World Natural Heritage Site Research Articles

Tourist intentions to donate to non-lethal feral cat management at a potential natural World Heritage site in Japan

ABSTRACT Feral cat management needs cooperation, including financial support, from a variety of stakeholders. We used a payment card approach to investigate the willingness of tourists to donate to non-lethal feral cat management at a potential natural World Heritage site on Amami Oshima Island in Japan. We found that more than 80% of tourists intended to donate funds to non-lethal feral cat management, and the mean willingness to donate was about USD $14 (1374.1 JPY). The rate of participation in the donation was higher than that found in previous studies, and the amount of intention to donate was large enough to support non-lethal cat management. Respondent income and attitudes toward lethal options affected intentions to donate. Those who valued the island farmland also had a higher intention to donate. Our findings provide useful information for the implementation of feral cat management strategies to conserve biodiversity while minimizing conflict.

In Danger

Abstract On 24 April, a brutal attack by armed militia groups in the Virunga National Park caused the deaths of four civilians and thirteen staff members of the Park, a natural World Heritage site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (RDC).

Preservation of Unique Natural Territories of the North of Russia: from the History of the Creation of the Natural Heritage Site “The Virgin Forests of the Komi Republic”

Based on a wide range of archival sources, the article considers the history of the creation of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site “The Virgin Forests of the Komi Republic” located in the Komi Republic on the western slopes of the Northern and Subpolar Urals. It includes the territories of two protected areas of the Pechora-Ilych Reserve and the National Park “Yugyd Va”, which make up the largest of the primary forests remaining in Europe. The level of the industrial development of the USSR and environmental transformation in the first half of the 20th century determined the wide involvement of academic knowledge in solving the problems of conservation of unique natural resources. The article considers the main directions and results of scientific work in the formulation and successful solution of the problems of nature conservation and the rational use of the resources of the northern region. Thanks to the scientists of the USSR Academy of Sciences more than two hundred objects were declared natural monuments on the territory of the Komi ASSR from the 1940s to the 1980s. The organization of the National Park “Yugyd Va” on the territory of the republic became one of the major scientific projects.

Using DNA-barcoded Malaise trap samples to measure impact of a geothermal energy project on the biodiversity of a Costa Rican old-growth rain forest.

We report one year (2013-2014) of biomonitoring an insect community in a tropical old-growth rain forest, during construction of an industrial-level geothermal electricity project. This is the first-year reaction by the species-rich insect biodiversity; six subsequent years are being analyzed now. The site is on the margin of a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), in northwestern Costa Rica. This biomonitoring is part of Costa Rica's ongoing efforts to sustainably retain its wild biodiversity through biodevelopmental integration with its societies. Essential tools are geothermal engineering needs, entomological knowledge, insect species-rich forest, government-NGO integration, common sense, DNA barcoding for species-level identification, and Malaise traps. This research is tailored for integration with its society at the product level. We combine an academic view with on-site engineering decisions. This biomonitoring requires alpha-level DNA barcoding combined with centuries of morphology-based entomological taxonomy and ecology. Not all desired insect community analyses are performed; they are for data from subsequent years combined with this year. We provide enough analysis to be used by both guilds now. This biomonitoring has shown, for the first year, that the geothermal project impacts only the biodiversity within a zone less than 50 m from the project margin.

Understanding residents’ perceptions of nature and local economic activities using an open-ended question before protected area designation in Amami Islands, Japan

For successful protected area (PA) management, it is essential to understand residents’ perceptions during the early phases of the designation process. However, most studies on residents’ perceptions have been conducted after PA designation due to the lack of researcher–policymaker cooperation. In this study, we reveal residents’ perceptions before the PA designation of Japan’s Amami Islands as a national park and a Natural World Heritage Site. We conducted a questionnaire survey using an open-ended question to collect textual answers on residents’ perceptions of nature and the local economic activities. We then categorized these answers into six topics by applying topic models and interpreted the topics qualitatively, indicating their content. We also examined the relativity of the topics and the islands using correspondence analysis.The residents were more interested in the landscapes relevant to their livelihoods and expected them to be managed. This result implies discrepancy between residents’ perceptions and the PA draft management plan because the draft plan mainly focuses on the conservation of biodiversity in subtropical rainforests, whereas residents were unfamiliar with this. With regard to the local economic activities, residents expected enhancement of agriculture and traditional craft industries and nature-based tourism. Furthermore, residents’ perceptions were probably influenced by the context of the islands on which they lived. We suggest adoption of suitable PA management and communication strategies for each island in view of residents’ perceptions. Our approach has enabled us to understand residents’ perceptions that have been disregarded through the PA designation process.

Tourism space reconstruction of a world heritage site based on actor network theory: A case study of the Shibing Karst of the South China Karst World Heritage Site

The number of world heritage sites is increasing daily, and China has become one of the countries with the largest number of world heritage sites. However, the study of complex geographic spatial processes before and after the successful inscription of heritage sites is relatively rare. The Shibing Karst component of the serial South China Karst World Natural Heritage Site was taken as a case study, and actor network theory and qualitative research methods were used to analyze the space reconstruction processes and mechanisms of the Shibing Karst. The findings indicated that (1) the Shibing Karst experienced two sequential space reconstruction processes, the normal tourism destination construction phase and the world heritage site construction phase; (2) in the tourism destination construction phase, there was a heterogeneous actor network in which the People's Government of Shibing County played a focal role in promoting the restructuring of production, living and ecological space and realizing a space for the production and consumption of tourism products and experiences; (3) in the world heritage site construction phase, foreign enterprises became new actors, and residents gradually gained more decision-making rights, with the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and the World Heritage Centre having supervisory rights, which promoted the transformation of the area into a world heritage production and consumption tourism space, indicating that the actor network had changed; and (4) the mechanisms of the actor network transformation were mainly changes in key actors' intentions, the adoption of the governance mechanism (changes in the means of enrollment), and changes in the actors' roles as part of the actor network transformation. Research on the process of space reconstruction showed that changes in the actor network and interest relations and adjustments of the power relations among actors, which can affect the sustainable development of tourism and the economy of heritage sites, occurred.

Special opportunities for conserving cultural and biological diversity: The co-occurrence of Indigenous languages and UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites

PART 2. RECOGNIZING INTANGIBLE HERITAGE AND DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES - Intangible Heritage as a Driver of Cultural Landscape Management and Holistic Conservation /// Recent research indicates that speakers of indigenous languages often live in or near United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Natural World Heritage Sites (WHSs). Because language is a key index of cultural diversity, examining global patterns of co-occurrence between languages and these sites provides a means of identifying opportunities to conserve both culture and nature, especially where languages, WHSs, or both are recognized as endangered. This paper summarizes instances when indigenous languages share at least part of their geographic extent with Natural WHSs. We consider how this co-occurrence introduces the potential to coordinate conservation of nature and sociocultural systems at these localities, particularly with respect to the recently issued UNESCO policy on engaging indigenous people and the forthcoming International Year of Indigenous Languages. The paper concludes by discussing how the presence of indigenous people at UNESCO Natural WHSs introduces important opportunities for co-management that enable resident indigenous people to help conserve their language and culture along with the natural settings where they occur. We discuss briefly the example of Australia as a nation exploring opportunities for employing and strengthening such coordinated conservation efforts.

Harmonizing the Branding Strategy of World Natural Heritage in China: Visitors’ Awareness of the Multiple Brands of Wulingyuan, Zhangjiajie

Brand serves as a useful tool in the management of protected areas, and widely applied in World Natural Heritage (WNH) protection around the world. Usually assigned with multiple brands, it is dim that whether or not the branding strategy is effective in the protection and management of a WNH site. Therefore, Wulingyuan as a representative WNH site with multiple brands was selected to explore the effectiveness of branding strategy of a WNH site with an established evaluation model. Based on the interview with 257 visitors, it was found that international brands had a higher exposure and effectiveness than domestic brands, and the effectiveness of brands was ranked as WH (World Heritage) > GGP (Global Geopark) > NFP (National Forest Park) > 5A (National 5A Level Scenic Spot) > NKSA (National Key Scenic Area). WNH worked as the most effective brand among multiple brands, while NKSA is the reverse with the least visitors’ awareness. Even though the multiple-brand strategy is effective in attracting visitors, brand equity was rarely bestowed as a beneficial tool in the protection of a WNH site. A uniform and consistent brand would be more effective than a complicated brand system in attracting visitors and preserving heritage values. Besides, the study revealed that education level and occupation had a significant influence on their attitude towards the support for the brand system of protected areas, and environmental education and publicity of protected areas are critical. The study would be good for the brand strategy of Chinese protected areas, guiding the tourism promotion of WNH.

The Planned Nature Parks of the Baikal Natural Territory

This article discusses the tasks and features of the organization of nature parks within the boundaries of the Baikal Natural Territory, the phenomenon of which is reflected in Russia’s only federal law of a natural site, Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and the main purpose of which implies not only natural environment conservation but also a further development of the infrastructure ensuring visits to natural sites. It is found that the category of protected natural areas of a regional significance, “nature parks”, meets best the aforementioned objectives. An overview of international experience of the establishment of regional nature parks is presented. A classification of nature parks has been carried out, which subdivides them into three conditional groups according to the distance from large settlements, the location relative to the other protected areas, the type of visitors, the quality and level of visited natural, cultural and historical sites as well as the state of the environment. The situation with the dragging out the establishment of new nature parks within the Baikal Natural Territory is discussed, in spite of the numerous initiatives and the previously prepared ecological-geographical substantiations for them. Only one nature park, Ivano-Arakhleiskii, has been established within the boundaries of the Baikal Natural Territory, and a further two parks, Shumak and Arei, are located in the vicinity of the boundaries of this territory. It is concluded that, in view of high anthropogenic pressures on the coast of Lake Baikal, they will provide access to the other natural territories by establishing the necessary infrastructure thus “drawing” to them the excessively great interest in the lake coast. This paper presents a list of 25 nature parks within the Baikal Natural Territory. Three nature parks in Irkutsk oblast: Nature Park of the City of Angarsk (the Angarskii and Usol’skii administrative districts), Vityaz’ (Shelekhovskii district) and Okunaiskii (Swan Lakes) (Kazachinsko-Lenskii district) located in the ecological zone of atmospheric influence of the Baikal Natural Territory, are used as an example to show their place in the suggested classification and the characteristic of the organization of future protected areas.

Ecosystem Health Assessment of World Natural Heritage Sites Based on Remote Sensing and Field Sampling Verification: Bayanbulak as Case Study

Monitoring the ecosystem health for world natural heritage sites is essential for protecting them and benefits the formulation of more targeted protection policies. This study used Bayanbulak world natural heritage site as a case, established a framework for assessing the ecosystem health through remote sensing based on the parameters of ecosystem vigour, organization, resilience, and services. Then, we verified the obtained results through field sampling. The results show that the ecosystem health in the overall study area had declined over time, however, the health within the property zone remained at high levels and stable. The area proportion of low health was low and primarily distributed in the buffer zone. Thus, in general, the ecosystem in the study area was healthy. Besides, the ecosystem health exhibited distinct spatial agglomeration characteristics, and the degree of agglomeration enhanced over time. In addition, the field vegetation samplings were consistent with the changes in the ecosystem health levels, therefore, the result of RS monitoring of ecosystem health were credible. Thus, this study provides a scientific basis for heritage managers to formulate suitable ecological protection policies and should aid further research on the ecological monitoring of heritage sites.

Community structure of coral reef zooplankton in Isla del Coco National Park, a natural World Heritage site in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Introduction: Zooplankton is a major link between primary producers and the following trophic levels, and in coral reefs they represent an energy source for corals and involve complex assemblies integrating a wide variety of species form different functional groups. Objective: To define interannual changes in zooplankton assemblies in coral reefs of Isla del Coco. Methods: Three coral reefs system were sampled. Two or three samples were taken by surface horizontal trawls in each coral reef from 2009 to 2012, using conical zooplankton nets of 200 and 500 µm mesh sizes at different times of the day. Physical and chemical variables were measured before zooplankton sampling. Results: We identified 24 taxonomic groups of macrozooplankton and 22 of mesozooplankton. Copepods were the most abundant taxa (87.1%) of the total abundance of mesozooplankton and macrozooplakton (58.9%); however, chaetognaths (35.6%) exceeded copepods (35.4%) in abundance in macrozooplankton samples during 2011. Mesozooplankton samples showed higher abundance (68753.2±9123.2 ind m-3) and biomass (85.14±11.3 mg DW m-3) than macrozooplankton samples (4454.9±751.0 ind m-3, 22.8±3.8 mg DW m-3). The interannual macrozooplankton community structure did not change significantly (ANOVA, p=0.368), but did change for mesozooplankton (ANOVA, p=0.001). Variations in physical and chemical variables influenced the community structure for both meso and macrozooplankton, increasing or decreasing organism abundance. Conclusions: Coral reef zooplankton of Isla del Coco resembles that of other coral reefs under the influence of oceanic conditions, with a fauna formed mainly by calanoid copepods, chaetognaths and appendicularians, and depending on oceanographic conditions, the abundance of these groups can change.

Monitoring Climate Change in World Heritage Properties: Evaluating Landscape-Based Approach in the State of Conservation System

Climate change is increasingly being recognized as a threat to natural and cultural World Heritage (WH) sites worldwide. Through its interaction with other stressors, climate change accelerates existing risks while also creating new obstacles. A more considerable focus is needed in both research and practice to explore proactive measures for combatting this issue (e.g., mitigation and actions prior to impacts occurring). World Heritage values in climate change decision-making processes is an important factor in this regard. This paper explores a discussion of climate change within the WH monitoring system. It offers an overview of practice based on the extent to which WH properties (natural, mixed and cultural) implement landscape-based approaches alongside the conservation and management of their outstanding universal value within the context of climate uncertainty and environmental change. Landscape approaches are gaining importance in the WH conservation system, where they aim to provide concepts and tools for managing heritage toward sustainable practices. This research analyses the state of conservation reports and provides an overview of practice across time, categories and geographical regions. Based on a theoretical approach, empirical analyses identify four landscape principles that are increasingly shaping the debate around climate change issues in WH properties. Although these are highly relevant to advancing much-needed collaboration among scientific disciplines and governance sectors, we argue that further understanding is required on the transformational process of heritage values, as well as on the nature–culture relationship, in order to underpin heritage as a source for local resilience and climate mitigation.

A new species of Amystax Roelofs, 1873 endemic to the mountainous area of the Yakushima World Natural Heritage site, Kyushu, Japan.

Amystax urara Kojima and Yôro, sp. nov. is described from the mountainous area of the Yakushima World Natural Heritage island, Kyushu, southwestern Japan. Adult weevils were captured on leaves of Pieris japonica var. yakushimensis and Buxus microphylla var. japonica (Ericaceae and Buxaceae, respectively). This is the second species of this genus known from the island.

Mangrove forest policy and management: Prevailing policy issues, actors’ public claims and informal interests in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh

Mangrove forests have enormous ecological and socio-economic importance for a number of different stakeholders and policy actors. Hence, a wide range of often conflicting material interests can be expected surrounding mangrove forest policy and management. These conflicts result in different issues of mangrove policy and management, on which different actors articulate their positions through publicly stated claims. It is unclear, in how far these publicly stated positions and claims resemble the formal interest of the actors only, or if they also reveal parts of their informal interests. In the Sundarbans mangrove forests, a number of issues have arisen, which are of contemporary policy concern. The aim of this study is to identify the most recent issues relating to the Sundarbans in Bangladesh and analyse the actors' claims/arguments on the identified issues which were publicly stated as an expression of formal or informal interest. In order to analyse these public claims, content analysis of selected Bangladeshi national newspapers, experts' deliberations and national policy documents was undertaken as an empirical method to ascertain relevant issues and actors' claims. A theory-based actor typology was applied to distinguish the relevant actors, and the concept of formal and informal interests was employed. The results indicate that the most salient policy issues around mangrove forest policy and management are: establishing Rampal power plant; protection of the Sundarbans forest area; environmental pollution; biodiversity conservation; reputation as a World Natural Heritage Site; relevance for climate change adaptation and mitigation; and local people's livelihoods. Government and Administration are found to be the most active actor in all the observed issues. Surprisingly, only very few administrations partake in public deliberations and the Prime Minister seems to dominate the public debate. This might be explained by the fact that the Rampal power plant project is perceived as the most contentious issue among all actors, with strong discursive support from the Prime Minister. In light of this issue structure, non-governmental actors as well as most bureaucracies are rarely found to actively engage in public debate on mangrove issues while informal interests were being displayed by Prime Minister and non-ruling political parties to a limited extent. Future empirical study to be conducted on the historical trajectory of Rampal power plant addressing the Prime Minister's arguments and environmental concerns of civil society actors. Also it would be worth to map the high degree of bureaucratic rivalry which can be assumed form the conflicting interest in mangrove forests between the responsible ministry—the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and other ministries in their struggle for power.

An overview of fishes of the Sundarbans, Bangladesh and their present conservation status

Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest of the world is located in Bangladesh and India. Studies done on the diversity of fish fauna in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh are sparse and patchy. Here we take the opportunity to provide an updated checklist of the fishes of the Sundarbans, Bangladesh based on primary and secondary data. Field surveys were undertaken in the aquatic habitat of Sundarbans core area along with its adjacent marine habitat from June 2015 to July 2017. Based on published information and primary observations the updated list of fishes covers a total of 322 species belonging to 217 genera, 96 families, and 22 orders. Additionally, four species of fishes, are newly reported in Bangladesh waters, viz., Mustelus mosis Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1899; Lagocephalus guentheri Miranda Ribeiro, 1915; Carangoides hedlandensis Whitley, 1934; Uranoscopus cognatus Cantor, 1849. The global IUCN Red List status of each species has been enlisted. The updated checklist will constitute the reference inventory of fish biodiversity for the Sundarbans, a natural world heritage site.

Suitability Assessment of the Tools Under a Three-Dimension System of Landscape Monitoring: A Case Study in the NWHS of Bogda

Landscapes provide significant ecosystem service value in Natural World Heritage Sites (NWHSs) and are required to be preserved by regular monitoring and evaluation. It is vital to choose appropriate monitoring tools according to local conditions to guarantee the process is effective and efficient. This study aims to find out the spatial suitability of monitoring tools under a three-dimension system of space-based monitoring, sky-based monitoring, and ground-based monitoring. A suitability assessment was conducted from three aspects—the monitoring environment, object, and effect—from which typical differences existed among the three types of tools. Nine indicators were finalized, in which eight were classified and scored using the Delphi method with objectivity, and the remaining indicator was processed subjectively by quantifying the different monitoring effects on different landscape units by each of the tools. The method was verified using a case study in Bogda of Xinjiang Tianshan through overlay analysis in ArcGIS. The results showed an apparently stepped distribution characteristic related to altitude, where space-based monitoring zones are located in regions of high altitude, and the landscapes in low-altitude regions had the best monitoring effects using the ground-based tool and sky-based tool. Combined with the distribution characteristics of the 3-level protected zones, the results show a consistency with reality and could help planners to strategically deploy monitoring sites and allocate them advisable monitoring facilities and staffing.

Case study on debris-flow hazard mitigation at a world natural heritage site, Jiuzhaigou Valley, Western China

The Jiuzhaigou earthquake on 8 August 2017, led to a significant increase in the amount of loose, solid material, which has been a rich source of debris-flow activity. In this paper, a comprehensive debris-flow prevention and control system consisting of stabilization, blocking, and deposition structures is proposed based on the topographic features of the debris-flow gullies in the Jiuzhaigou Valley. Taking the Xiajijie Lake gully as a case study, the history and formation of debris-flow disasters were analysed. This study proposes the main principles of debris-flow prevention and control as well as implementation measures, consisting of lateral diversion and deposition at the outlet of the gully. In addition, several environmental mitigation measures are proposed. Galvanized wire gabions can be placed in front of trees to lessen the debris-flow impact force, and bushes can be planted in front of deposition retaining walls to increase their aesthetic value. Alternatively, steel structures can be constructed on deposition retaining walls and filled with nutrient soil, and grass can be planted in these structures for an enhanced aesthetic appeal.

全球视野下喀斯特世界自然遗产地对比与可持续发展

全球视野下喀斯特世界自然遗产地对比与可持续发展

Tourism and ecological protection status of the Aksu-Zhabagly world heritage site of Kazakhstan

Nowadays, the Protected Areas have become major destinations for rapidly growing tourism and recreational activities for its natural beauty, rare species of wildlife, and historical and cultural heritage sites.The article considers environmental issues of the Aksu-Zhabagly World Natural Heritage Site with high tourist and recreational potential. Objects of world heritage are widely known all over the world. It often attracts the attention of the tourism industry, especially travel agencies, tourism organizers and tourists. There is no doubt that following the relevant law on Specially Protected Areas, the development of some types of tourism in the buffer zones of the reserve is beneficial for the effective protection of the territory. The results of the analysis of materials related to the protection of the Aksu-Zhabagly State Nature Reserve show that the protected area has been efficiently protected under various laws of Spe-cially Protected Areas. Besides, every year many events are held to preserve the original ecology of the reserve. One of them is the organization of various types of tourism, which, on the one hand, increases the importance of protecting the reserve, on the other hand, helps to raise funds for the protection of the reserve. We also noticed that sometimes international events are organized to protect the reserve, and sometimes financial support is provided by international organizations. We also found that sometimes international events are organized to protect the reserve, and sometimes financial support is provided by international organizations as well. One of the key issues identified in the article is the environmental safety of the reserve - the incomplete implementation of some projects for the protection of the reserve. This issue needs further study.

The Influence of Negative Political Environment on Sustainable Tourism: A Study of Aksu-Jabagly World Heritage Site, Kazakhstan

The political environment of a tourism destination is the most important element in planning, implementing, and controlling sustainable tourism development. The political environment refers to the coordination and cooperation among many participants to formulate and apply tourism policies. In our study the term political environment refers to political power, leadership, structures, mechanisms, and strategies, or policies for the implementation of sustainable tourism development. The main purpose of this article is to, through the example of Aksu-Jabagly natural heritage site in Kazakhstan, study how the negative political environment (NPE) of a tourism destination inhibits the implementation of sustainable tourism development in Kazakhstan. This study draws on in-depth interviews with local residents who are considered as one of the key stakeholders in the tourism industry. In our research, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 222 representative households from the neighboring village of Aksu-Jabagly, a natural world heritage site. Results show that because of negative political environments, the residents highly perceive the negative economic and environmental impacts of tourism development. Although the residents highly evaluated tourism’s positive sociocultural impacts, its relevance to other indicators was relatively weak. The residents are dissatisfied with tourism development, and their participation level in tourism was low. The results also reveal that highly perceived negative economic and negative environmental impacts of tourism are the main cause of residents’ dissatisfaction with tourism development and residents’ lack of participation in tourism.