Leveraging the World Heritage Convention for conservation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: An independent assessment of natural World Heritage potential

This report is an important milestone towards recognising the Hindu Kush Himalaya’s global significance under the World Heritage Convention, which fosters international cooperation.

The report lists seven broad areas in the HKH where new natural World Heritage sites could be found. It also identifies possible extensions of existing World Heritage sites, as for instance the area north of Mount Everest, situated in China, which could complete the already-listed Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal, to the south.  

Some of the areas with World Heritage sites include the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape (HKPL) region shared by Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and Tajikistan; Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion in north-eastern India; both the eastern and western Himalayan broadleaf and conifer forests; the eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows; parts of the “northern triangle” forests of northern Myanmar; Shey Phoksundo National Park and Upper Dolpo in Nepal; Sanjiangyuan and the Yaluzangbudaxiagu Nature Reserve in China; Central Karakoram and Hunza Valley in Pakistan; and Band-E-Amir in Afghanistan. One possible new river-specific site has also been proposed - the Ayeyawady River Corridor in Myanmar.