The World Heritage Convention has been helping to conserve World Heritage Sites for over 35 years by monitoring and addressing serious conservation issues in these sites, providing support in times of conflict and inspiring communities and nations to do more to recognize and preserve their natural heritage.
However, despite the progress achieved, many of the c. 200 natural and mixed World Heritage Sites continue to face serious conservation issues, including unsustainable resource extraction (such as mining and illegal logging), inappropriate development (such as roads), poaching, agricultural encroachment, armed conflict and war, oil spills, inadequate management, and invasive species.
IUCN monitors the conservation status of these exceptional sites to identify serious conservation issues as early as possible and bring these to the attention of the World Heritage Committee.
