The goal of this Resource Manual is to help State Parties to manage natural values within World Heritage properties. As such it is aimed at natural and mixed World Heritage properties as well as cultural landscapes.
Natural World Heritage sites are inscribed because of their superlative values relating to scenery and other superb natural phenomena geology, ecosystems and/or biodiversity. The intention is to help managers understand and incorporate World Heritage concepts and processes into natural site management.
The Resource Manual is aimed at anyone with an interest in World Heritage, in particular those responsible for managing natural World Heritage sites, managers and staff of protected areas, local communities and indigenous peoples engaged in managing the property, as well as institutions and businesses operating in or alongside a natural World Heritage site.
The Resource Manual is structured around a framework developed by IUCN for its management effectiveness work on protected areas. It identifies six stages within the management process: understanding the context of the site; planning site management; studying allocation resources and other inputs; the resulting series of management processes; the outputs, i.e. goods and services; and the conservation impacts or outcomes.
This manual is also an essential guide for World Heritage site managers to available literature and documentation on management issues. As site managers are faced with new challenges on almost a daily basis, conservation strategies must also evolve.