UNESCO’s latest report highlights the extraordinary contribution of its sites for both people and nature. While global wildlife populations have declined by 73 per cent since 1970, those within UNESCO-protected areas have remained comparatively stable.
These sites represent over 1,000 languages, and a quarter of them overlap with Indigenous Peoples’ territories. People and Nature in UNESCO-Designated Sites: Global and Local Contributions is the first report to examine all UNESCO categories – World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Global Geoparks – as a single network of over 2,260 sites covering more than 13 million km², an area larger than China and India combined.
“The findings are clear: UNESCO sites are delivering for both people and nature. Inside these territories, communities thrive, humanity’s heritage endures, and biodiversity is holding on while it collapses elsewhere. By measuring the global value and contributions of these sites, this report reveals what we stand to lose if they are not prioritised. It is an urgent call to scale ambition, recognising UNESCO sites as strategic assets in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, and investing now to protect ecosystems, cultures, and livelihoods for generations to come,” said Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO Director-General.
A vital network under growing pressure
UNESCO-designated sites encompass more than 60 per cent of globally mapped species, with around 40 per cent of these found nowhere else on Earth, the report shows. These sites also store an estimated 240 gigatons of carbon, equivalent to nearly two decades of current global emissions if released, and each year their forests alone account for approximately 15 per cent of the carbon absorbed by forests worldwide.
Yet despite their global significance, these sites are under mounting pressure. Nearly 90 per cent of sites face high levels of environmental stress, and climate-related hazards have increased by 40 per cent in just the last decade. More than one in four UNESCO-designated sites could reach critical tipping points by 2050, with potentially irreversible impacts. Without stronger action, risks include the disappearance of glaciers, coral reef collapse, species displacement, increasing water stress, and forests turning from carbon sinks into carbon sources.
People and livelihoods at the heart of these landscapes
The report also highlights the profound connection of nature and communities in these environments. Together, these sites are home to nearly 900 million people, roughly 10 per cent of the global population. Over 1,000 languages are documented across UNESCO-designated sites, and at least 25 per cent encompass Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories, rising to nearly 50 per cent in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. Overlaying economic output with UNESCO sites and their surrounding areas, the report finds that around 10 per cent of global GDP is generated in these zones.
Acting now can still make a measurable difference
The report finds that action taken today can significantly reduce future risks: every 1°C of warming avoided could halve the number of UNESCO sites exposed to major disruption by the end of the century.
These areas also harbour untapped potential for climate policy: while around 80 per cent of national biodiversity plans include UNESCO sites, only 5 per cent of national climate plans do so.The report calls for scaling up action through four priorities: restoring ecosystems to rebuild resilience; developing sustainably through increased transboundary cooperation; further integrating UNESCO-designated sites into global climate plans; and governing more inclusively with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
UNESCO sites are worth investing in
UNESCO-designated sites demonstrate that people and nature can thrive together. From wildlife populations holding stable while the rest of the world’s decline, to conservation successes like the recovery of mountain gorillas in areas affected by armed conflict, these places show what is possible when protection is sustained over time and supported by local communities.
The findings of this report, drawing on partnerships with more than 20 leading research institutions worldwide, highlight the need to scale that ambition, recognising UNESCO-designated not only as conservation areas but also as strategic assets for addressing global environmental and societal challenges. Investing in their protection today means safeguarding irreplaceable ecosystems, living cultures, and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people for generations to come.
About UNESCO
With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information.
Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions, with a global network of 200 National Commissions. Its Director-General is Khaled El-Enany.“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed” – UNESCO Constitution, 1945.
More information: www.unesco.org.
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