UDC

[911.5:502.1](292.5)

Authors

Knayzev Yuri Petrovich
Volgograd State Socio-Pedagogical University (Volgograd, Russia)
е-mail: plakor@mail.ru

Abstract

Global degradation of the natural landscapes and their replacement with anthropogenic modifications have led to the urgent need of the identification and protection of typical and unique landscapes. Their conservation has the global significance for the fate of mankind. An important direction of preservation of the nature standards is the award to the special natural protected area the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ecological and geographical analysis of the distribution of the objects of the World natural, cultural and natural (mixed) heritage in Asia was conducted. The objects of heritage are analyzed according to the criteria assigned by the World Heritage Committee: natural picturesqueness (criterion VII), paleontological, geological or geomorphological importance (VIII), the natural landscape diversity (IX) and biodiversity (X). Theoretical and methodological basis of research are the following scientific methods: descriptive, comparative, statistical, mapping, the method of system analysis. We analyze the meaning of the term “World Heritage”. Also the paper presents the role of the World Heritage sites in the natural heritage of Asia, the importance of expanding of their network. The system of the World Heritage sites is not representative in relation to the existing natural complexes, and they often have a cluster structure. The objects are located irregularly, essentially the mountain forest and intrazonal landscapes are preserved: Malay equatorial rainforests, Hindustan and Indochina subequatorial monsoon landscapes; subtropical and subboreal mountain monsoon landscapes of the Japanese islands, taiga landscapes of the North and East Asia. There are not presented the deserts of the temperate, subtropical and tropical latitudes, Mediterranean landscapes, steppes (except for one object) in the list. The role of Asian Russia in the World Heritage System is described, the most important preconditions for the expansion of the network in the future is analyzed. The schematic map shows the placement of the Asian objects of the natural, cultural and natural heritage.

Keywords

world heritage, natural heritage criteria, national park

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