This study, funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, represents the first time that ecosystem services and the wider benefits delivered by natural World Heritage sites have been identified and assessed. One of the aims of the report is to increase awareness of the diverse range of benefits to people that the World Heritage network provide to better inform management decisions. The report investigates the distribution of carbon storage and water provision by the World Heritage network at the global scale; analyses site-level benefits data and presents key findings on the perceived benefits being delivered by the network of sites; and includes case studies of World Heritage sites that showcase specific ecosystem services and benefits, existing economic valuation studies, and different governance models being applied. UNEP-WCMC undertook the analysis and played a lead role in the writing of this report which is published by IUCN.