Protecting our global volcanic estate: Review of international conservation efforts

Abstract

Volcanic landscapes are among the most recognizable protected areas of the World Heritage Programme, the UNESCO Global Geopark Programme, and the Man in the Biosphere Programme. These landscapes are identified not only for their geological values, but also for their biological and cultural values to communities and societies across every continent. We review the status of these three international level conservation programmes in order to assess their effectiveness in protecting the global volcanic estate. We reviewed all properties currently listed in these three programmes to identify sites and properties with significant volcanic features. The review does not evaluate national, provincial, or local conservation programmes. Through 2019, 83 of 1121 (7.4%) of World Heritage sites have significant volcanic features; for Biosphere Reserves, 58 of 701 reserves (8.3%) have significant volcanic features; and for UNESCO Global Geoparks, 38 of 147 (25.8%), have significant volcanic features.These international programmes offer global recognition and may provide additional protection to natural properties. World Heritage volcanic sites showing Outstanding Universal Value under criterion viii offer the highest level of recognition for volcanic properties. UNESCO Global Geoparks are well suited for sites of scientific and cultural importance with sustainable development of the volcanic resource. Biosphere Reserves emphasise that volcanic geodiversity can support globally-significant biodiversity alongside sustainable development. Together these three UNESCO programmes offer a broad palette of recognition that States may consider for protection of volcanic properties.Despite global recognition for these landscapes, important questions remain. Are the world's most significant and important volcanic landscapes recognised and properly protected? What are the challenges in the management of volcanic world heritage properties in the future? Are the various regions of the globe properly represented in these programmes?The results of the newly published report World Heritage Volcanoes (Casadevall, Tormey, & Roberts, 2019) suggest:•Volcanic features are often cited as part of the value of a property but are frequently not the primary basis for listing as a World Heritage property.•While volcanic features appear to be well represented for World Heritage listings, they may not be the “best-of-the-best” from a purely volcanic perspective.•The perception that volcanic features are “overrepresented” in heritage listings may be an artifact of the “co-listing” effect whereby a volcanic property is listed for biological, cultural, or historical importance.•Some sites have outstanding volcanological features, but these features were not included in listing.•Most the Earth's volcanic features are found in the submarine environment, but submarine volcanic sites are largely absent from current heritage programmes.