Sites cover less than 1% of planet and although protected are at risk from climate breakdown and human consumption, say experts
world heritage sites, according to the first survey of the planet’s most important cultural and historical landmarks.
From the Great Barrier Reef to the Kazakh steppe, nearly three-quarters of all recorded bird species, two-thirds of all mammals and more than half of all hard corals have been recorded at world heritage sites even though they cover less than 1% of the planet, according to the new analysis produced by Unesco and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The 1,157 protected sites in almost every country on Earth, which include key nature sites such as the Okavango delta alongside landmarks such as the Great Wall of China, are home to some of the world’s most threatened species, including all remaining Javan rhinos, vaquita porpoises and pink iguanas, along with more than half of all mountain gorillas, breeding albatrosses and Sumatran orangutans.
But experts say the world heritage sites are threatened by climate breakdown and human overconsumption, prompting warnings that some species could go extinct in the protected areas despite being recognised as globally important. The report authors say governments should think carefully about how better to protect the sites as they plan for meeting this decade’s UN biodiversity targets, which are due before biodiversity Cop16 next year, as part of their efforts to
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