A Model for Management and Funding of World Heritage Parklands Chosen on Cultural and Biodiversity Criteria

Abstract

Australia has recently completed their term as member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, securing the seat from 2017 to 2021. Australia has 20 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. Australia has more natural World Heritage sites than any other country. During the 2017 – 2021 term, Australia worked to strengthen the operation of the Committee, placing emphasis on the effective management of existing properties, and encouraging greater geographic balance in the list and more focus on listing natural places of Outstanding Universal Value. However, funding is always a problem, particularly where historic populations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous exist. What is proposed to cope with such problems, is a new model using the concept of public private partnerships. Corporations wishing to reduce their footprints could purchase from the governments carbon and diversity credits, which are directly tied to the maintenance of highly forested areas, which are often subject to almost complete devastation from fires and floods.