Aust wins world heritage protection role

Australia will play a part in choosing new world heritage sites and preserving existing ones after being elected to the committee that oversees them for a fifth time.

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg says Australia's four-year term on the committee will involve assessing, monitoring and managing the most significant natural and cultural heritage sites in the world.

"There are major new challenges - there are properties in war zones, the implications of climate change - and Australia has a great deal of expertise and know-how that we can bring to the table," he told AAP at the UN climate talks in Bonn.