World Heritage Monitoring Officer- IUCN Heritage and Culture Team, Cambridge, UK  

Education 

2015-2016- University of Exeter
MSc Conservation Science & policy
2011-2015- University of St Andrews
BSc (Hons) Zoology 

Experience 

World Heritage Monitoring Officer- IUCN Heritage and Culture Team, Cambridge, UK 

June 2021- Present 

• IUCN’s advisory body role to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee
   -Provided scientific, technical and policy advice to the World Heritage Committee;
   -Regional focal point for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania;
   -Thematic lead on climate change and nature-based solutions. 
• IUCN World Heritage Outlook
   -Lead role in maintenance and management of the IUCN World Heritage Outlook, including strategic development following the launch of Outlook 3; 
• IUCN Youth Strategy
   -Working group for the development of the IUCN Youth Strategy 

Junior Professional- IUCN World Heritage Programme, Cambridge, UK 

May 2019- May 2021

• IUCN World Heritage Outlook
   -Provided technical support to experts involved in the update of conservation outlook assessments;
   -Updated selected conservation outlook assessments;
   -Provided support to internal quality assurance processes for assessments
   -Synthesized data from conservation outlook assessments to draft IUCN World Heritage Outlook 3 report.
   -Ensured the successful launch of Outlook 3 

Associate Research Fellow- University of Central Asia, Kyrgyz Republic & Tajikistan 

January, 2018- April, 2019 

• Research projects & report writing
   -Food Systems and Agrobiodiversity in the Mountains of Central Asia;
   -Conservation Geopolitics: Envisioning the future of China’s BRI in the mountains of Central Asia;
   -Zorkul National Park Integrated Assessment, editorial support with partners ICIMOD. 
• 2018 World Mountain Forum
   -Supported the development of thematic track content and guiding questions with key stakeholders;
   -Provided logistical and organisation support in hosting the event;
   -Youth World Mountain Forum moderator. 
• ICCA Consortium- regional focal point for West and Central Asia
   -Coordinated with Members and Honorary Members of the Consortium in capacity building and developing programme of activity in the region. 

Project Officer- Plateau Perspectives, Kyrgyz Republic 

March – December, 2017 

• Lapis guides- citizen science mobile data collection 

Selected Publications 

Karley, A. J., Emslie‐Smith, M., & Bennett, A. E. (2017). Potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae performance is determined by aphid genotype and not mycorrhizal fungi or water availability. Insect science, 24(6), 1015-1024.
Foggin, M., Emslie-Smith, M., & Hergarten, C. (2018). Food systems and agrobiodiversity in the mountains of central Asia. Mountain Research and Development, 38(2), 175-179.
Osipova, E., Emslie-Smith, M., Osti, M., Åberg, U., Shadie, P. (2020). IUCN World Heritage Outlook 3: A conservation assessment of all natural World Heritage sites, November 2020. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. x+90pp.
Foggin, J. M., Lechner, A. M., Emslie‐Smith, M., Hughes, A. C., Sternberg, T., & Dossani, R. (2021). Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia: Anticipating socioecological challenges from large‐scale infrastructure in a global biodiversity hotspot. Conservation Letters, e12819.
Emslie-Smith, M. (2022). Natural World Heritage versus climate change. World Heritage Review, 2021(100), 28-35. 

UNESCO & IUCN (2022). World Heritage Glaciers: Sentinels of climate change, Paris, UNESCO; Gland, IUCN 

The intersection between tourism and climate change in World Heritage sites, opportunities and challenges for the Convention
Abstract for the 1 st International Exchange for World Heritage Sites
Matthew Emslie-Smith, IUCN

World Heritage sites represent some of the world’s most unique and precious places that are considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. The UNESCO World Heritage Convention is also a globally recognized brand, which can mobilize significant tourism related benefits, but only if carefully managed as unplanned tourism development can also have a negative effect. Climate change can exacerbate existing stresses and bring direct impacts of its own. Therefore considering the implications of the nexus between tourism and climate change to the conservation of World heritage is essential. Drawing on information from various sources including the reactive monitoring system of the World Heritage Convention, the IUCN World Heritage Outlook and IUCN wider programmes, the intersection between tourism and climate change in World Heritage sites will be examined, and opportunities and challenges for the Convention will be introduced in responding to these issues, emphasizing the nature-based solutions that conserving World Heritage sites can offer.