No Buffer Zone
Connected Sites: 19
WHS without a Buffer Zone where this lack has been publicly acknowledged and accepted within UNESCO processes The need for a Buffer Zone was first mentioned in the 1997 Operational Guidelines - "17. Whenever necessary for the proper conservation of a cultural or natural property nominated, an adequate "buffer zone" around a property should be provided" a further paragraph was added in the Feb 2005 version to strengthen the requirement - "106. Where no buffer zone is proposed, the nomination should include a statement as to why a buffer zone is not required." Subsequent to these 2 dates some sites which had been inscribed beforehand without buffer zones have formally created them - others have not and in some of these cases UNESCO (via its review processes) has not progressed the matter or else has merely asked that a buffer zone be created at some time in the future. Some sites, however, have come under active pressure to do so and some of these have argued (apparently successfully in that they have not been de-listed or placed under danger because of it) that formal buffer zones were unnecessary. Further, since 1997 (and particularly since the strengthening of the requirement in 2005), some sites have been inscribed without buffer zones such that this was clearly identified and accepted at the time of evaluation/inscription.