The World Heritage Centre is at the forefront of the international community’s efforts to protect and preserve.
| Title | Sites | State Parties | Description | Category | Date updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate Change and World Heritage | World Heritage properties are affected by the impacts of climate change at present and in the future. Their continued preservation requires understanding these impacts to their Outstanding Universal Value and ... | Climate Change | 2024-04-05 | ||
| Natural World Heritage | The World Heritage Convention is one of the most successful international instruments to protect the most extraordinary natural places on the planet, characterized by their natural beauty or outstanding ... | Climate Change Conservation of Natural Sites Disaster Risk Reduction Forests Marine & coastal Natural Peace & Security Sustainable Development |
2024-05-13 | ||
| Environmental DNA Expeditions in UNESCO World Heritage marine sites | Environmental DNA Expeditions is a global, citizen science initiative that will help measure marine biodiversity, and the impacts climate change might have on the distribution patterns of marine life, across UNESCO ... | 2022-11-25 | |||
| Balancing development and conservation in Grand-Bassam (Côte d’Ivoire) | Historic Town of Grand-Bassam | Côte d'Ivoire | The inscription of the Historic Town of Grand-Bassam on the World Heritage List has provided new opportunities to promote sustainable development in the city. From the creation of a local World Heritage management ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience Prosperity & Livelihood |
2023-05-18 |
| Building climate change resilience and adaptation of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (Belize) | Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System | Belize | The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is facing multiple impacts of climate change such as coral bleaching, more severe storms, and rising sea levels. The Resilient Reefs Initiative is focused on building Belize’s ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience |
2023-07-12 |
| Dialogue between Fatemah Alzelzela & Alfred Brownell | The dialogue between Fatemah Alzelzela and Alfred Brownell centred around communities and vulnerabilities. Fatemah and Alfred agreed that the natural phenomena have severely impacted heritage. This negative impact ... | 2022-12-19 | |||
| Improving the environmental, cultural and social sustainability of the Historic Centre of Urbino (Italy) | Historic Centre of Urbino | Italy | Through a series of strategic actions, Urbino has sought to improve its environmental sustainability and promote climate change mitigation and adaptation. An update of the management plan is currently under way in ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience Prosperity & Livelihood |
2023-02-16 |
| Improving water availability and sustainability by reviving traditional water systems in Bengaluru (India) | India | The Million wells for Bengaluru campaign is an initiative to build one million shallow wells using traditional well-digging techniques. The initiative for the revival of traditional water systems integrates ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience Knowledge & Skills Prosperity & Livelihood |
2024-07-12 | |
| Integrating cultural and natural heritage values in urban development processes in Lyon (France) | Historic Site of Lyon | France | The 2019 urban plan aims to protect cultural and natural heritage values and their attributes through specific planning tools, such as green and blue infrastructure planning and the development of heritage ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience |
2023-07-12 |
| Pedestrianisation of historic streets and public spaces in Graz (Austria) | City of Graz – Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg | Austria | As part of a wider effort to create a pedestrian-only zone in the historic centre, the city of Graz carried an ambitious programme to re-design its historic streets and public spaces through high-quality design ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience |
2023-02-16 |
| Preventing climate-related impacts in the Chan Chan Archaeological Zone (Peru) | Chan Chan Archaeological Zone | Peru | After Chan Chan was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, a disaster risk reduction plan was developed and integrated with heritage management mechanisms. The plan provided valuable strategies for ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience |
2024-07-12 |
| Promoting climate change adaptation and mitigation in Lamu Old Town (Kenya) | Lamu Old Town | Kenya | Lamu Old Town faces multiple threats from climate change, energy needs and rapid social and economic transformation. The Lamu Old town management plan and the Lamu Municipality Waste Management Policy focused on ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience Prosperity & Livelihood |
2024-07-12 |
| Promoting traditional environmental knowledge in the M’Zab Valley (Algeria) | M'Zab Valley | Algeria | The traditional settlements of the M’Zab valley were adapted to their environment and climate. Floodable areas were occupied only by temporary structures and not by dwellings. Water infrastructure was a core ... | Climate Change Knowledge & Skills |
2024-07-12 |
| Reintroduction of hydropower in the mills district of the Town of Bamberg (Germany) | Town of Bamberg | Germany | The installation of a new water turbine at the site of the former water mills in the Town of Bamberg follows traditional water practices while respecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. The new ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience Prosperity & Livelihood |
2024-07-12 |
| Safeguarding Heritage against Climate Crisis | Climate change is among the greatest threats facing cultural and natural heritage today. One in three natural sites and one in six cultural heritage sites are currently threatened by climate change. In recent years ... | 2022-12-19 | |||
| Shaping the future of climate adaptation through Resilient Reefs | Climate change is today the biggest threat to coral reefs. Under a business-as-usual scenario, nearly 90% of the 29 World Heritage-listed coral reefs are expected to severely bleach twice-per-decade by 2040. | Climate Change Marine & coastal |
2024-04-23 | ||
| Strengthening residents’ connection with their gardening heritage in Bamberg (Germany) | Town of Bamberg | Germany | In the city of Bamberg, traditional gardening practices are part of the city’s strategy to promote urban sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic helped to strengthen the local community’s connection with its gardening ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience Prosperity & Livelihood |
2023-02-16 |
| Strengthening World Heritage properties’ resilience to face climate change | Climate change is becoming one of the most significant threats to World Heritage properties, jeopardizing the disappearance of their Outstanding Universal Value, their integrity and the potential for economic and ... | Climate Change | 2022-06-27 | ||
| Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of the historic city of L’Aquila (Italy) | Italy | The long-term plan aims to promote sustainable urban transportation, reduce emissions and pollution, and enhance liveability in the historic city by enhancing cycling networks and infrastructure, improving existing ... | Climate Change Environment & Resilience |
2023-02-16 | |
| Taking nature into account in the World Heritage Management plan of Strasbourg (France) | Strasbourg, Grande-Île and Neustadt | France | An update of the World Heritage management plan and urban planning tools seeks to integrate cultural and natural heritage values and their attributes in order to improve the city’s liveability and micro-climate. | Climate Change Environment & Resilience |
2023-02-16 |
| We are all Futurekeepers | Natural World Heritage sites are the planet’s most precious gifts to humanity. But our work across these 257 sites is not simply about protecting and preserving some of the world’s most beautiful locations, ... | Climate Change Disaster Risk Reduction Forests Marine & coastal Modern Heritage Natural Partnerships |
2024-04-05 | ||
| World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate | This report provides an overview of the increasing vulnerability of World Heritage sites to climate change impacts and the potential implications for and of global tourism. It also examines the close relationship ... | Climate Change Other materials Sustainable Tourism |
2022-06-27 | ||
| World Heritage and wind energy planning | Protecting visual integrity in the context of the energy transition. Inspiring practices from four European countries. This study presents examples from four European countries and shows how they deal with wind ... | Climate Change Other materials Publications |
2022-11-21 | ||
| Climate Change Marine | Marine World Heritage in a Changing Climate © Climate change has become the biggest threat to the conservation of the 50 marine sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Some 70% of these sites are ... | Climate Change Marine & coastal |
2023-10-18 | ||
| Youth from Caribbean SIDS and Central American give focus on Marine Biodiversity & Climate Change | Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection | Barbados · Belize · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Guatemala · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Panama · Saint Lucia · Suriname | The World Heritage Youth Project on Marine Biodiversity & Climate Change, held from 25th to 29th of January 2016 in Panama at the World Heritage site of Coiba National Park and its special zone of marine ... | Education & Training | 2022-06-27 |
| Patrimonito Storyboard Competition 2022 | This competition aims to provide young people with an opportunity to use their creative and problem-solving skills to raise awareness about World Heritage sites. | Education & Training | 2024-03-01 |