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Increased mining threats in World Heritage sites, IUCN warns

01.07.2011

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) invites extractive industries and governments that licence their activities to commit to stopping all mining and oil/gas exploration and exploitation activities, which could damage the World Heritage Sites. IUCN states in a new World Heritage Advice Note that threats posed by planned mining and oil and gas projects particularly affect all 37 World Heritage Sites located in Africa. One in four African sites are in danger, which is a trend that has increased from 16 percent in 2009 to 24 percent. These sites included in the World Heritage List cover less than one percent of the Earth’s surfaces and should be considered of outstanding value to humanity, says Tim Badman, Director of IUCN’s World Heritage Programme.