Can world heritage status help protect sacred natural sites in Asia?

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention) was agreed in 1972 and entered into force in 1976. The Convention is administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with decision making undertaken by its governing body, the World Heritage Committee. To be inscribed as a World Heritage site (WHS), properties must meet at least one cultural and/or natural criterion and have outstanding universal value (UNESCO, 2015a). Operational guidelines exist to support implementation of the Convention, and advice is provided by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (UNESCO, 2013). ... In this chapter, three World Heritage sites in Asia are analysed: Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal), Angkor Wat (Cambodia) and the Western Ghats (India)