Boundaries (Guidance)

The World Heritage Resource Manual Preparing World Heritage Nominations (2nd edition, UNESCO 2011), draws up some principles concerning boundaries for World Heritage properties:

”the property boundaries must encompass the attributes necessary to meet the condition of integrity, that is a complete and intact set of attributes that convey potential Outstanding Universal Value;
• boundaries must be logical and defensible in relation to the identification of attributes that convey the value of the property;
• boundaries must be clearly defined in relation to the legal protection and management of the property;
• boundaries should be readily identifiable if they are to be useful for management. They will often be based on physical features and sometimes on natural features. Effective boundaries may also be based on human-made features such as roads, which may often be critical features in relation to management. However, more care is needed with using such features to ensure that the area enclosed meets the condition of integrity;
• good-quality mapping of boundaries is essential; and
• it is also essential that the establishment of boundaries (including zoning schemes) within a nominated property is carried out in conjunction with defining the management priorities and requirements for the property, and with effective stakeholder engagement. This is to create a strong link between this process and protection, conservation and management.""

“Inadequacies in the boundaries make it difficult to maintain the property's Outstanding Universal Value” implies that theurce attributes conveying the Outstanding Universal Value are indeed within the boundaries, but they are considered inadequate for other reasons (too limited, lack of buffer zone, etc.)
Source(s): The World Heritage Resource Manual Preparing World Heritage Nominations (2nd edition, UNESCO 2011)