Leveraging the World Heritage Convention for conservation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

The Himalaya proper is commonly defined as the rugged arc between the Tibetan Plateau and the Ganges Plain stretching from the Indus River in the northwest to the great bend of the Brahmaputra River (Yarlung Tsangpo) in the east. The natural and cultural wealth of the HKH region is as overwhelming as its scenic beauty. The same holds true for the region’s enormous ecosystem services underpinning the livelihoods, food security and energy provision of a substantial part of the world’s human population in the region itself and downstream along the numerous major rivers originating in it. It is clear that such an exceptional region is of significant relevance to an intergovernmental agreement with the objective to identify and conserve the world’s most precious cultural and natural heritage, the World Heritage Convention. This assessment is strictly technical in nature; it aims at shedding light on the regional potential of the Convention from a nature conservation perspective based on a literature review and expert consultation.