Landscapes and Biodiversity
The World Heritage Convention recognises the value of important ecosystems and areas of high biodiversity on the planet, as follows:
being “outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals” (criteria ix),
or containing “the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation” (criteria x).
UNESCO contributes to the implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, to increase Member States’ awareness of biodiversity and ecosystem services, to crystallize UNESCO’s work in education, science and culture for the preservation of biodiversity and to strengthen the biodiversity science-policy interface.