The idea of creating an international movement for protecting heritage emerged after World War I. The 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage developed from the merging of two separate movements: the one focusing on the preservation of cultural sites, and the other dealing with the conservation of nature. It aims to promote the cooperation between the governments and the people of all the countries in the world and to make positive contributions to the protection and restoration of the world heritage.

In the Convention, the international community combined the concepts of cultural heritage and natural heritage together for the first time. For a long time, natural and cultural had been considered as two contrary concepts. Human beings conquer the harmful nature, while the culture symbolizes the lofty value concept. Nature and culture supplement each other. The cultures of all the nationalities are created in their specific natural environment. The beauty of the magnificent architectural projects constructed by human beings consists in the fine natural environment around them. Some of the grand natural scenic spots are even more beautiful with the creative affords of human beings. The convention clarified the standards of natural heritage and cultural heritage, affirmed the existence of world heritage, and declared that the heritage belongs to the whole world. This is a document with international standards implemented by all the countries in the world, so it has extensive and far-reaching influences. Its major works are to define the world cultural and natural heritage and to advocate the responsibility of all mankind, so as to protect those valuable and influential historic sites and natural scenic spots.