Natural heritage conservation in Asia and the Pacific region has been facing many challenges in recent years as a result of extreme pressure exerted on natural ecosystems. These pressures are a consequence of high density of the population, risk of catastrophic disasters, constant economic growth and persistent poverty. As shown by the outcome of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting (2012) conducted by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties in Asia and the Pacific, capacity building for World Heritage conservation and management remains a key concern in the region. In particular, very few countries are equipped with proper natural heritage training facilities. To address the above situation, the Government of India in September 2012, submitted to the Director-General, UNESCO a “Request for Action” towards the establishment of a Centre of Excellence on Natural World Heritage for Asia and the Pacific region at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an internationally acclaimed institution in the field of natural resource conservation located in Dehradun, as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO.
In December 2012, a feasibility study was undertaken by a UNESCO expert, including a mission to India, to assess the proposal in the light of the requirements for Category 2 Centres as set out in the integrated comprehensive strategy (35 C/22 and Corr.). The feasibility study confirmed the great potential for the establishment of the proposed Centre, which would fill a gap in the region and would benefit from the extraordinary facilities and long experience of the WII, including at the international level. The Director- General UNESCO accepted the proposal for the establishment of a Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia and the Pacific region in Dehradun, India, as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO and observed that establishing the proposed Centre at the WII could be of great benefit to UNESCO, to Member States in the region, and to the international community. The UNESCO General Conference 37 C/Resolution 47 dated 19 November 2013 granted approval to the proposal. Subsequently an agreement was signed between the Government of India and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Wildlife Institute of India-Category 2 Centre (WII-C2C) was established in 2015. Currently there are 11 category 2 centres exist that deals with World Heritage. WII-C2C is the only C2C in the world that exclusively specialises on Natural/Mixed World Heritage Site issues.
