47. The Representatives of IUCN and ICOMOS presented their point of view on this important topic. The Committee noted with satisfaction IUCN's plans for the preparation of a worldwide inventory of natural sites through worldwide distribution of questionnaires and organisation of a series of expert meetings during the next two years.
48. The Committee discussed the request of IUCN to establish a sub- committee for in depth review of and guidance on the preparation of inventories as well as on theme studies for comparative analysis. The Committee felt that this matter should be discussed further by the Bureau.
49. The Committee welcomed the offer made by IUCN to assist States Parties to the extent possible in the preparation of tentative lists and to carry out an in depth analysis based on such lists. The Committee agreed that a strong effort should be made to encourage States Parties to prepare tentative lists, which ICOMOS offered to analyze on a compa- rative basis to assist the Committee's considerations of nominations to the World Heritage List.
50. The Committee shared the view of ICOMOS that global theme studies on cultural properties would not be feasible at the present time for various reasons. However, it was felt that special thematic studies for problem areas identified in the process of evaluating nominations may have to be conducted by ICOMOS and, if necessary, with support from the World Heritage Fund.