Climate Change Poses Mounting Threat to Natural World Heritage Sites: IUCN

October 13, 2025 4:20 PM

Climate Change Poses Mounting Threat to Natural World Heritage Sites: IUCN

Climate change has emerged as the single greatest threat to the world’s natural World Heritage sites, affecting nearly half of them, according to the IUCN World Heritage Outlook 4 released at the IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi. The report warns that 43% of natural sites now face severe climate-related risks, surpassing all other pressures, while invasive alien species impact 30% of sites. The number of sites affected by wildlife and plant diseases has also increased sharply, rising from 2% in 20...

Climate Threats, Invasive Species Endanger Natural World Heritage Sites: IUCN Report

October 13, 2025 3:46 PM

Climate Threats, Invasive Species Endanger Natural World Heritage Sites: IUCN Report

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 co...