UNESCO World Heritage sites at risk due to Committee politicization, new report finds | WPN World People News

The political interests of World Heritage Committee members are being prioritized over its conservation mandate leaving many natural and mixed World Heritage sites with ineffective protection, according to a WWF report released on July 1.

Natural and mixed World Heritage sites represent some of our planet’s most precious places. Counting the Belize Barrier Reef and Selous Game Reserve among their number, they are recognized as globally significant due to the outstanding value they provide to both people and nature.

The new report, Our Natural World at Risk, which is released as the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee opens in Baku, Azerbaijan, assessed World Heritage Committee decisions for natural and mixed sites from 2014 to present. It found that diplomatic and bureaucratic strategies employed by State Parties regularly influenced Committee decisions to the contrary of the expert recommendations provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Convention’s advisory body for natural sites and the natural component of mixed sites.

In particular, since 2014:

● 46 per cent of Committee decisions focused on the nomination of natural and mixed World Heritage sites have gone against the advice of the IUCN.

● Draft decisions on the state of conservation of sites are frequently diluted, delaying responses to threats and deteriorating the effectiveness of the Convention as a conservation tool.

● The Committee has prevented 14 inscriptions and considerations for the List of World Heritage in Danger across 11 sites. Inscription of sites to this list is also delayed, with the average site under consideration for the list being considered almost three times.

Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF-International, said:

“This politicisation of Committee decisions, driven by political and economic interests, is significantly weakening the protection World Heritage site status provides. Committee members must ensure that conservation of these special places remains their priority. Our natural world, and the people who depend on it for their livelihoods, deserve nothing less.”

The report, prepared for WWF by Dalberg Global Development Advisors, emphasizes that the inscription of sites that IUCN advises not to inscribe, due to poor design or weak protection and management strategies, can result in an inability to mitigate future threats. Further, the delays in inscribing sites onto the List of World Heritage in Danger reduce the perceived urgency for countries to act to conserve sites and puts them at increased risk.

Since 2014, the overall effectiveness of protection and management of natural and mixed World Heritage sites has decreased, according to IUCN assessment1. Although this can only partly be attributed to increases in Committee politicization, it comes at the same time as natural and mixed sites have become exposed to increased threats, most notably from harmful industrial activities. Sites inscribed for their biodiversity values are the most threatened, with around 37 per cent of these sites categorized as critical or of high concern. These trends pose reputational and funding risks for the Convention, which could further reduce its ability to protect the planet’s heritage.

Lambertini added:

“Natural and mixed World Heritage sites are increasingly coming under threat from harmful industrial activities and unsustainable tourism. It is essential that they are provided the necessary protections, and through UNESCO the international community has a critical role to play. A shift to more evidence based decision-making by the Committee is urgently needed if these incredible places are going to be safeguarded for future generations to enjoy.”

Source: World Wildlife Fund