Verdensarvlisten

UNESCO liste over verdens kultur- og naturarv inneholder arv av fremstående universell verdi. Listen inneholder 890 steder, hvorav 689 er kultursteder, 176 naturområder og 25 blandede.

Se hele listen her

Det grunnleggende kriteriet for å få et sted på listen er at arven er stedfast, det vil si at den ikke kan flyttes. En forkortet presentasjon av hva som avgjør et steds fremstående universelle verdi, følger under.

Kriterier for utvelgelse
For å bli tatt opp på listen over verdens kultur- og naturarv må et sted møte minst ett av ti utvalgte kriterier. Disse kriterene forklares i Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Mer om dette her

Kriteriene justeres jevnlig av Verdensarvkomitéen for å reflektere utviklingen av verdensarvkonseptet.

Kriterier:

• to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
• to 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, town-planning or landscape design;
• to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
• to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
• to 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;
• to 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);
• to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
• to 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;
• to 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;
• to 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.
• The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.