UNESCO-Designated Sites in the Pacific

UNESCO-designated sites—Biosphere Reserves, World Heritage sites, and UNESCO Global Geoparks—represent a multi-tier commitment by UNESCO, national governments, local authorities, and communities towards the protection of natural and cultural heritage as well as to the development and sharing of innovative approaches to sustainable development. In the Pacific, the establishment of UNESCO-designated sites over the past two decades has intersected in multiple ways with the vast array of local and indigenous knowledge systems and practices governing and guiding the relationship between people and their environment. With specific reference to water, energy, and food, this chapter examines the role and functions of UNESCO-designated sites in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), their engagement with local and indigenous knowledge and practices, as well as with existing protected area initiatives.