Revealed: The factors threatening our World Heritage Sites

80% of top ten sites are affected by conflict

From historic monuments ravaged by climate change, to old cities buckling under the impact of tourism, a number of heritage sites around the world are endangered. But, what are the factors impacting these places that means we might lose them forever?

On The Go Tours have looked at 53 of the World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO as ‘in danger’  to determine which types of issues are applying a strain to these areas, monuments and landscapes.

Top 10 sites with the highest amount of endangering factors:

1.         Río Pltano Biosphere Reserve. 12 threats.

2.         Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves. 11 threats.

3.         Ancient Villages of Northern Syria. 11 threats.

4.         Archaeological Site of Cyrene. 10 threats.

5.         Site of Palmyra. 10 threats.

6.         East Rennell. 9 threats.

7.         Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve. 9 threats.

8.         Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls. 9 threats.

9.         Old City of Sana’a. 8 threats.

10.       Selous Game Reserve. 8 threats.

All of the top 10 World Heritage Sites with the highest amount of endangering factors are affected by one, or more, issues related to ‘Politics’ which includes ‘Governance’. ‘Financial Resources’, ‘Legal Framework’ and ‘Management Activities’. 80% of the sites featured on the top 10 list are also affected by issues related to ‘War/Conflict’.

There are three sites on the UNESCO World Heritage ‘in danger’ list that only have one threatening factor listed: Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna, Archaeological Site of Sabratha and Old Town of Ghadamès. All of these sites are located in Libya, Northern Africa, and are affected by the threat of ‘War’.

Where in the world can we find the highest concentration of endangered World Heritage Sites?

Both Asia and Africa are home to 20 different World Heritage Sites each. North and South America have four each, whilst Europe has three and Oceania has two.

The country with the most endangered World Heritage Sites is Syria with six locations including the Ancient City of Aleppo and the Site of Palmyra. All of the endangered World Heritage Sites in Syria are affected by ‘War/Conflict’ and ‘Urbanisation’ related issues. Libya and Democratic Republic of the Congo follow closely behind in joint second position with five locations each.

In total, there are 287 individual threats affecting our endangered World Heritage Sites. See the On the Go Tours graphic here

‘Urbanisation’ proves to be the most dangerous factor to World Heritage Sites with 86 individual threats across the 53 sites. ‘Politics’ is the second most threatening factor with 66 threats, and ‘Environmental Impacts’ and ‘War/Conflict’ take joint third spot with 52 threats.

The World Heritage Site most affected by war is the Old City of Sana’a located in Yemen, Asia. Three issues relating to conflict in the surrounding areas are listed as reasons behind it’s endangered listing: civil unrest, social cohesion and war.

East Rennell is the World Heritage Site that has the most environmental factors listed. Rennell is situated in the Western Pacific and is the southernmost of the Solomon Islands. A couple of the factors that saw it’s listing in 2013 include changes to oceanic waters, storms, forestry and commercial hunting

The Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz, found in Uzbekistan. has six factors in total. Two-thirds of these factors are affected by ‘Politics’ and includes legal framework and financial resources.

It seems that society’s effect on these places is proving more harmful than helpful. 50% of the factors behind the Río Pltano Biosphere Reserve’s listing fall under the ‘Urbanisation’ threat and includes land conversion, water infrastructure and livestock farming.

In order for future generations to enjoy and experience these endangered World Heritage Sites, more needs to be done to help preserve them. By raising awareness of the impacts that implicate them, including environmental and urbanisation issues, we can prevent losing these iconic spaces and landmarks of history. For more information on the factors threatening our UNESCO World Heritage Sites, View details on each of the World Heritage Sites and the factors that list them on the interactive chart HERE

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