1、1IUCN World Heritage StrategyNew ambition for World Heritage231.World Heritage and IUCN:a unique partnership The World Heritage Convention1 was launched in 1972 with a vision to bring international support and protection to the worlds most significant natural and cultural places,as the common herita

2、ge of humanity.Fifty years later the Convention is almost universally recognised,with 195 States Parties as signatories.In these five decades,1,157 sites have been inscribed on the World Heritage List for their natural and cultural Outstanding Universal Value(OUV)to humankind,of which 257 are recogn

3、ised for their global nature conservation significance,including 39 sites recognised for both natural and cultural values.Natural World Heritage sites protect over 370 million hectares of land and sea,which cover about 7%of the total area covered by 270,000+protected areas2.World Heritage designatio

4、n has a fundamental role in protecting and conserving the worlds most significant ecosystems and species,and natural phenomena from the highest mountain peaks,through forests,deserts,wetlands and reefs.It includes areas of important biodiversity and provides protection for the worlds most threatened

5、 and endangered species,as well as the most exceptional geological sites.The IUCN Species Threat Abatement and Restoration(STAR)metric3 highlights that natural World Heritage sites offer more than 4%of the total potential opportunity for reducing global species extinction risk,despite only covering

6、around 1%of terrestrial land area.Given the World Heritage Convention helps protect some of the most undisturbed sites on Earth,and some of the largest,the Convention is in a unique position to contribute to the achievement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,including regarding th