Definition of World Heritage
Definition of World Heritage?
World heritage are humanity’s treasures passed down over the ages. We live with them today and will pass them on to future generations. What makes the concept of world heritage special is that they possess “outstanding universal value.” There are natural properties, cultural properties, and mixed properties that have both natural and cultural values.
World Heritage Convention
The official title of the World Heritage Convention is “Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.”
The idea underlying the World Heritage Convention is that the various cultural heritage and natural heritage throughout the world should be protected as irreplaceable treasures for not only particular countries and peoples but also all the people of the world. Therefore, the convention recognizes cultural and natural heritage that possesses outstanding universal value that all humans should have the responsibility to protect and stipulates the creation of a list of this heritage. Doing so promotes international cooperation among all peoples of the world to protect that heritage.
Throughout the world, there are cultural assets and natural environments that are the pride of countries and people. The World Heritage Convention recommends that whether or not these sites are recorded on the World Heritage List, they should be protected just like world heritage.
Excerpts from the UNESCO World Heritage Annual Report 1997-1998 released by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan.
- 1. Purpose of the Convention
The purpose of the convention is to call on the world to recognize the importance of heritage that possesses outstanding universal value, such as being related to people throughout the world, and to promote international cooperation in order to protect that heritage. The convention was adopted by the UNESCO General Assembly in 1972 and came into effect in 1975. As of August 2021, the convention had been ratified by 194 countries. Japan signed the convention on September 30, 1992, making it the 125th state party to the convention.
- 2. World Heritage List
The World Heritage List is a list of cultural and natural heritage located in states parties to the convention that the World Heritage Committee deems as heritage with outstanding universal value. As of August 2021, there were a total of 1,154 world heritage sites on the list, which include 218 natural heritage sites, 39 mixed heritage sites (ones that are both natural heritage and cultural heritage), and 897 Cultural Heritage Sites. Yakushima and Shirakami-Sanchi were inscribed as natural heritage on the Worlds Heritage List in December 1993, followed by Shiretoko in July 2005 and the Ogasawara Islands in June 2011. In July 2021, the inscription of Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island was approved. A total of 5 properties have been inscribed in Japan. In addition, a total of 20 sites, including the Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji area and Himeji Castle, have been included as cultural heritage.
- 3. Obligations of States Parties
- Domestic protection: States parties to the convention shall do their best to protect cultural heritage and natural heritage in their countries. (Obligations to make effort)
- International protection: A World Heritage Committee shall be established within UNESCO and the committee shall undertake the following operations to provide international protection.
- Create a World Heritage List based on the candidate list that states parties to the convention submit.
- Provide support to protect sites included on the list through the World Heritage Fund, created from contributions from states parties to the convention.
- 4. Criteria for Natural Heritage
To be inscribed on the World Heritage List as a natural heritage, the property must meet one or more of the four criteria: natural beauty; geology and geomorphology; ecosystem; and biodiversity.
- Natural beauty
to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance; - Geology and geomorphology
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; - Ecosystem
to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals; - Biodiversity
to contain the most important and 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.
Of the sites noted above, Yakushima Island satisfies the requirements for 1. Natural beauty and 3. Ecosystem. A landscape of natural forests of giant Yakusugi trees over 1,000 years old and the vertical distribution of vegetation of the natural forests in the warm temperate zone that have been almost lost in other regions, and which are distributed continuously from the coastline to the summit, were evaluated.
- Natural beauty
Overview of Yakushima, World Natural Heritage Site
Along with Shirakami-Sanchi, Yakushima Island was registered as Japan’s first World Natural Heritage on December 11, 1993. Around 10,747 ha of Yakushima Island, 20% of Yakushima’s total area, was recorded as natural heritage.
Yakushima World Heritage Site Management Plan
The Yakushima World Natural Heritage site is preserved and managed in line with the Yakushima World Heritage Area Management Plan formulated in 1995 and revised in 2012. However, we have begun investigations into a new Yakushima World Heritage Area Management Plan which is both appropriate for the current conditions, and based on new knowledge of management of heritage sites.
