This publication explores the challenges and successes in implementing the Convention over the past 30 years. A historical perspective serves as the backdrop to analyse the current state of conservation of cultural and natural World Heritage sites before exploring looming areas of concern, such as the impact of climate change and armed conflict as well as the opportunities and pitfalls of the tourism industry. Richly illustrated with photos, maps and statistical graphs, this publication brings to life diverse sites of the World Heritage Convention, from the mythic halls of the Taj Mahal to Egypt?s Wadi Al-Hitan, a desert valley peppered by the skeletons of extinct whales from a bygone climate.

The publication explores the challenges and successes in implementing the Convention over the past 30 years. A historical perspective serves as the backdrop to analyse the current state of conservation of cultural and natural World Heritage sites before exploring looming areas of concern, such as the impact of climate change and armed conflict as well as the opportunities and pitfalls of the tourism industry.

To provide a comprehensive view, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics prepared a unique series of statistical graphs, tables and maps presenting diverse aspects of the Convention: from regional breakdowns of the types of sites to the key problems affecting their conservation.