Climate change is reshaping the conditions under which some of UNESCO’s most celebrated natural and cultural sites exist — from bleaching coral reefs and retreating glaciers to low-lying atolls threatened by rising seas.
The Democratic Republic of Congo holds five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, all natural parks — four remain on the danger list today, threatened by armed conflict, poaching, and resource extraction in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.
Ukraine has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the danger list since 2023 — Kyiv’s Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Lavra, L’viv’s historic centre, and Odesa — all endangered by Russia’s ongoing military campaign.
Yemen has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites formally listed as endangered, including Sana’a, Shibam, and the ancient Kingdom of Saba’s Marib landmarks — all threatened by the ongoing civil war since 2015.
Libya’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Leptis Magna, Sabratha, Cyrene, Tadrart Acacus, and Ghadamès — were all added to UNESCO’s danger list in 2016 after civil conflict left ancient monuments without state protection.
The Arab States region holds 22 of 53 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Danger globally — more than any other region — driven by armed conflict in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Gaza, and Lebanon’s ongoing financial crisis.
Syria holds six UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Damascus, Aleppo, Palmyra, Bosra, Crac des Chevaliers, and the Ancient Villages — and every one has been on the danger list since 2013, a direct consequence of the Syrian civil war.
Fifty-three UNESCO World Heritage Sites are currently listed as in danger, spanning five regions and threatened by armed conflict, climate change, illegal extraction, and governance failure — alongside a small but growing number of recovery stories.
