Parks: International, National and Local

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) strives to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of great value to humanity. (Please see the International treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.) UNESCO has universal application because World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. It includes: 1,199 Properties, 48 Transboundary Properties, 72 States Parties with properties out of 195, 1 in Danger, 27 Cultural Properties, 18 Natural Properties and 3 Mixed Properties.