Natural sites filling gaps cited by IUCN
Natural WHS that have been entered after the 2003/2004 publication of the "Filling the Gaps" document, which points out underrepresented themes and areas. Site should be labelled as such in that document, or referenced to "filling a gap" in later IUCN documents.
Filling the Gaps
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid | "its inscription would be a starting point to address a significant gap on the World Heritage List under criterion (ix) as it would be the only property to represent the Arabian Desert Udvardy Province." and "would also fill a gap on the World Heritage List following the delisting of the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary World Heritage property (Oman)." (AB ev) | |
| Anticosti | "The 2021 IUCN study "Geological World Heritage: a revised global framework for the application of criterion (viii) of the World Heritage Convention" highlighted as a significant gap on the World Heritage List "the interface between Palaeontology and global change over geological timescales, especially the mass extinction events", noting that (...) the equally profound Palaeozoic extinctions at the end of the Ordovician, Devonian and Permian are not yet represented on the World Heritage List. As a representative site of the O/S boundary interval, the nominated property would therefore fill an important identified gap on the World Heritage List." (Official description) | |
| Badain Jaran Desert | "The 2021 IUCN thematic study on the application of criterion (viii) noted that the nominated property belongs to one of the evident geographical gaps (Central and East Asia) in current listings. The nominated property also represents desert lakes and playas (i.e. flat and dry desert basins), which are recognised as lacking appropriate recognition on the World Heritage List. In addition, the nominated property is seen as holding potential of filling a gap for evidencing historic climatic change." (AB ev) | |
| Bale Mountains National Park | "IUCN’s 2013 global gap analysis noted the Bale Mountains as one of the 78 most irreplaceable protected areas for the conservation of the world’s amphibian, bird and mammal species." (AB ev) | |
| Blue and John Crow Mountains | The BJCM has also been identified as a gap in representation of World Heritage sites: it belongs to a Centre of Plant Diversity and an Udvardy biogeographic province not yet represented on the List and as noted above it overlaps with one of 78 most irreplaceable protected areas in the world (AB ev) | |
| Cape Floral Region | Cape Floral habitat | |
| Chaîne des Puys | ".. illustrate the overall continental break-up process and, thus, may becconsidered to fill a gap on the World Heritage List with regard to the theme of continental rifting." (AB ev) | |
| Cold winter deserts of Turan | Central Asian deserts (AB ev) | |
| Dolomites | stratigraphy | |
| Evaporitic Karst and Caves | "Evaporitic karst, both salt and gypsum, is identified as a gap on the World Heritage List in the 2008 IUCN World Heritage Caves and Karst Thematic Report and in the 2021 IUCN Geological World Heritage global framework." (AB ev) | |
| Gulf of California | Gulf of California ecoregion | |
| Hyrcanian Forests | Hyrcanian Forests Centre of Plant Diversity which is not yet represented on the World Heritage List and has been identified as a gap. Furthermore the nominated property is situated in the terrestrial ecoregions (Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests and Elburz Range Forest Steppe) which are also not currently represented on the World Heritage List. (AB ev) | |
| Ilulissat Icefjord | Polar systems (Arctic) | |
| Kenya Lake System | Rift Valley Lakes habitat | |
| Lakes of Ounianga | Sudd-Sahelian savanna and flooded grasslands ecoregion | |
| Lena Pillars | tundra | |
| Los Alerces National Park | rainforests of Southern Chile | |
| Marquesas Islands | Polynesian rainforest | |
| Mount Hamiguitan | tropical montane forests of Sumatra, Philippines and Sulawesi | |
| Namib Sand Sea | Namib and Kalahari deserts habitat | |
| Okavango Delta | habitats: flooded grasslands such as Okavango and the Sudd Swamps | |
| Putorana Plateau | tundra | |
| Rainforests of the Atsinanana | Madagascar moist forests ecoregion | |
| Rock Islands | Palau ecoregion | |
| Sanganeb | Red Sea corals | |
| Socotra Archipelago | Socotra ecoregion | |
| Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona | tectonic sites | |
| Tajik National Park | tectonic sites | |
| Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley | the TCV region has been identified in various past studies as a gap on the World Heritage List in terms of exceptional biodiversity values (IUCN ev) | |
| Tropical Rainforest Sumatra | tropical montane forests of Sumatra, Philippines and Sulawesi | |
| Tugay forests | "The nominated property would close an important gap on the World Heritage List as it overlaps with the Middle Amu Darya freshwater ecoregion, the Badghyz and Karabil semi-desert terrestrial ecoregion and the Hindu-Kush Highlands Udvardy biogeographical province, all of which are currently not represented on the World Heritage List." (AB ev) | |
| Vredefort Dome | meteorite impact | |
| Wadden Sea | European saline wetlands | |
| Western Ghats | Western Ghats ecoregion | |
| Wrangel Island | Tundra | |
| Xinjiang Tianshan | cold winter desert - Taklamakan |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Natural sites filling gaps cited by IUCN?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source