Climate change threatens 43% of natural World Heritage sites

It is the greatest danger, ahead of invasive alien species (30%) and pathogens (9%), according to a report by the IUCN, which is the largest environmental network in the world.

Some 43% of the natural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage list are threatened by climate change, while the second greatest danger to these sites is represented by invasive alien species (30%). In addition, there is a sharp increase in the risk of wildlife and plant diseases because in 9% of sites there is a high or very high threat of pathogens, when that percentage was only 2% in 2020. This is according to the fourth edition of the ‘World Heritage Outlook’ of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), which is the largest and most diverse environmental network in the world, with more than 1,400 organizations belonging to more than 160 countries. The report was released on Saturday to coincide with the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which is currently being held in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). The previous editions were in 2014, 2017 and 2020. It is an emblematic publication and is a crucial thermometer for the health of the most representative natural places on the planet. The 2025 report analyses 271 sites included in the World Heritage list (231 are natural and 40 are classified as mixed, i.e. natural and cultural).

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