Re "Centres of Plant Diversity" and their coverage by WHS –
a. As Els states in her blog the "list" was created in a 3 Volume series of printed books published in 1994 under the auspices of IUCN/WWF.
Copies are still available on the Web – but not cheap!
b. There was never any intention to "maintain" or "update" the list and, as far as I can discover (confirmed by Bard/Gemini!), it has never been published as a "List" on the Web
c. There IS however
a Map of the Centres within the "UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre" (UNEP-WCMC) Web site. Unfortunately, as far as I can make out, only those registered with UNEP-WCMC to do so can access it!!! Are any of our Forum Members in this elite category??!!
d. In 2000 a report was published by UNEP-WCMC titled "A GLOBAL OVERVIEW OF PROTECTED AREAS ON THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE FOR BIODIVERSITY - A contribution to the Global Theme Study of World Heritage Natural Sites". It is available for download in PDF
here e. It seems to be the "Natural WHS" equivalent of the
ICOMOS "Gap analysis" for Cultural WHS which we have often referred to across the years. I do not remember us having done so with this document.
f. It sets out a framework for categorising Natural sites and identifying gaps which could be/need to be "filled" on the WH List. It works with the Natural/Mixed inscribed sites as of Nov 1999. There were then 150 – now 266.
g. It looks at 141 of these WHS and which of 6 categories they "Fill" (presumably the missing 9 were all Geological sites outwith this analysis?)
h. The analysis is as follows – Note Category 3.
1. Criterion iv (significant biodiversity) (95 sites)
2. A WWF "Global 200" site (124 sites)
3. A Centre of Plant Diversity (CPD) (74 sites)4. A Conservation International (CI) biodiversity hotspot (57 sites)
5. Vavilov Centres of Plant Genetic Diversity (40 sites)
6. An Endemic Bird Area (EBA) (71 sites)
7. Contains "Critically Endangered" taxa (60 sites)
8. Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar site) (16 sites)
9. An area of marine importance (contained coral reefs (14 sites), mangroves (18 sites) or turtle nesting beaches) (15 sites)
i.
Table 6 lists all those "
WHS within a CPD". Unfortunately it does not state which of the CPDs each of the 74 WHS are situated in. Nor are the Annexes containing the maps available. Nevertheless it shows that even in 1999 there were rather more WHS situated in CPDs than Els has initially identified in her blog. And the number will presumably have increased since then with the additional 116 Natural/Mixed inscriptions.
j. It would clearly require some work to go through the 74 both to identify those missing from our current analysis and to identify the relevant CPD (e.g from the AB evaluations etc) – and even more to trawl the subsequent 116. A further possible area of interest could be to identify the WHS in each of the other significant categories!!! The first task should be reasonably easily "doable"
k.
Table 7 consists of a list of "
Regional Centres of Plant Diversity not represented in the current WH List". What I do not understand is why this is based on a list of "Regional CPDs" (it identifies 421 of those not represented on the WH List) rather than the higher level of 231. Els also identifed this issue of higher and regional level CPDs. Unfortunately this list doesn't show the "higher" CPD for each of the Regional ones
l.
Table 14 consists of a list of "
Potential Natural WHS" showing the categories they could cover – including those in a CPD