World Heritage sites are the last line of defense against

World Heritage sites are the last line of defense against extinction National Geographic

More than 20,000 endangered species live in World Heritage sites, the last bulwarks against extinction.

Although the specified places natural world heritage of humanity they are fair 1% of the earth’s surfacethere more of it 20% diversity the currently existing flora and fauna, many of which are endangered die out. The above was confirmed by a joint investigation by the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCOfor its acronym in English) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Today they exist all over the world 1,157 World Heritage Sites. However, 900 of them received the appointment for cultural reasonswhile only 218 correspond to reasons related to the Nature. 39 are classified as mixed.

“This 1,157 locations “They are not only historically and culturally exceptional, but also essential for preserving the diversity of life on Earth, maintaining essential ecosystem services and combating climate change,” explained the Director General of the UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.

The last bastion of more than 20,000 endangered species

It is estimated that More than 20,000 endangered species live in places that have been declared World Heritage Sites. Symbolic animals of our time such as elephants, tigers, pandas, rhinos, monkeys and lions live in these zones of biological resistance.

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There are Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos Islands, Iguazu Falls, El Vizcaíno Whale Sanctuary and more some examples of the above mentioned nature reserves. These are distributed in 167 countries.

Regarding this information, UNESCO urges nations hosting sites to do so World Heritage to include action plans for them in their strategies and policies Protection of this biodiversity.

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Likewise, the company stated that all managers will receive training in these areas Strategies for adapting to climate change for 2025. And in 2029It is expected that all sites already have plans in place to address these issues.

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