Extractive industry

This report is part of a joint undertaking by IUCN and RWE to explore the possibility of integrating biodiversity values into RWE policies and practices. It was felt that a closer examination of the biodiversity management undertaken by RWE at the Hambach mining site during the past 35 years and the methods of the company's stakehodler engagement processes were needed.

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.