Since 1972 UNESCO has been compiling a list of World Heritage sites, worthy of protection and conservation for the long-term. Written by someone who has been involved with the selection of sites for UNESCO, this book presents a personal insight into the process and what inspires and guides the decision-making of its members.

The best of the world's cultural landscapes--the results of humanity's interaction with the environment over millennia--are a legacy of enormous importance, comparable with great archaeological monuments and works of art. Since 1992 the international community has begun to define, identify, designate and protect these special places, through UNESCO's World Heritage Programme, which now inscribes World Heritage landscapes as well as World Heritage sites. This book provides an accessible introduction to these globally significant landscapes. This is a book which emphasizes the universality of cultural landscapes. They reflect the myriad lifeways of humanity across the globe and through time.