Experts offer guidance on using the World Heritage Convention in support of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

UNESCO convened an expert meeting to identify actions to harness the World Heritage Convention in support of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The meeting confirmed the relevance of the World Heritage Convention to almost all of the 23 global targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework and made recommendations for further action, which will be presented to the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.

The 2019 Global Assessment Report of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services issued by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) provided the scientific evidence that biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide at rates unprecedented in human history. Yet, biodiversity is fundamental to human well-being, a healthy planet, and economic prosperity.

The World Heritage Convention is among the most successful site-based conservation instruments, with a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation, according to a UNESCO study.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity is a real opportunity for the biodiversity conventions to work together. We should make use of the extraordinary capacity of the World Heritage Convention to support biodiversity conservation. - Barbara Engels, German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)

In response to the Committee’s decisions 45 COM 7.2 and 46 COM 7, UNESCO organized in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies an expert meeting on the synergies and opportunities between the World Heritage Convention and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The workshop was hosted by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz) at its International Academy for Nature Conservation on the Isle of Vilm, Germany, and took place from 25 to 29 November 2024.

The meeting experts reaffirmed the unique contribution of the World Heritage Convention to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and the relevance of the Global Biodiversity Framework to both natural and cultural sites. They identified a range of recommendations for the World Heritage Committee, States Parties, and the UNESCO Secretariat and Advisory Bodies, including 19 priority actions.

Among the key actions, States Parties should integrate priorities for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention into their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, as requested by the World Heritage Committee (Decision 45 COM 7.2). This is important to ensure that current World Heritage properties and potential new sites become an international priority for dedicated funding mechanisms for the Global Biodiversity Framework.

The Global Biodiversity Framework also sets targets for respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in biodiversity conservation and provides new opportunities for cultural sites to contribute to nature conservation. States Parties, Indigenous Peoples and World Heritage properties can work with initiatives such as the Joint Programme of Work on the links between Biological and Cultural Diversity to support the implementation of the targets.

World Heritage properties often overlap with other international designations such as Ramsar wetland sites, Biosphere Reserves and UNESCO Global Geoparks. In addition, the protection and management of World Heritage properties may be relevant to the implementation of other biodiversity- or culture-related conventions, such as the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Improved cooperation between the Conventions and programmes could create greater coherence and have results at a larger scale.

The meeting was made possible thanks to the support of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, and the financial contributions of the Swiss Federal Office for Environment (FOEN) and the Government of Norway to the World Heritage Fund.

The 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), convened under the auspices of the United Nations, adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Through four goals and 23 targets, it sets out an ambitious plan to take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of people and planet by 2030, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to ensure that the shared vision of living in harmony with nature is realised by 2050.

The Joint Programme of Work (JPoW) on the links between Biological and Cultural Diversity was initially adopted at COP10 of the CBD in 2010 to explore the links and opportunities for improving the protection of biological and cultural diversity. It was a way for UNESCO to help connect the nature and culture themes under the Aichi Targets, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the CBD. Parties at COP15 renewed the mandate of the JPoW, including inviting UNESCO, the Secretariat of the CBD, the IUCN, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) and advisory bodies to work together on a roadmap for improve an integrated approach to supporting biodiversity, linguistic and cultural diversity. UNESCO is currently the lead agency for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032), providing an important platform to achieve such cooperation in policy and in action.