This paper set out to explore the extent that the desired principles of sustainable development had been incorporated into six World Heritage Site management plans. In doing so, a consensus about the fundamental objective of sustainable development was revealed but little agreement on implementation strategies. Even so, the literature did indicate consistent support for the use of a long-term and holistic planning framework, and the active participation of a wide range of stakeholders in any sustainable development process. Similar acceptance of the principles of sustainable development could be found in recent heritage discourse, but fundamental contradictions were evident in relation to the application of sustainable development at World Heritage sites.