World Heritage in the Pacific Islands

Abstract

Pacific cultural heritage research has taken an active role in reshaping notions of cultural significance that has been recognized by UNESCO. Acknowledging the importance of associative cultural landscapes, first applied to the Tongariro National Park, New Zealand, in 1993 and Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Australia, in 1994, culminated in the 2008 inscription of the “Chief Roi Mata’s Domain,” Vanuatu, into the World Heritage List (UNESCO 2010).

These advances in Pacific cultural heritage research do not hide the fact that Independent Pacific Island Nations (referred to here as IPIN) are underrepresented on the World Heritage List. The uneven distribution of World Heritage sites globally is exemplified by the presence of only 13 sites in the wider Pacific area and only five sites nominated by IPIN. Below is a list of World Heritage properties located on Pacific Islands (standing 2011).