Protecting our world heritage, insuring a sustainable future

World Heritage Sites are recognised for their unparalleled beauty, global significance and/or biological diversity and the important economic, social and environmental benefits they provide to people. They are a source of inspiration and contribute to human well-being. Natural World Heritage Sites, in particular, provide vital resources such as food and water.

They deliver critical environmental services such as stabilising soils, preventing floods and capturing carbon, all of which increase our resilience to the most harmful impacts of a warming climate. These sites also contribute significantly to economies through jobs, tourism and recreation.

However, almost half of all natural World Heritage Sites across the globe are threatened by industrial activities and large infrastructure developments, which may cause irreversible damage to the outstanding universal value of these sites.