News

The Brazilian Cerrado is the largest savannah region in South America, and is home to the Cerrado Biosphere Reserve which encompasses the Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks World Heritage site. The Cerrado biome is also the most biodiverse savannah in the world, home to approximately 5% of the planet’s biodiversity. The region supports many rare and ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre expresses its heartfelt sympathy after the fire that, on the morning of 18 April 2021, broke out on the edge of Cape Floral Regional Protected Areas (South Africa), a property inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004. UNESCO is in contact with the relevant national authorities who will assess the damage and impact of the fires which gutted the Jagger ...

The World Heritage Centre expresses concerns over on-going bushfires at Fraser Island World Heritage area in Australia, the largest sand island in the world, and solidarity with the people affected by the blaze. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has been receiving expressions of concern over the possible impact of the bushfire on the World Heritage property “Fraser Island”. The property, ...

UNESCO’s Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) supported an on-site firefighting training on 7 December 2020 for local communities and site management at the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi World Heritage site in Uganda organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Department of Museums and Monuments. The training is part of an ongoing HEF project for “Post-fire emergency ...

The Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Mechtild Rössler, expressed concern after the fire that, on the afternoon of 11 October, broke out in Kilimanjaro National Park (United Republic of Tanzania), a property inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987. "We are in contact with the Tanzania National Park Authority (TANAPA) which is currently carrying out an initial assessment of ...

UNESCO, through the World Heritage Centre and the Secretariat of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, is observing with attention and concern the large number of fires which have struck the Pantanal ecoregion in recent weeks. According to information provided by experts and firefighters on site as well as satellite data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE - ...

UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, Mr. Ernesto Ottone R., joined the Buganda Kingdom and local communities in mourning the serious destruction of one of the sacred houses (Abalongo) at the Tombs of Buganda Kings of Kasubi, following a devastating fire which took place on 5 June, in Uganda, a property inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000. "We are in contact with the ...

A year has passed since the fire that ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The Cathedral is part of the World Heritage site “Paris, Banks of the Seine” and a fine symbol of Gothic architecture. The flames tore through the upper levels of the 12th century cathedral on the evening of 15 April 2019, destroying two-thirds of its roof and collapsing its famous spire. Parisians and ...

UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, Mr. Ernesto Ottone R., expressed his concern about the fire that, on the morning of 13 April, seriously affected the Milot Church inside the National Historic Park - Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers, in Haiti, a property inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982. "We are in contact with the National Heritage Preservation Institute (ISPAN), ...

The World Heritage Centre expresses its concern over on-going bushfires in and around the Gondwana rainforests in Australia and offers its solidarity to the people affected. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has been receiving many expressions of concern from the media and civil society over the possible impact of bushfires on the World Heritage property, “Gondwana Rainforests of Australia”, ...

UNESCO offers its sincere solidarity with the people of Japan, and in particular the residents of Okinawa, who have lost a cultural and historical symbol of the Ryukyu islands. UNESCO stands ready to assist the authorities as needed. In the early morning hours of 31 October, a number of buildings, including Shuri Castle of  the World Heritage site of “Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of ...

“Our hearts are broken”Audrey Azoulay “We are filled with emotion and our hearts are broken,” said UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay as she witnessed the devastating fire tear through the historic cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris this evening. The cathedral is part of the 1991 World Heritage inscription, Paris, Banks of the Seine, which also includes bridges, quays and the banks of the ...

For more than a week, devastating fires have raged in Mount Kenya National Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1997 and a part of the Mount Kenya Biosphere Reserve since 1978. According to the Kenya National Parks Service (KWS), these fires have already destroyed more than 80,000 hectares of forest and grassland, which represents almost half the area of the World Heritage site. ...

During the night of 28 to 29 August, a fire broke out in the crafts centre of the historical Museum of Abomey, located within the Royal Palaces of Abomey’s court, destroying numerous stands of craftsmen. The fire was caused by a short circuit around 1:30 am in the crafts centre of the historical Museum of Abomey. It destroyed thirteen of the twenty-eight stands intended for the exhibition ...

A recent fire that devastated a neighbourhood of the Ancient City of Damascus raised the alarm about the need to protect the old city, inscribed on the World Heritage list, from future catastrophes and sparked discussions about post-conflict action in Syria. In April, a fire erupted in al-Asrooniya area, a commercial neighbourhood located between the Citadel of Damascus and the Great Mosque ...

On 14 January 2015, a fire has once again ravaged the Palace of the King Houégbadja in the Royal Palaces of Abomey World Heritage property in Benin. Thankfully there were no victims. Despite the efforts of firefighters, all of the thatched roofs of the palace complex were burned. As they were built from fire-resistant earthen architecture, the walls of the palace buildings were spared. The ...

UNESCO is monitoring closely the impact of wildfires in Southern Europe and the southernmost portion of the European Union. The Organization has been in constant contact with the local authorities in affected areas. These devastating fires have not only touched World Heritage sites and Biosphere Reserves, but have also irreversibly changed the lives of many. People have been forced to abandon ...

On January 15th, forest fires were spotted on the slopes of Mount Kenya, the highest mountain in Africa.  Inscribed onto the World Heritage list in 1997, Mount Kenya is a critical refuge for a host of iconic species, ranging from the African elephant, the leopard, and a variety of antelopes and rare birds.  The mountain is also referred to as Kenya’s water tower, as it captures high altitude ...

UNESCO is monitoring with concern the situation in the Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island, World Heritage site where fires have been raging since 25 October. According to early reports from the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, at least 3,000 ha of the 100,000 ha property have been destroyed by the fires. Twenty-six endemic rare plant species are already known to have been ...

A fire that broke out on 11 October 2010 in the Maïdo forest at La Reunion National Park on Réunion Island was the worst the area has seen in twenty years, with roughly 1,000 hectares of the Park affected. Key areas of endemic plants seem to be seriously affected  as well as other key micro-habitats for biodiversity. Among wildlife, several rare species are under threat, according to a ...