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A fifth of identified life on Earth may be present in Unesco world heritage websites, in accordance with the primary survey of the planet’s most vital cultural and historic landmarks.
From the Nice Barrier Reef to the Kazakh steppe, practically three-quarters of all recorded chicken species, two-thirds of all mammals and greater than half of all laborious corals have been recorded at world heritage websites though they cowl lower than 1% of the planet, in accordance with the brand new evaluation produced by Unesco and the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature.
The 1,157 protected websites in nearly each nation on Earth, which embody key nature websites such because the Okavango delta alongside landmarks such because the Nice Wall of China, are house to among the world’s most threatened species, together with all remaining Javan rhinos, vaquita porpoises and pink iguanas, together with greater than half of all mountain gorillas, breeding albatrosses and Sumatran orangutans..
Hyperion, the world’s tallest tree, standing at 115 metres, the stinking corpse lily, the most important flower, and the wintering area of the monarch butterfly are additionally discovered on the earth heritage websites, in accordance with the report. The survey discovered that collectively, the websites cowl an space bigger than India, together with forests spanning twice the scale of Germany.
However specialists say the world heritage websites are threatened by local weather breakdown and human overconsumption, prompting warnings that some species might go extinct within the protected areas regardless of being recognised as globally vital.
The report authors say governments ought to think twice about how higher to guard the websites as they plan for assembly this decade’s UN biodiversity targets, that are due earlier than biodiversity Cop16 subsequent yr, as a part of their efforts to guard 30% of Earth and restore degraded ecosystems.
Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of world heritage at Unesco, mentioned that whereas most world heritage websites had been cultural, in addition they included many vital pure areas that should urgently get higher safety.
“The primary message is that we would like governments to do extra to guard these areas. World heritage websites are important for the safety of biodiversity. We would like them to do extra by giving them the information to point out that if they don’t defend these areas, so many key species could go extinct. Vaquitas, the Javan rhinoceros, mountain gorillas: they’re all in world heritage websites,” he mentioned.
“We thought it was vital to collect all the important thing scientific information and data regarding biodiversity at world heritage websites so folks can see they’re house to key species that would go extinct if the areas weren’t protected,” he added.
Different examples of distinctive biodiversity embody Shark Bay in Australia, house to the most important seagrass plant on Earth, which stretches over 110 miles, and the two,600-year-old Abuelo tree in Argentina.
The survey discovered that Unesco websites additionally cowl important migration routes such because the east Atlantic flyway for birds that stretches from the Arctic to South Africa and the east Asian-Australasian flyway. Routes for elephants, sharks and saiga antelope are additionally included, together with the good migration of wildebeest on the plains of east Africa.
To enhance how websites are higher protected, the report recommends that nations embody Unesco websites of their nationwide biodiversity methods and motion plans, which can element how a rustic is contributing in the direction of nature targets agreed eventually December’s Cop15 biodiversity convention.
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This article by Patrick Greenfield was first printed by The Guardian on 31 August 2023. Lead Picture: Flamingos in Everglades nationwide park, Florida. {Photograph}: Julia Thomsen.
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