Frequently Asked Questions & Answers about the World Heritage Nomination

These questions and answers are designed to provide general information about the proposed voluntary nomination, at the end of 2008, of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the official international list of the most important natural and cultural properties in the world. More detailed information on the U.S. World Heritage Program can be found at the National Park Service Office of International Affairs website.

What is the World Heritage List?

It is a list of natural and cultural heritage sites of “outstanding universal value” as determined by the standards and process established under the World Heritage Convention, the most widely adopted international agreement for nature conservation and cultural preservation. The listing of a site does not in any way change the ownership, sovereignty, jurisdiction or control of a site by the nation nominating it; listing does not provide any ownership, jurisdiction or control to the United Nations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or any other international organization. The listing documents the international recognition of the value of a site and the commitment of the sovereign nation and the site’s owners for its long-term protection and management under applicable domestic laws.

What types of sites are currently on the List?

The list currently contains 851 sites from 140 countries - 660 cultural, 166 natural, and 25 mixed natural and cultural sites. Currently, there are 20 United States sites on the World Heritage List. All sites must be nominated by their nations and found to be properties that possess outstanding universal value to the world. Examples of sites include the Galapagos Islands, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, certain Greek and Roman ruins, Yellowstone National Park, and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

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Who decides which sites are on the List and on what basis?

Under the Convention, the list of sites is determined and maintained by World Heritage Committee (Committee). The Committee is comprised of 21 elected representatives of nations that are parties to the Convention. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Properties (ICCROM), and the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) make recommendations to the Committee as to whether sites meet the stringent standards for listing under the Convention and its implementing guidelines.

What has been the role of the United States in developing the Convention
and the List?

The United States Government helped originate the idea of international cooperation in the conservation of cultural and natural resources and was very active in the negotiation of the World Heritage Convention. The United States was also the Convention’s first signatory, in 1973. Between 1978 and 1994, 20 U.S. sites were successfully nominated to the World Heritage List. In the last few years, the U.S. has revitalized its involvement in the World Heritage Convention. The U.S. "Tentative List" of candidate sites for nomination has been revised. The U.S. ran for and was elected to the World Heritage Committee, the Convention’s decision-making body. Now the first two nominations in 15 years are being considered.

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Why is Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument being nominated
for listing?

The co-trustees of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (the State of Hawai‘i, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) applied to have the site be included in the revised U.S. Tentative List of candidate sites in April 2007 as a mixed site because of its exceptional natural and cultural importance. The Administration agreed, and the site was selected by the Secretary of the Interior for the Tentative List in January 2008. The Monument has now been selected to be one of two sites proposed for nomination to the World Heritage List in 2008 because it is believed by many to be one of the strongest candidates on the U.S.'s Tentative List.

In that regard, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument would, as a marine site and a mixed cultural and natural site in the Pacific, fill conspicuous gaps in the U.S. portfolio of World Heritage Sites. Similar gaps likewise exist in the World Heritage List as a whole, wherein few marine, Pacific, or mixed sites are listed.  Papahānaumokuākea’s merits on both cultural and natural criteria for inclusion in the World Heritage List are regarded as particularly outstanding. In addition, its co-trustees continue to strongly support its nomination and have assembled a team to prepare the formal nomination document.

What are the next steps for listing Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a World Heritage site?

Over the next few months, the co-trustees will prepare the required formal nomination document in cooperation with the National Park Service. In November, the Federal Interagency Panel for World Heritage will review the nomination and submit it to the Department of the Interior for final consideration. If approved, the State Department will transmit it the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO, which provides the staff support for the World Heritage Committee (See the next question and answer for more detail on the process.)

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What is the process for World Heritage nomination?

To be nominated to the World Heritage List, a site must first be included on a country's Tentative List of candidate sites. The U.S. completed revision of its Tentative List (the first such revision in 25 years) in early 2008. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument was one of 14 sites selected (out of 35 applicants) by the Secretary of the Interior to be included on the new U.S. Tentative List.

Click here for detailed information on the development of the new U.S.
Tentative List).

In May 2008, after receiving public comment and advice from the Federal Interagency Panel on World Heritage, the Department of the Interior recommended that draft World Heritage nominations be prepared for Papahānaumokuākea and Mount Vernon. The owners of both sites need to submit largely complete draft nominations by mid-July 2008. The draft nominations will be reviewed by subject experts and specialists in the review of World Heritage Sites. In September 2008, the draft nominations will be submitted to UNESCO's World Heritage Centre for technical review. Based upon the results of this review, and taking into account the advice of the Federal Interagency Panel on World Heritage, the Department will determine if final nominations for one or both proposed sites will be submitted, which must take place by the end of January 2009.

Assuming that Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument's nomination is submitted to the World Heritage Centre by January 2009, the nomination will be evaluated by two of the World Heritage Committee's "Advisory Bodies" - IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) for the site's natural features and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) for its cultural aspects. These two organizations will make recommendations to the World Heritage Committee about whether or not they believe the site meets the World Heritage criteria. The World Heritage Committee will then decide whether to inscribe the site on the World Heritage List at its meeting in summer 2010.

If Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is inscribed on the World Heritage List, what will change?

The ownership, sovereignty, jurisdiction, control and co-trustee management of the Monument will not be affected by such listing. All applicable U.S. and State laws and regulations will remain in effect. Listing does not provide any new management role for the National Park Service much less the United Nations (UN), UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee.

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Would inclusion on the World Heritage List give the United Nations any control over the management of the Monument?

No. All World Heritage sites remain completely under the sovereignty and control of the country that nominated them and the UN gains no authority of any kind over the sites. While inclusion on the World Heritage List would involve some occasional reporting on the state of conservation of the Monument, neither the World Heritage Committee nor any other UN entity would gain any authority to intervene in the Monument's management. The Committee can only provide an advisory capacity, it cannot legally manage the site. Ultimately, should the Committee decide for any reason that it does not approve of conditions at the Monument, its only recourse would be to remove the site from the World Heritage List - an action that has only happened once in the history of the Convention.

What opportunities are there for public participation in the preparation of the World Heritage nomination?

The co-trustees secured widespread public support for the application to the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List. The public is invited to respond to the decision to prepare the nomination and can also offer comments to hawaiireef@noaa.gov or by fax at (808) 397-2662.

Such public comments will be considered as the nomination process continues through December 2008. The nomination process is running in tandem with the public review of the monument’s draft management plan; preparation of a management plan is a requirement for inclusion of a property on the World Heritage List.

Would inclusion on the World Heritage List change visitor use/visitation policy
at the Monument?

No, inclusion on the World Heritage List will have no affect on visitor use or visitation policy. World Heritage listing does not require that sites be open to visitors.  As indicated above, such management decisions will continue to be made by the co-trustees pursuant to applicable domestic law. In general, the visitor use policy will be based on applicable domestic laws, policies and process, especially Presidential Proclamation 8031, which established stringent protections for Monument resources. The listing will not change that. For example, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument's visitation policy -- that only Midway Atoll will be open to the public, at a maximum of 50 visitors/day, as proposed by the co-trustees - will not be affected by the Monument becoming a World Heritage site.

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What are the benefits of Papahānaumokuākea’s inclusion on the
World Heritage List?

In addition to international recognition as one of the world’s most important natural and cultural sites, inclusion in the World Heritage List will likely draw additional scholarly and scientific, as well as public, interest to the Monument that may yield long-term benefits. Also, because inclusion in the World Heritage List requires countries to respect each other’s sites, the designation should yield long-term benefits for protection of the Monument from possible external threats that originate outside the boundaries of the United States.

How does the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) designation relate to the ;World Heritage nomination?

The two designations are separate but complementary. The PSSA designation, finalized on April 3, 2008, by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is international recognition of the significance of the waters, coral and other resources of the monument as well as their sensitivity to international shipping such that vessels are subject to internationally recognized measures designed to protect the coral and other marine resources of ecological and cultural significance from damage by ships. These rules also help keep mariners safe from running aground on coral by marking of restricted areas on nautical charts and establishing a reporting system for ships transiting the monument waters. The PSSA covers all waters of the monument, which includes a 1,200-mile stretch of coral islands, seamounts, banks and shoals. The PSSA and the Monument have the same boundary. However, IMO established a ship reporting area that extends an additional 10 miles seaward of the PSSA/Monument boundary. Vessels 300 gross tons or greater that are going to or coming from a U.S. port are required to notify the U.S. first when they cross into the reporting area as they pass through the Monument, and a second time when they exit the reporting area after having traveled through the Monument. The ship reporting area and related measures adopted by IMO will provide additional notice to mariners of the significance and vulnerability of resources in the Monument, as well as potential hazards to navigation in the Monument such as shallow coral reefs. Please review the ship reporting informational page of this website, located in the Resource Protection section further information.

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Why is the National Park Service involved in this effort? Will the National Park Service have a management role for the site?

The Office of International Affairs of the National Park Service provides the staff support to the Department of the Interior in conducting the U.S. World Heritage Program, including preparing the U.S World Heritage Tentative List and advising on the preparation and approval of World Heritage nominations.The NPS will not be involved in the management of the Monument.

Where can additional information on the proposed nomination and on the World Heritage Program be found?

Information on progress on the preparation of the World Heritage nomination for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument can be obtained from the Monument office at (808) 397-2660 or hawaiireef(at)noaa.gov or by contacting Jonathan Putnam in the Office of International Affairs of the National Park Service (jonathan_putnam(at)nps.gov ) or by phone at 202-354-1809.

More detailed written information on the U.S. World Heritage Program can be found by following the World Heritage link from the National Park Service Office of International Affairs website at www.nps.gov/oia/topics. For information on the World Heritage Convention generally, please see the UNESCO World Heritage Centre’s website at whc.unesco.org. For general information on the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, including access to the proposed management plan and information on how to comment on it as well, see the website at www.papahanaumokuakea.gov

Will the listing as a World Heritage site benefit Hawai‘i?

Hawai‘i already has a World Heritage site, the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.  There are ONLY 20 sites throughout the United States that are listed as World Heritage sites. Twelve are natural and eight cultural. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument would be the first mixed World Heritage Site in the United States, because it is being proposed for both its natural attributes and its importance to the Hawaiian people. Having two sites listed in Hawai‘i will ensure that the world is made aware and understands how special and unique these islands are. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has been listed as a World Heritage site since 1987. World Heritage designation has assured a global interest in the site.

How can Native Hawaiians be assured that a World Heritage listing will not diminish their role in seeking strong protections for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument?

The role of Native Hawaiians in the management of the Monument will not change with the World Heritage listing of this site. One of the key underpinnings of the nomination is the importance of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to Native Hawaiians both spiritually and culturally; the nomination will provide an opportunity to showcase the Hawaiian culture on the world scale. When sites with similar indigenous participation were previously listed, such as at Tongariro National Park in New Zealand, inscription provided the local indigenous groups (e.g., Maori in New Zealand) a voice and a way to promote their culture through UNESCO.

What process was undertaken to develop the new U.S. Tentative List of candidate sites for the World Heritage List?

Voluntary applications by owners and managers were accepted from September 2006 to April 2007. Some 35 applications were received. After various reviews, the Secretary of the Interior selected 14 of the sites for the new U.S. Tentative List, which was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in January 2008. For complete information on how the U.S. Tentative List was developed, including all the applications submitted.
Please see www.nps.gov/oia/topics/worldheritage/worldheritage.htm