Conflict, Crises Threaten Six World Heritage Sites, UNESCO Warns

Chiemelie Eze The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has placed six World Heritage sites on its List of World Heritage in Danger, citing the growing impact of armed conflict, insecurity, climate change and environmental pressures on globally significant cultural and natural heritage. As cited by United Nations News, the decision was taken during the World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan, Republic of Korea, where three newly inscribed sites were granted emergency protection before being added to the danger list, while three existing World Heritage sites were also listed due to escalating threats. The newly protected sites are the Mount Amel Castles in southern Lebanon, which have suffered extensive damage during the ongoing conflict; Sebastia in the Occupied West Bank, threatened by conflict, development pressures and proposed national park plans; and South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape, home to the world’s largest known terrestrial mammal migration, which is under pressure from commercial poaching, wildlife trafficking, infrastructure development and persistent insecurity. UNESCO also added the Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora in Crimea, Ukraine, citing deterioration linked to Russia’s temporary occupation of the peninsula; the ancient city of Tyre in Lebanon, endangered by continued hostilities; and the Historic Inner City of Paramaribo in Suriname, where new construction has significantly altered its historic landscape. According to UNESCO, the danger listing is intended to mobilise international cooperation and technical support to protect sites facing exceptional threats, underscoring the growing risks that conflicts, climate change and unchecked development pose to the world’s shared cultural and natural heritage.