ABSTRACT
The World Heritage Convention 1 is one of the best-known and most widely accepted of UNESCO’s treaties: it has been ratified by more than 190 states. 2 Its aim is to safeguard the cultural and natural heritage associated with irreplaceable and exceptional manifestations of a specific entity, phenomena or practice and to protect these from the presumed detrimental effects of globalisation, decay, damage and destruction. At present, over 1,000 sites are inscribed on the World Heritage List as belonging to the common heritage of humankind. 3 An increasing number of these sites involve the interest of indigenous peoples, as many of the protected areas are situated on traditional indigenous lands. Furthermore, for some of the sites, the cultural expressions of the local indigenous people are considered to have outstanding universal values and are therefore being protected by the Convention.
