As part of the General Trust Fund (FUT) with UNESCO, the Government of Flanders (Kingdom of Belgium) supports activities of the World Heritage Centre in view of enhancing the management and representativity of natural World Heritage sites, in particular marine and African sites.
The Government of Flanders has a long-standing tradition in mapping and marine sciences, with a history that dates back to the 16th century, including the geographer Gerardus Mercator whose map projection was so far advanced it is still used today for maritime navigation. In this connection, the Trust Fund has supported the World Heritage Centre Marine Programme in several areas, including:
The Trust Fund is also supporting:
Between 2002 and 2010, the Trust Fund also supported:
Flanders and UNESCO