Jon Day Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

1. Operationalizing your OUV (how to make your Statement of OUV more useful for management and reporting) Workshop on Marine World Heritage, WCC, Jeju, September 2012 Jon Day Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

2. Overview of talk • What is Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) • Why is OUV important? • Linking OUV to management • Some possible methodologies • Example of how OUV in Great Barrier Reef has been broken down into more 'manageable' components • Some common mistakes/misconceptions with OUV

3. For a natural site to be considered to be of “outstanding universal value” (OUV): "… its natural significance is so exceptional to transcend national boundaries(ie. the international community recognizes it is outstanding) and of common importance for present and future generations…" It meets one or more of the four natural WH criteria It meets the conditions of 'integrity' Have adequate protection and management What is OUV?

4. The permanent protection of the world's heritage that exemplifies OUV is of the highest importance to the international community World Heritage Convention provides for such sites to be inscribed on the WH List OUV is the fundamental central concept to the credibility of the World Heritage system The term OUV is used ~90 times in the 2005 'Operational Guidelines' OUV is the basis for WH reporting Why is OUV important?

5. Three pillars of OUV (from IUCN) CRITERIA INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT

6. Four natural WH criteria contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance represent major stages of the earth's history, significant ongoing geological processes, or significant geomorphic or physiographic feature .... significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including threatened species ...

7. GBRWHA – four natural criteria for OUV Criteria vii Criteria ix • turtle and bird breeding colonies • annual whale migration • spectacular Whitsunday Islands • rainforest on Hinchinbrook Island • vivid colours/shapes of coral/fish • visible from space • spawning aggregations • globally significant diversity of reefs and islands • on-going geomorphic & oceanographic processes • evolution of corals etc • Trad Owner interaction with environment (fish traps, story places) Criteria x Criteria viii • cross shelf diversity • one of richest and most complex natural ecosystems • significant area for many threatened species (eg. dugong, humpbacks) • world's largest green turtle nesting site • depth variation from inshore to deep ocean • world's largest coral reef ecosystem • evolving ecosystem • evidence of sea level rise • reefs/cays/islands • climatic history in coral cores • continental shelf features

8. Integrity • Defined as: “...a measure of the wholeness and intactness of the natural and/or cultural heritage and its values". • …..integrity therefore requires the site to: (a) include all elements necessary to express its OUV; (b) be of adequate size to ensure the complete representation of the features and processes which make the site significance; and (c) consider the adverse effects of development and/or neglect”

9. To effectively manage our WH sites, we first need to understand the overall 'context' This context includes such aspects as: The actual values and attributes Their significance Factors impacting the values, and importantly what are the threats to those values Current status of the values and their vulnerability The wider (national and international) context of the values OUV - key part of knowing the context of your site

10. Statement of Outstanding Universal Value • GREAT BARRIER REEF WHA SoOUV • = 5.5 pages of text addressing: • criteria • integrity • protection and mgt

11. Challenge: How to link OUV to management… • Break the complex Statement of OUV (SoOUV) into smaller more understandable components • Recognise key examples of values/attributes • Recognise the factors affecting those values • Prioritise the highest priority threats • Consider what are the priority management needs to address the highest priority threats

12. Breakdown SoOUV into 'components'

13. Possible format for linking OUV to management

14. Possible format for linking OUV to management

15. Possible format for linking OUV to management

16. Possible format for linking OUV to management

17. Possible format for linking OUV to management

18. Possible format for linking OUV to management

19. Criterion vii

20. Criterion viii

21. Research priorities

22. Common mistakes/ misconceptions • Q. Can you say 'OU Values'? • The term OUV is singular, so do not refer to 'Outstanding Universal Values'.  • It is OK to refer to the 'world heritage values' or the 'natural values' for which a WH site has been inscribed. • Q. Does OUV apply throughout the WH site? • OUV should be considered as being distributed throughout the whole of the WH site, rather than being found at discrete locations unevenly distributed throughout the site • Q. Does this mean I can't loose a single blade of seagrass without impacting OUV!?? • Given that the WH values of a property are assessed in sum total, protection and management for World Heritage should focus upon the property as a whole - as distinct from focusing just on one specific or particular WH value in only one location

23. Thank you For more information: www.gbrmpa.gov.au