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More than 25% of UNESCO World Heritage Sites may hold unrecognized biocultural value

A new study in Ecology and Society challenges the long-standing division between natural and cultural heritage within the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The research, titled "Bridging the nature-culture divide: a biocultural reclassification of the World Heritage Sites," led by husband-and-wife team Dr. Rubén Darío Palacio and Sumana Goli, proposes a biocultural reclassification of World Heritage Sites to better reflect the interconnectedness of nature and culture.

Currently, only 3% of World Heritage Sites are classified as "mixed" despite the deep cultural and ecological links held by many designated sites. Using Large Language Models (LLMs) to analyze official site descriptions, the study finds that up to 26% of sites could be reclassified as biocultural—a major step toward fulfilling UNESCO's vision of a "Representative, Balanced, and Credible" World Heritage List.

The study originated during a trip to Europe, where the couple stumbled upon a book about World Heritage Sites. Intrigued by UNESCO's classification criteria, they were struck by the rigid separation of the natural and cultural criteria. Palacio, a conservation biologist, and Goli, a One Health researcher, both view the relationship between people and nature as interlocked, which led them to look more deeply into bridging the gap of this nature–culture divide.

"Our study shows that a significant number of sites currently classified as purely cultural or natural actually hold unrecognized biocultural value," said Dr. Palacio. "Clearly, the current 'mixed' category which was intended to bridge this gap is not working. It has even been referred to as an 'intellectually flaccid' idea."

The authors advocate instead for the adoption of a biocultural category within the World Heritage List, emphasizing the need to integrate biocultural heritage into UNESCO's classification system.

Their proposed reclassification of World Heritage Sites demonstrates how a biocultural category would better recognize indigenous and local heritage, ensure fairer geographical representation, and strengthen conservation by acknowledging traditional ecological knowledge and human-environment interactions, crucial amid today's environmental and cultural challenges.

"Our study goes beyond reclassification—it's about valuing, conserving, and highlighting the deep connections between people and their environment in places recognized for their outstanding universal value," notes Goli.