Natural sites filling gaps cited by IUCN

meteorite impact

Madagascar moist forests ecoregion

tectonic sites

Namib and Kalahari deserts habitat

Sudd-Sahelian savanna and flooded grasslands ecoregion

Red Sea corals

"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)

European saline wetlands

"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)

Polynesian rainforest

Gulf of California ecoregion

Central Asian deserts (AB ev)

"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)

"a 2020 IUCN World Heritage gap analysis called for the creation of a transnational serial site in the Upper Guinean part of the Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot to complement the existing Taï National Park" (AB ev)

cold winter desert - Taklamakan

Tundra

"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)

tropical montane forests of Sumatra, Philippines and Sulawesi

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)

tectonic sites

Socotra ecoregion

Palau ecoregion

tundra

habitats: flooded grasslands such as Okavango and the Sudd Swamps

tropical montane forests of Sumatra, Philippines and Sulawesi

tundra

Polar systems (Arctic)

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)

stratigraphy

".. 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)

Cape Floral habitat

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)

"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)

"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)

Western Ghats ecoregion

Rift Valley Lakes habitat

rainforests of Southern Chile