LATEST: RUSSIAN NGO ECODEFENSE! CRIMINALIZED BY RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES
In December last year, our network member Alexandra Koroleva, on behalf of the Russian NGO Ecodefense!, sent a technical report about the situation at the Curonian Spit World Heritage Site to UNESCO for consideration. Following the procedure under §174 of the Operational Guidelines, the World Heritage Centre transmitted the report to the relevant Russian authorities for review and comment. In response, the director of the Curonian Spit National Park requested the Prosecutor-General of the Russian Federation to bring charges against Alexandra for “defamation” of the Russian Federation, in clear contradiction to the facts.
Welcome to World Heritage Watch
The sites on the UNESCO list of world cultural and natural heritage are the most valuable monuments, the most important old towns, the most beautiful cultural landscapes and the most breathtaking ecosystems and natural monuments in the world. It is for a reason that the international community has decided to protect them through international law. We cannot and do not want to imagine a world without them.
But more and more world heritage sites are threatened by development pressure, mass tourism, war, resource depletion, urbanization, climate change and investor projects, but also by neglect and mismanagement. UNESCO alone is powerless; it can only warn governments.
CIVIL SOCIETY WORLDWIDE MUST DEMAND THE PROTECTION OF THE SITES.
With our network of over 150 groups worldwide, World Heritage Watch ensures that the world heritage is not sacrificed to political compromises and economic interests. We support UNESCO in getting complete and correct information about the situation of the sites. And we help local people to protect their sites and to benefit from them appropriately.
The UNESCO World Heritage sites are not just the heritage of a people or a state, but of all humanity.
WE ARE ALL CALLED TO PRESERVE THE WORLD HERITAGE SITES AND PASS THEM ON TO THE NEXT GENERATIONS UNSCATHED.
What you can do
- Send us reports about your observations and photos of any plans or activities which could negatively affect World Heritage Sites.
- Start a local group in your community to monitor the World Heritage Site(s) in your commune, municipality, region or country.
- Educate yourself and others about your World Heritage Site(s) and its management.
- Alert the media, and post messages on social media, about your activities.
- Support our work with a regular donation.