Attributes, identification of

Attributes, more commonly called features in the case of natural properties, are those elements, processes or features that convey and make manifest the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of a property. Identification and understanding of their interrelationships are crucial to understanding OUV and therefore to ensuring appropriate protection and management mechanisms.

Attributes can be physical qualities or fabric, or the relationships between them. Attributes can also be processes impacting on physical qualities, such as natural or agricultural processes, social arrangements or cultural practices that have shaped distinctive landscapes. For natural properties, they can include landscape features, habitats, aspects of environmental quality (such as intactness, high/pristine environmental quality), scale and naturalness of habitats, and size and viability of wildlife populations.