GURGAON: When countries seek UNESCO World Heritage status for forests, national parks and other natural sites, their nominations undergo an independent scientific review before reaching the World Heritage Committee.For the 2027 round of nominations, one of those reviewers will be Haryana’s Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, Dr Vivek Saxena.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UNESCO’s advisory body on natural heritage, has selected the 1991-batch officer as a desk reviewer. Saxena said he is the first IFS officer from the Haryana cadre to be chosen for the role.As part of the assignment, Saxena will evaluate nomination dossiers submitted by countries other than India. The names of the countries cannot be disclosed because the review process is confidential.“The reviewer independently examines whether a nominated site meets UNESCO’s criteria for Outstanding Universal Value and whether it has adequate protection and management measures in place,” Saxena told TOI. “Reviewers do not assess nominations from their own country.”IUCN’s technical assessments form an important part of the process before the World Heritage Committee takes a final call on whether a site should be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.Saxena, who retires on July 31 after a 34-year career in the Haryana Forest Department, has previously worked with international conservation bodies, including IUCN and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and was a lead author of the 2018 IPBES Global Assessment on Land Degradation and Restoration.
