Legal Protection of Natural World Heritage in the United States

The problems of the protection of natural World Heritage properties in the United States of America are examined. The role of the USA in the preparation of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and the features of its interaction with UNESCO are revealed. The legal independence of participation in UNESCO and in the Convention is stated. The peculiarities of the political context of the late nineties of the twentieth century in the issues of interaction with the World Heritage protection system are shown, expressed in the appearance of the draft law aimed at complicating the procedure of nomination of properties for inscription on the World Heritage List. Conclusions are drawn on the political independence of the Committee's decisions from UNESCO's position. The US federal legislation on World Heritage protection is characterized and the reasons for its changes in 2025 are analyzed. The important role of World Heritage property management plans in the U.S. conservation system is demonstrated. Examples from selected World Heritage properties illustrate the most serious threats to their ecological integrity and the measures being taken to mitigate them. These include climate change, mining and agro-industrial development. Based on the results of the study, conclusions are formulated on the possibility of adopting the positive experience of the protection of World Heritage properties in the United States in improving Russian environmental legislation.

world heritage, UNESCO, national park, environmental law, international law