The World Heritage Programme teams up with other specialists to plan IUCN’s contribution to the future of the World Heritage Convention. We will tackle topics including engaging communities, rights-based approaches, impacts of extractive industries, resilience and the links between nature and culture and many more issues affecting conservation everywhere. Our opening event on 7 September gives information about working on some of the world’s most outstanding protected areas and how to get involved.

And join the World Heritage Programme and the Global Protected Areas Programme on 11 September at the Protected Planet Pavilion as we celebrate 40 years of the World Heritage Convention.

IUCN’s advisory role on World Heritage plus its portfolio to enhance conservation results depend on strong engagement from our members and partners who are at the heart of the action worldwide. With their expertise and hands-on knowledge, field and regional staff ensure we are timely and relevant in contributing to conservation action. We will present information on new tools and methods to help us better understand the state of natural heritage and also develop resources for conservation practitioners and stakeholders. A snapshot of these tools:

• Filling the Biodiversity Gaps on the World Heritage List through data gathering to identify priority sites and assess existing sites leading to a roadmap for the future network of the world’s most outstanding protected areas.

• Conservation Outlook Assessments to better understand the state of threats, values and management, establishing the prospects of a majority of the sites.

• World Heritage Information Management System providing online access to the results of the gaps analysis and data on threats and values of sites, and their future needs.

More than 10 per cent of the world’s network of protected areas is included in the World Heritage List. The number of World Heritage Sites is approaching 1000, and 217 of these are World Heritage Sites listed for their natural values, which together protect more than 266 million hectares (ha) of land and sea in more than 90 countries.

View the World Heritage events online and pick up your pocket guide at the Protected Planet Pavilion in Jeju.