Patrimonio mundial

Nominations

IUCN evaluates all natural sites aspiring to achieve World Heritage status

World Heritage status is one of the highest international recognitions on the planet. As such, every site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List is carefully selected following a rigorous process. IUCN evaluates all candidate sites nominated to the World Heritage List for their natural values, including sites known as 'mixed' that have both natural and cultural values.

The evaluation of nominations is a year-long process involving IUCN's large network of experts. To ensure the credibility of the World Heritage List, it assesses the global significance, management, and integrity of the nominated sites. 

IUCN's evaluations combine field missions, desk reviews and voluntary input by experts with knowledge of the sites or the natural values they represent. All the information collected is reviewed by IUCN's World Heritage Panel to form IUCN's recommendations to the World Heritage Committee.

If you would like to undertake a desk review or provide input for a particular World Heritage site nomination as an expert reviewer, please click here. 

NOMINATION PROCESS

A country signs the World Heritage Convention
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The country compiles an inventory of potential sites, known as a Tentative List
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The country prepares nomination files for candidate sites
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IUCN evaluates natural and mixed candidate sites
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IUCN advises the World Heritage Committee whether to inscribe or not inscribe a site, defer a decision, or refer a nomination back to the country
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IUCN's recommendations are published by UNESCO's World Heritage Centre six weeks before the annual World Heritage Committee meeting
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The World Heritage Committee takes the final decision
 

Proposed nominations for 2020 and 2021

For the 2019-2020 cycle, IUCN has evaluated the nominations below to make recommendations to the World Heritage Committee, which will take the final decisions at its next meeting in June-July 2021 in Fuzhou, China.

  • Ethiopia, Holqa Sof Umar: Natural and Cultural Heritage (Sof Umar: Caves of Mystery) (mixed site)
  • Georgia, Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands
  • Japan, Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island
  • Korea (Republic of), Getbol, Korean tidal flat
  • Slovenia, Classical Karst
  • Thailand, Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex (referred in 2019)

For the 2020-2021 cycle, IUCN is evaluating the nominations below.

  • Cameroon / Chad / Niger / Nigeria, Lake Chad cultural landscape (mixed site)
  • Gabon, Parc national de l’Ivindo
  • China, Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina / Czech Republic / France / Italy / Montenegro / North Macedonia / Poland / Serbia / Slovakia / Switzerland, Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (extension)
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