World Heritage sites and the extractive industries

This short independent study focuses on the relationship between the extractive industries and natural World Heritage properties. It was commissioned through IUCN in conjunction with the World Heritage Centre, as well as the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and Shell; the latter two funded the exercise. Although its focus is on decisions that may be taken in this regard by the World Heritage Committee, the review is intended to inform a wider range of stakeholders about the issues, challenges and opportunities arising from the tension and potential interdependence between the economic imperatives of mineral and hydrocarbon extraction and the conservation imperatives of preserving the world’s natural heritage.