Rapid Response Facility (RRF) © Oreades The Rapid Response Facility (RRF) is a fund that provides grants to protected areas in the event of a sudden crisis. We mainly finance initiatives aimed at ...
Marine Programme: World Heritage marine managers
World Heritage Marine Managers A flagship network empowered to transform how we protect Watch © The World Heritage List includes 51 marine sites across 37 nations. Local managers at these sites ...
World Heritage Marine Programme
50 flagship marine protected areas of Outstanding Universal Value: Beacons of Hope In a Changing Ocean
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Over the past few years, the security situation at the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex has become a major concern as several armed groups have been operating in the region, causing the evacuation of management staff in some ...
Marine Programme: State of Conservation Reporting
Marine Programme: State of Conservation Reporting © World Heritage status signifies that a place is unique and irreplaceable. But the recognition comes with responsibilities. As a condition for ...
Marine World Heritage in a Changing Climate © Climate change has become the biggest threat to the conservation of the 51 marine sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Some 70% of these sites are ...
World Heritage and Biodiversity
Biological diversity underpins ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services essential for human well-being. World Heritage properties are the most outstanding places on the planet and constitute a ...
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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 ...
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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.
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, ...
Corporate sector and the World Heritage ‘no-go’ commitment
Across the extractives, finance, insurance and hydropower sectors, among others, major public and private companies and industry associations have committed to protect UNESCO World Heritage sites. They have often ...
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The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers 96.828 ha, including the North and South Atolls. It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site ...
The Arctic Ocean urgently needs protection as melting sea ice is opening up previously inaccessible areas to activities such as shipping, bottom trawl fishing and oil exploration, according to a scientific report ...
Facts & Figures: The Importance of UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites for Global Biodiversity
The importance of UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites for Global Biodiversity Facts & Figures © Adam Mitchell / Seychelles Island Foundation From the largest tropical seabird rookery to the ...
Initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest
There exist a great variety of religious and sacred sites that are representative of the different cultures and traditions of the world. Approximately 20 percent of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage ...
Evaluation Mission of the Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves
Objectives The Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991 and on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1992, in particular because of the impact of armed conflict. This ...
UNESCO World Heritage Forests © David Geldhof / Yosemite National Park Forests are some of the most biodiversity-rich habitats on Earth. They play a crucial role in climate regulation by ...
The mid ocean ridge systems are the largest geological features on the planet. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is a mostly underwater mountain range in the Atlantic Ocean that runs from 87°N -about 333km south of the ...
Saving nature and livelihoods: Belize
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS) won its place on the World Heritage List in 1996 as an outstanding natural system, consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, ...
Engaging Local Communities in the Stewardship of World Heritage (COMPACT)
COMPACT Engaging Local Communities in the Stewardship of World Heritage © Local communities and indigenous peoples are, and have been for centuries, the custodians of many World Heritage ...