The IUCN considers the World Heritage Convention as one of the most important global conservation instruments

Created in 1972, the primary mission of the Convention is to identify and protect the world's natural and cultural heritage considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value.

The most significant feature of the 1972 World Heritage Convention is that it links together in a single document the concepts of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties. The Convention defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List. It includes many coastal and island locations. The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored, uncontrolled, or unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence. .

The relevant natural criteria for selection are:

(vii) to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

(viii) to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

(ix) to be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

(x) to contain 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.

By assigning places as World Heritage Sites, UNESCO wants to help to pass them on to future generations. A listed site gains international recognition and legal protection and can obtain funds from among others the World Heritage Fund. Additionally, the local population around a site may benefit from significantly increased tourism revenue.