Why did Russell Train argue that natural and cultural heritage should be protected together?

Russell Train advocated for the unified protection of natural and cultural heritage because he believed they are fundamentally interconnected. He argued that human creations are inherently founded upon and shaped by the natural environment, famously questioning whether one could conceive of a city like Venice in isolation from the sea.1

By championing a single, permanent mechanism for both types of sites, Train sought to replace ad hoc, reactive responses to disasters with a cohesive international cooperative effort. This vision recognized that the preservation of both man-made historic sites and superb natural areas serves the collective benefit of the entire world citizenry. His persistence, alongside that of others, eventually led to the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which establishes the World Heritage List to protect sites of outstanding universal value.12