September 2012
UNDERSTANDING WORLD HERITAGE: WHAT
IS OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE?
Australia’s world heritage-listed properties are internationally recognised for their outstanding
universal value. This fact sheet explains what that means.
World Heritage listing
World heritage sites are places that are
important to and belong to everyone,
regardless of where they are located. They
are an irreplaceable legacy that the global
community wants to protect for the future.
There are 962 properties from around the
world on the World Heritage List. Australia
currently has 19 properties on the World
Heritage List, which means that these
properties are recognised by the global
community as having special significance
which needs to be protected for future
generations to enjoy. (see
www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/worl
d/index.html and whc.unesco.org/en/list )
The common feature of all properties inscribed
on the World Heritage List is that they meet the
requirements for outstanding universal value
(OUV).
What is Outstanding Universal
Value?
Outstanding universal value is the central idea
of the World Heritage Convention. Broadly, its
meaning follows the common sense
interpretation of the words:
• Outstanding: For properties to be of
outstanding universal value they should be
exceptional, or superlative – they should be
the most remarkable places on earth.
• Universal: Properties need to be outstanding
from a global perspective. World heritage
does not aim to recognise properties that are
remarkable from solely a national or regional
perspective. Countries are encouraged to
develop other approaches to recognise these
places, such as through national heritage
listing process.
• Value: What makes a property outstanding
and universal is its “value”, or the natural
and/or cultural worth of a property. This
value is determined based on standards
and processes established under the
World Heritage Convention’s Operational
Guidelines
(see whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines).
To be considered of outstanding universal value,
a property needs to:

meet one or more of ten criteria

meet the conditions of integrity

if a cultural property, meet the conditions of authenticity,
and

have an adequate system of protection and management
to safeguard its future.
Criteria for determining Outstanding Universal Value
The criteria for outstanding universal value have
evolved over time. However, the underlying
concepts have remained stable.
The current criteria for world heritage properties,
as specified in the World Heritage Convention,
are that they:
i.
represent a masterpiece of human creative
genius
ii. exhibit an important interchange of human
values, over a span of time or within a
cultural area of the world, on
developments in architecture or
technology, monumental arts, townplanning or landscape design
iii. bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony
to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is
living or which has disappeared
iv. be an outstanding example of a type of building,
architectural or technological ensemble or
landscape which illustrates (a) significant
stage(s) in human history
v. be an outstanding example of a traditional
human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which
is representative of a culture (or cultures),or
human interaction with the environment
especially when it has become vulnerable
under the impact of irreversible change
vi. be directly or tangibly associated with events
or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs,
with artistic and literary works of outstanding
universal significance. (The Committee
considers that this criterion should preferably
be used in conjunction with other criteria)
vii. contain superlative natural phenomena or
areas of exceptional natural beauty and
aesthetic importance
viii. 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. be outstanding examples representing
significant on-going ecological and biological
processes in the evolution and development
of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine
ecosystems and communities of plants and
animals
x. 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.
Conditions for integrity and authenticity
In addition to meeting one of the ten criteria, to be
considered of outstanding universal value, a world
heritage property also needs to meet conditions of
integrity and for cultural properties, authenticity.
Integrity relates to the ‘wholeness and intactness’ of
the heritage property and how it conveys the values
it holds. Integrity can also relate to the size of the
property (sufficient size to continue to represent the
values) and to any threats affecting the property (will
the values continue to exist?).
The requirement for authenticity relates only to
cultural properties. Broadly, it requires an original,
authentic or true cultural expression of the values of a
property, in material or conceptual form, and cannot
be represented by a copy or recreation.
Management of Outstanding Universal
Value
All properties inscribed on the World Heritage List
must have adequate protection and management
mechanisms in place. How a country chooses to
protect and manage its properties can vary, so
long as it does so effectively.
To help meet Australia’s international obligations,
our world heritage-listed properties are considered
to be matters of national environmental significance
under our national environment law, the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999. This means that any
development or action that is likely to have a
significant impact on the world heritage property
must be referred to the federal environment
department for assessment and approval.
The World Heritage Committee can place a
property on an ‘in danger’ list if it believes the
property is threatened by serious and specific
dangers. If the outstanding universal value of a
listed property is destroyed, the World Heritage
Committee will delete it from the World Heritage List
altogether. This has happened only twice since the
Convention began. It has not happened to any
Australian properties.
Australia has an excellent track record managing
our world heritage sites and we are committed to
ensuring their outstanding universal value is not
compromised.
Statements of Outstanding Universal
Value
A ‘Statement of Outstanding Universal Value’ is the
official statement about a property that is adopted by
the World Heritage Committee. The statement
encapsulates why the property is considered to be of
outstanding universal value – how it satisfies the
criteria, the requirements of authenticity and integrity,
and the protection and management requirements.
It is the key reference point for future protection and
management of a property. It is also the reference
point for monitoring, periodic reporting, state of
conservation reporting, potential in danger listing and
potential deletion from the World Heritage List.
These statements have been required since 2007.
Australia has prepared ‘retrospective’ statements for
several of its world heritage properties inscribed
before 2007, which document the outstanding
universal value of the property at the time of
inscription. Many of these statements were adopted by
the World Heritage committee in July 2012. The
remainder are expected to be considered by the
Committee in 2013.
For the retrospective statement of outstanding
universal value for the Great Barrier Reef World
Heritage property visit
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/154/ and
http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/g
reat-barrier-reef-/values.html
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF:
A case study
The Great Barrier Reef was inscribed in 1981 for all
four of the natural criteria specified in the World
Heritage Convention – criteria (vii), (viii), (ix) and (x).
The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area also
meets the requirements for integrity, meaning that
its natural attributes are considered to be whole
and intact. That is, the property includes all
elements necessary to express its outstanding
universal value, is of adequate size to ensure the
complete representation of the features and
processes which convey the property’s
significance and is protected from threats. The
retrospective statement of outstanding universal
value was adopted by the World Heritage
Committee in July 2012.
The world heritage values of the Great Barrier
Reef World Heritage Area are protected under
national environment law.
Although the Great Barrier Reef is not world
heritage listed for its cultural values, indigenous
cultural values are protected under Australian
legislation, including the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Act 1975.
The retrospective statement of outstanding
universal value acknowledges Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander interaction with the natural
environment, illustrated by strong ongoing links
with sea-country.
Protecting the Reef’s Outstanding
Universal Value
Managing the Reef is a complex task because of its
sheer size, diversity and range of threats. It is, and
always has been, a multi-use property and it is
only with a coherent and functioning management
system that we can protect such a large area.
In addition to the protection of world heritage values
under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999, the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park is a matter of national environmental significance
in itself. It is also protected by the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Act 1975.
To ensure use of the Great Barrier Reef remains
sustainable, activities in the World Heritage Area and
Marine Park are tightly controlled under these laws
and policies, as well as other relevant state and
federal law. For example, commercial shipping is
strictly regulated including through a ship reporting
system, coastal vessel tracking service, compulsory
pilotage in high risk areas, navigational aids, marine
pollution response plans, and designated shipping
areas.
For more information on management of the
Great Barrier Reef, visit
www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/gbr/
gbr-managing.html
Threats to the Outstanding Universal Value
of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage
Area
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef
ecosystem on the planet and one of its richest and
most complex natural ecosystems. Like all natural
ecosystems, the Reef faces a number of threats.
The Outlook Report on the Great Barrier Reef that
was prepared by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority in 2009 identifies climate change, declining
water quality from catchment runoff, loss of coastal
habitats from coastal development and impacts from
fishing and poaching as the priority issues reducing
the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef at that time.
These factors, together with natural pressures such
as extreme weather events and crown of thorns
starfish outbreaks, pose threats to the outstanding
universal value of the world heritage property.
In order to address these threats and in response
to World Heritage Committee concerns about
development on Curtis Island, the Australian and
Queensland governments are undertaking a
comprehensive strategic assessment of the Great
Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and adjacent
coastal zone that will include consideration of its
outstanding universal value.
For more information visit
www.environment.gov.au/epbc/notices/assessments/
pub/gbr-strategic-assessment-factsheet.pdf