Nearly three-quarters of the world’s 1,172 non-marine UNESCO World Heritage Sites are now exposed to at least one severe water-related threat, according to an assessment released by UNESCO in partnership with the World Resources Institute. The study identifies water stress, drought, and both riverine and coastal flooding as the principal hazards and links their growing frequency and intensity to rising global temperatures. Water scarcity is the most common danger for cultural landmarks, while more than half of natural sites face high risks of flooding. About 21% of all sites experience both extremes—too little water in some years and too much in others—underscoring the mounting pressure on conservation efforts and local economies that depend on tourism. Iconic locations illustrate the breadth of the problem. India’s Taj Mahal is suffering from groundwater depletion and pollution tied to chronic water shortages. A 2022 deluge forced the closure of Yellowstone National Park in the United States, with infrastructure repairs exceeding $20 million. Recurring drought is diminishing Victoria Falls on the Zambia–Zimbabwe border, while Peru’s pre-Columbian city of Chan Chan faces severe flood risk linked to El Niño. Iraq’s southern marshes—often cited as the biblical Garden of Eden—are under extreme water stress, and sea-level rise is threatening coastal wetlands vital to migratory birds in China. UNESCO warns that water stress is projected to intensify, particularly across the Middle East and North Africa, parts of South Asia and northern China. The agency urges governments to incorporate water-risk assessments into site management plans and climate-adaptation strategies to safeguard both heritage and the communities that rely on it.
Furacões, secas, inundações: 73% dos patrimônios culturais e naturais do mundo estão sob 'risco severo', diz ONU https://t.co/ZYtwuZQAp3
Almost three quarters of the globe's cultural and natural heritage sites are threatened by too little or too much water, the UN's cultural agency said on Tuesday. #news #cultural #natural #heritage #sites #water #UN Read on https://t.co/KVnZeIcj05 https://t.co/px9xSIEbon
Almost three-quarters of the globe's cultural and natural heritage sites are threatened by too little or too much water, the UN's cultural agency said on Tuesday. https://t.co/aN92DiorwH