects is among the top potential threats. For instance, Bangladesh’s Sundarbans, a vast mangrove forest home to the royal Bengal tiger, could be severely altered by the impacts of the Rampal coal-fired power plant proposed near the site. The proposed Stiegler’s Gorge dam could cause irreversible damage to important habitats in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve, home to the Critically Endangered black rhinoceros. There is a certain lack of management and miscalculation when it comes to the protection of these sites. The investments and fundings to these sites have also not made the cut. If this scenario continues, a global ecological collapse won’t be far away.

A look into the various conservation policies

World Heritage Convention

With pressure mounting on the world authorities regarding the protection of the World heritage sites, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) introduced the World Heritage Convention in 1972. The primary aim of this Convention is to protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage which is of utmost importance.

The World Heritage Convention was implemented through the Operational Guidelines, which define the procedures through which the convention must function, and also mentions the provision for international assistance under the World Heritage Fund. It states how the world heritage fund is used when in need of assistance. The Convention sets out duties to the states in identifying the potential heritage sites and their role in preserving them.

The Convention is governed by the World Heritage Committee which lists potential heritage sites in the World Heritage List according to the following criteria:

To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
To be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
To contain the most significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

Apart from these four, the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention also mentions six cultural heritage criteria but, after 2004 all ten guidelines were clubbed into one set.

With the World Heritage Convention in place, a global shared commitment by world countries joining hands to preserve scenic beauties comes into play. A key benefit of this Convention, particularly for developing countries, is access to the World Heritage Fund. Annually, about US$4 million is made available to assist States Parties in identifying, preserving, and promoting World Heritage sites. Further, there is a list of world heritage sites in danger, wherein special attention is given to these sites in preserving them.

International Union for conservation of nature

The International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN has been involved with the protection of the planet’s biodiversity for a long time. It is the official advisor for UNESCO in the world heritage centre. It is known to be one of the largest international conservation organizations comprising fourteen hundred government and non-governmental organizations; some sixteen thousand scientists and experts participate voluntarily, organized in numerous groups, under the umbrella of six commissions, and was created in 1948. Some of its policies towards natural world heritage are:

The IUCN aims to bring in more communities in its evaluation of world heritage nominations. The goal is to promote the application of “good practice” concerning human rights and World Heritage and to develop possible tools to ensure rights issues are appropriately considered, particularly in the nomination and state of conservation processes.
Assessing the environment to equip decision-makers with information necessary to preserve these sites for generations to come and to avoid any adverse impacts.
The IUCN advises that the extraction of minerals, oil, gas, and other extractive activities should not be allowed within the vicinity of these sites. Even if it is outside the vicinity of these sites, even then such activities should not have any negative impacts on these sites.
Some natural heritage sites are well represented and listed on the world heritage list, but some are not. Hence, in the next 10 years, a concerted effort is needed to fill the gaps in the protection of these sites, and in listing them on the world heritage list.

As part of the flagship ‘The Promise of Sydney’ document, the IUCN proposes six recommendations for the world heritage convention for the future decades which are:

Sustainable development- Civil societies, local communities, religious groups should contribute more and promote the convention so it demonstrates that the world heritage contributes towards sustainable development.
Best of the best- To achieve a sustainable World Heritage Convention, only the very best natural areas should be listed on the World Heritage List.
Credibility- The world heritage committee should take decisions that are driven by science and objectivity so that the credibility and integrity of the world heritage convention might be restored.
Nature and culture interconnectedness- The world heritage convention must recognize people’s rights and values as universal and suggest ways to recognize the interconnecting link between the cultural, social, natural, and religious significance of world heritage sites.
Models of conservation- The World Heritage sites should serve as models of conservation and should be the face of global change.
Indigenous People’s Rights- Global standards and values for the indigenous people should be set up and implemented in the world heritage convention, this will ensure that the indigenous people are involved in the world heritage convention’s processes and site management, and also that their rights are respected. This is because indigenous people are the natural preservers of nature.

Natural heritage in India

India’s rich heritage comprises some mesmerizing scenic beauties. From the Himalayas in the north to the Western Ghats in the south, India has no shortage of natural heritage sites. India’s rich heritage is protected by the Constitution of India. Article 49 of the Constitution states that the States must protect every monument or a place or object which is of historical importance from destruction, spoliation, removal, etc. Further, Article 51A states that it must be the duty of every Indian citizen to develop a scientific temper and spirit of inquiry. Every Indian citizen shall follow the rules and provisions mentioned in the Indian Constitution and respect the National Flag and the National Anthem. There isn’t a specific law that protects the natural heritage sites in India. India’s commitment to protecting heritage sites grew more when it signed UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention to protect global and national heritage monuments. India is home to seven out of the 252 natural sites listed on UNESCO’s world heritage list around the globe. They are:

(As of December 2020)

Name of the Site	Location	Year in which it was listed
Greater Himalayan National Park conservation area	Himachal Pradesh	2014
Western Ghats	Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat	2012
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National park	Uttarakhand	1988
Sundarbans National Park	West Bengal	1987
Kaziranga National Park	Assam	1985
Keoladeo National Park	Rajasthan	1985
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary	Assam	1985

What can be done to protect these heritage sites

Any heritage site is like a treasure for a nation. They enhance tourism and provide us with rich sources of history. Natural heritage provides habitats to many species and helps in economic stability. We have to preserve these sites and make sure they are not neglected. They are earth’s most significant protected areas and deserve the best quality of management. So what can be done to preserve these sites? World authorities and various organizations are doing their bit to protect these sites but, we as citizens must also help and contribute. So here’s what we can do:

Creating awareness about these sites is a must. Spread the word regarding these sites by sharing pictures, video links through social networking sites.
Volunteer in the conservation of these sites. UNESCO has certain volunteering programs where common people can help in doing what these organizations often do. This does not require any work experience.
Enhance tourism by visiting these sites at least once in a lifetime. This will also help in contributing to the local economy.
One of the most important things that we as citizens can do to protect these sites is, not to damage them. Most of the time, people tend to litter around these places while sightseeing. Further, if there’s a sanctuary or a zoo, people sometimes tease the animals or scare them away. All this is not necessary.
Make certain donations in the name of these sites so that they do not get neglected.

Conclusion

In the present world, preserving heritage sites is very important. They provide life to our past. If we do not preserve nature then, nature can show its wrath. The COVID 19 pandemic which the whole world is facing right now is an example of how nature can be if we human beings take it for granted. These sites provide a balance in the ecosystem, and if this balance gets disturbed, it will have far-reaching consequences on land, water, and air.