Baseline assessment

The current state of the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. , its Outstanding Universal Value and attributes is used as a baseline during the subsequent impact assessment stages (Section 6.8), which compare the future of the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. with and without the proposed action. The baseline can also be used as a reference point to monitor the situation during and after project construction, to ensure the heritage is protected.

The scoping stages should have identified the type and quantity of information needed for the baseline assessment. The baseline should describe the current status of the OUV and other heritage/conservation values and the attributes that convey them, both at the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. and in its buffer and wider setting. This analysis may be on a much wider scale than a normal heritage assessment: it could involve, for instance, describing migration routes of animals, the local geology, or cultural practices where these are attributes that support OUV. The baseline should also describe any other heritage/conservation values of the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. : relevant international, national and local level designations in the study area, why they have been designated, and their sensitivities. Box 6.2 lists possible sources of baseline data.

It will also be useful to return to the condition of the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. at the time of its inscription: this will allow a baseline to be identified for the property’s OUV, attributes and state of conservation. Any changes that have taken place since inscription can then be identified and consequent vulnerabilities identified.

It will also be necessary to consider likely future changes without the proposed action, for instance other planned projects, emerging plans, and national or regional trends (e.g. improving air quality, worsening traffic, climate change). This can include a discussion of less likely changes and threats that would have a significant impact on the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. and its OUV, for instance flooding, conflict, population displacement, landslides or reconstruction. This analysis of likely and possible future changes is particularly useful for identifying and evaluating cumulative impacts (Section 6.9), showing where the effects of a proposed action may be more significant if it is combined with other actions in the past, present and foreseeable future.

Once existing information has been collected and analysed, any relevant data gaps will need to be filled. New baseline studies might need to be carried out. A rigorous methodology should be developed for the collection of additional data – including a clear geographic and temporal scope – and this should be described in the final report. The timing of baseline studies also needs to be considered. For example, in natural properties, seasonal changes such as breeding, nesting or migratory patterns of species, weather patterns, etc. will affect the accuracy of the data that is collected depending on the timing of surveys. Cultural properties can also be affected by seasonal trends, such as agricultural cycles, festivities or tourism, which should be measured at the appropriate time.

The values and attributes of a World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. are protected by a system of legal provisions, policies and standards, and a management system of heritage governance. Ideally, these systems will also deliver wider benefits for society. Analysis of the heritage policies, and the heritage governance and management system in place, can greatly improve the outcomes of an impact assessment by clarifying the context in which the new action is being proposed. The baseline analysis should review the consistency of the proposed action with these existing policies. The proposed action will need to be consistent with relevant legislation and plans: the impact assessment should explain whether it is – and if not, why not.

The policy context can be gleaned by reviewing national, regional and local policies and land-use plans relating to heritage and the attributes that support the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. ’s OUV. Any previous Advisory or Reactive Monitoring mission reports, impact assessments related to the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. , and SEAs prepared for plans and policies that set the context for the proposed action should also be reviewed. This can identify strategic level alternatives and why they have been eliminated or chosen; expected mitigation measures; reasons why previous actions have been permitted or refused; and cumulative impacts that could be exacerbated or reduced by the proposed action.

Types of governance and heritage management vary considerably from country to country, and sometimes even from place to place, because they draw on diverse legal and institutional frameworks operating at local, national and international levels, and on a variety of resources (IUCN, 2013a) . Responsibility for the components of a single World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. could lie with a public institution, non-governmental organization, Indigenous people’s organization or the private sector. That organization or person may be actively managing heritage places, or simply supervising others doing so by enacting and enforcing legislation.

The management system at the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. can be analysed from documents prepared for World Heritage purposes, including the nomination dossier, Committee Decisions, State of Conservation reports, mission reports, and Periodic Reporting. Several guides exist on how to carry out such an analysis, e.g. Enhancing our Heritage (UNESCO, 2008) and Part 4 of Managing Cultural World Heritage (UNESCO, 2013). Such an analysis should identify:

• All relevant rights-holders, local communities and stakeholders who should be involved in the impact assessment process (Section 6.2), to ensure that decision-making will be based on consensus and a greater understanding of the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
  When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.
• Existing policies and plans that affect the proposed action and heritage protection. This can lead to recommendations that are better aligned with statutory processes and operational capacities, and can be more effectively implemented
• Whether the proposed action is consistent with existing policies and plans
• Strengths and weaknesses of the management system that might lead to increased positive or decreased negative impacts on World Heritage. Awareness of these will help inform the recommendations and achieve improved outcomes. This could also identify proactive improvements to the management system which could reduce threats from future proposals
• Management mechanisms that might help successfully implement the recommendations of the impact assessment report and monitor the subsequent situation.