Climate change: the main current threat to natural World Heritage – IUCN Report

According to a report published today by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), climate change is currently the greatest threat to natural World Heritage. A third (33%) of natural World Heritage sites are threatened by climate change, including the world’s largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef, whose conservation outlook has been assessed for the first time as “critical”.

“Natural World Heritage sites are among the most precious places in the world, and we must protect them for future generations,” says Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General. “The IUCN World Heritage Outlook 3 highlights the damage that climate change is causing to natural World Heritage, from shrinking glaciers to coral bleaching to the proliferation of severe fires and droughts. As the international community defines new goals to conserve biodiversity, this report highlights the urgency with which we must jointly address environmental challenges on a planetary scale.”

In order to determine whether the conservation of the 252 natural World Heritage sites is sufficient to protect them in the long term, the IUCN Heritage Outlook 3 is based on previous reports from 2014 and 2017. According to this report, climate change has overtaken invasive species as the main threat to natural World Heritage.

Among the 83 natural World Heritage sites that are now threatened by climate change is the Great Barrier Reef, where warming oceans, acidification and extreme weather conditions have contributed to the drastic decline of corals and, as a consequence, to the reduction of populations of marine species. In the Protected Areas of South Africa’s Cape Floral Region, climate change has exacerbated the spread of invasive species, while Brazil’s Pantanal Conservation Area has been severely damaged by the unprecedented forest fires that have occurred between 2019 and 2020. At Lake Kluane, located on a World Heritage site in Canada and the United States, the rapid melting of the Kaskawulsh Glacier has changed the flow of the river, depleting fish stocks.

The IUCN Outlook assesses possible future scenarios in relation to the values of World Heritage sites – the unique characteristics that have earned them their World Heritage status – based on threats and the degree of effectiveness in terms of protection and management. The outlook of 63% of sites has been evaluated as “good” or “good with some concern”, while that of 30% as “high concern” and that of 7% as “critical”. Half of the sites have been found to have “effective” or “highly effective” protection and management, with the sustainability of site funding being the most common issue described as “very worrying”. The Outlook notes that 16 natural World Heritage sites have deteriorated since 2017, while only eight have improved.

The report also includes early evidence of the effects of the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the decrease in the number of tourists can relieve pressure on some ecosystems, in most cases the impacts appear to be negative. The closure of sites to tourism causes a significant loss of income, and illegal activities are on the rise, as the number of personnel deployed to prevent them is lower.

“The findings of the IUCN World Heritage Outlook 3 point to the imperative need for adequate resources for the management of our irreplaceable natural areas,” says Peter Shadie, Director of the World Heritage Programme. “Many natural World Heritage sites show that conservation can and does work for the common good, and their achievements serve as models that can be replicated and scaled up elsewhere. We need more inspiring examples like the Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire to ensure a brighter future for nature’s finest exponents.”

The outlook for Comoé National Park continues to improve and is now rated as “good with some concern,” after going from “critical” in 2014 to “high concern” in 2017. Thanks to political stability, effective management and international support, populations of chimpanzees, elephants and buffaloes are stable, and rare bird species are beginning to return.

Source: IUCN