International Council on Mining and Metals, UK

The UNESCO World Heritage List includes 217 properties recognized for their outstanding natural heritage values. Despite UNESCO estimating that up to a quarter of these World Heritage sites are under development pressure from existing and future activities of extractive industries, to date there is no reliable analysis of the extent of overlap on a global scale.

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.

The system of protected area management categories lies at the centre of IUCN's work and its mission; their effective use is of fundamental concern to the Union and its members. This project has looked at the successes, failures, strengths and weaknesses of the categories after a decade of use, with the intention of giving guidance on steps needed to improve their future effectiveness in response to changing needs and conditions.

This book was published as part of an extensive dialogue between the International Council for Mining and Metals and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), which was set up to explore different aspects of biodiversity conservation in the mining and metals sector.

The system of protected area management categories lies at the centre of IUCN's work and its mission; their effective use is of fundamental concern to the Union and its members. This project has looked at the successes, failures, strengths and weaknesses of the categories after a decade of use, with the intention of giving guidance on steps needed to improve their future effectiveness in response to changing needs and conditions.