ABSTRACT
Introduction The UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (hereafter, the Convention) established in 1972 has greatly changed international perception towards cultural heritage conservation. World Heritage inscription has become an international symbol that aims to protect significant cultural and natural heritages from losses and preventable damage. And yet, its mechanism is not understood well by those outside the conservation field. The accepted understanding of World Heritage Site (WHS) is that once a site is placed on the World Heritage List, the work is done. However, this is not a pageant of cultural and natural sites, but an international mechanism for heritage preservation through a dual process of inscription – that is, formal designation and conservation management. The state party’s government, as a signatory to the Convention, is responsible for protecting the site under its national statutory conservation system after inscription.
