Welcome to the World Heritage Sites UK portal
New
- Circular on the Protection of World Heritage Sites and English Heritage Guidance Note
- CLG Public Consultation - New Planning Policy Statement: Planning for the Historic Environment
- Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal inscribed at the UK's 28th World Heritage Site
- Bradford Council invite entries to Inspired by World Heritage photography competition 2009
- A review of the World Heritage Youth Summit 2009
- UK 2009 State of Conservation Reports have been published.
The UK currently has responsibility for 28 World Heritage Sites.
What are World Heritage Sites and why are they important?
World Heritage Sites (WHS) have outstanding universal value for humanity from the point of view of history, art or science.
The 1972 World Heritage Convention aims to protect the values of cultural or natural sites, which could deteriorate or, worse, disappear, often through lack of funding to preserve them. States Parties to the Convention contribute the necessary financial and intellectual resources to protect World Heritage sites.
The World Heritage List includes places many would recognise instantly, as well as less well known places that many may be surprised to find on the list. The World Heritage List is available on UNESCO's World Heritage Internet web site. It identifies its entries as cultural or natural properties.
Further information on the World Heritage Convention and on all the World Heritage properties can be found at the UNESCO website.
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