Climate change now threatens nearly half of the world’s natural World Heritage sites, overtaking all other pressures, according to the IUCN World Heritage Outlook 4 released at the IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi. The report finds that 43% of sites face severe climate threats, while invasive alien species affect 30%, and wildlife and plant diseases are rising sharply, now impacting 9% of sites, up from just 2% in 2020.

Based on a decade of assessments since 2014, the Outlook provides the most comprehensive global analysis of the state of natural World Heritage. It reveals that the proportion of sites with a positive conservation outlook has dropped from 62% in 2020 to 57% this year, with biodiversity-rich areas most affected.

“Protecting World Heritage is not just about safeguarding iconic pl

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