WWF Report: Half of World Heritage Sites Are Put at Risk by Industry and Development
Industrial development is a positive thing, right? For the most part, it is. A new report from the WWF says that because of industries growing rapidly in literally all parts of the world, half of what are called as World Heritage Sites are now being threatened.
The sites which are particularly in danger of major damage include the Grand Canyon in the United States, Szechuan giant panda sanctuaries in China, and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Although these sites are supposedly given protection by the status given to them by the United Nations, they no longer are safe from the invasion and intrusion of specific industries such as fossil fuel exploration, illegal logging, and others, WWF said.
According to the chief executive of WWF-UK, David Nussbaum, the fact that even a very tiny portion of the planet isn't getting the protection it needs is so unfortunate. It seems like countries and corporations are more concerned about protecting their business and industry interests instead of the world's natural resources and the ecosystem.
The Guardian reports that of the 229 world heritage sites, at least 114 of them are labelled as having utmost importance because of their natural habitat and the existence of flora and fauna. What is sad is that the very same sites are being subjected to constant abuse due to concessions given to fossil fuel mining and other kinds of industrial activities.
The United Nations are also being targeted by critics contending that the world organization hasn't done enough to protect the sites, although they actually are toothless when it comes to stopping industries from stepping outside their supposed boundaries. The governments of the countries where those world heritage sites are located should be in charge of their protection. If no uniform understanding is made between the nations involved, the world will soon find all those precious sites gone forever.
