The Meanings and Effectiveness of World Heritage Designation in the USA.

The USA played a pivotal role in developing the idea of the World Heritage Convention just over 30 years ago. This paper begins by examining the history of the World Heritage Convention's practical application in the USA and goes on to discuss the Convention's present-day application at Yellowstone National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the national scale. It may be concluded that although there is a high level of compliance with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention, numerous issues need to be resolved to ensure that World Heritage Site designation remains an effective protection tool for sites of international importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]