PARIS, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called for better protection of its sites, including World Heritage, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks.
In a report titled "People and Nature in UNESCO Sites: Global and Local Contributions," published on Tuesday, the organization highlighted the role of its sites in addressing global environmental and societal challenges.
The report is the first to examine all UNESCO sites, which number over 2260, as a single network covering over 13 million square kilometers.
UNESCO sites are home to more than 60 percent of the world's mapped species, it highlighted, around 40 percent of which are found nowhere else on Earth. The sites also contain some 240 gigatons of carbon, the equivalent of nearly 20 years of current global emissions if released, and they support around 10 percent of the world's population.
However, despite their global importance, UNESCO sites face growing pressure. Nearly 90 percent are exposed to high levels of environmental stress, while climate-related risks have risen by 40 percent over the past decade, the report said.
Unless more action is taken, the sites face increasing threats from disappearing glaciers, collapsing coral reefs, species displacement, growing water stress, and the shift of forests from carbon sinks to carbon sources, it added.
The report calls for more efforts in four priority areas: restoring ecosystems to build resilience; promoting sustainable development through greater cross-border cooperation; further incorporating UNESCO sites into global climate plans; and establishing more inclusive governance for Indigenous peoples and local communities. ■
