The report, People and Nature in UNESCO-Designated Sites: Global and Local Contributions, is the first UNESCO report in Paris to assess UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and UNESCO Global Geoparks as a single global network. Together, these more than 2,260 sites cover over 13 million km² - an area larger than China and India combined.
Its findings are striking. While global wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970, those within UNESCO-designated sites have remained comparatively stable. The report also finds that these sites encompass more than 60% of globally mapped species, with around 40% of these found nowhere else on Earth.
Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO Director-General, said:
“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.”
A globally important network under growing pressure
The report shows that UNESCO-designated sites are of major environmental significance. Collectively, they store an estimated 240 gigatons of carbon - equivalent to nearly two decades of current global emissions if released. Their forests alone account for around 15% of the carbon absorbed by forests worldwide each year.
But the report also warns that these places are under increasing strain. Nearly 90% of UNESCO-designated sites face high levels of environmental stress, while climate-related hazards have increased by 40% over the past decade. More than one in four sites could reach critical tipping points by 2050, with potentially irreversible consequences.
Without stronger action, risks include glacier loss, coral reef collapse, species displacement, increasing water stress, and forests shifting from carbon sinks to carbon sources.
People and nature are deeply connected
The report underlines that UNESCO-designated sites are not only important for nature, but also for people, culture and livelihoods.
Nearly 900 million people - around 10% of the world’s population - live in these sites or their surrounding areas. More than 1,000 languages are documented across them, and at least a quarter overlap with Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories, rising to nearly half in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.
The report also finds that around 10% of global GDP is generated in UNESCO-designated sites and their surrounding areas, underlining their wider social and economic significance.
Action now can still reduce risk
UNESCO’s analysis suggests that action taken today can make a substantial difference. Every 1°C of warming avoided could halve the number of UNESCO-designated sites exposed to major disruption by the end of the century.
Yet while around 80% of national biodiversity plans include UNESCO sites, only 5% of national climate plans currently do so. The report argues that these places should be recognised more fully as strategic assets in responding to climate change and biodiversity loss.
It sets out four priority areas for action:
- restoring ecosystems to strengthen resilience
- supporting sustainable development, including through transboundary cooperation
- integrating UNESCO-designated sites more fully into climate policy and planning
- strengthening inclusive governance with Indigenous Peoples and local communities
A strong case for investment
The report makes a clear case that UNESCO-designated sites are worth investing in. From biodiversity holding steady in protected areas while declining elsewhere, to examples such as the recovery of mountain gorillas in conflict-affected regions, these places show what can be achieved through long-term protection, collaboration and local stewardship.
Drawing on partnerships with more than 20 leading research institutions worldwide, the report presents UNESCO-designated sites not simply as protected areas, but as places of global strategic importance - for nature, culture, climate action and sustainable livelihoods.
