Call to save wonders of world that face climate catastrophe
AURA SABADUS

SOME of the world's greatest natural wonders are at risk from global warming, intensive development and neglect, according to an international coalition of lawyers and environmentalists, which yesterday called for immediate action to protect them.

Mount Everest, the Great Barrier Reef and the Peruvian Andes are among the sites singled out by the coalition as being at risk.

Gathering at an annual meeting in Lithuania, the campaigners urged UNESCO's World Heritage Committee to include the five sites on a danger list because of the potentially devastating effects of rising temperatures.

The move, which has the support of eminent figures including Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary, spells out the need for the Mount Everest National Park, the Peruvian Andes, the Waterton-Glacier Peace Park and the Great Barrier and Belize Barrier coral reefs to be placed under special protection from international institutions.

Campaigners believe adding sites to the list of places at risk from rising temperatures would send a powerful political signal about the impact of climate change. Recent studies show rising ocean temperatures are endangering coral reefs and warming air is melting glaciers.

The World Heritage Convention, which was set up in 1972 to "preserve the world's natural and scenic areas", requires all countries to pass listed sites intact to future generations. But environmentalists argue that this will not happen unless urgent action is taken on climate change and governments including the US administration agree to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

They have now called on the World Heritage Committee to urge governments to cut their emissions as part of their duty to protect and hand on World Heritage Sites to future generations.

They also want countries which signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or the Kyoto Protocol to take the requirements of the treaties into account when negotiating on issues.

A third proviso requires qualified observers to visit each petition site to evaluate the nature and extent of the threats, and to propose the measures to be taken.

The co-director of the Climate Justice Programme, Peter Roderick, said: "The World Heritage Committee has a vital role to play in protecting the planet's best parts from climate change.

"The dangers are clear, and the main cause of the problem is known. The committee has a duty to protect these sites. It must uphold the World Heritage Convention as an effective international agreement and recognise the legal need for significant cuts in climate pollution."

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Catherine Pearce said: "Climate change is already having a terrible impact on some of the world's most spectacular natural heritage sites. But the World Heritage Committee can play a crucial role in trying to protect these sites.

"It must pledge immediate action to try and mitigate the threat these sites face and make it clear to the international community that cuts in carbon dioxide emissions are urgently needed."


HURRICANES and bleaching are the most serious threats to the Belize Barrier Reefs. Made up of seven protected marine areas, Belize is home to the longest coral reef in the western hemisphere and the second largest after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Between 1997 and 1999 about half the live coral was lost due to a combination of bleaching and damage from Hurricane Mitch, with at least one reef inside the site losing more than 90 per cent of its coral.

There are more than 500 species of fish and 350 types of molluscs living in the tropical waters and over 200 plants growing in coastal Belize. But much native vegetation on the islands on the reef has either been eliminated or disturbed for coconut plantations, and coastal forests were cleared to make way for urban developments.

Bird fauna is also at particular risk as much of the critical forest habitat lies on private land.

Despite its enormous value to the overall economy of Belize - tourism alone generates nearly £50 million every year - the ecosystem is threatened by over-exploitation of reef resources by the fishing and tourist industries. The reefs within the Hol Chan area near San Pedro Town are showing signs of stress caused by over- collecting and damage from boats' anchors.

A UNESCO World Heritage report says other major disturbances include habitat alteration caused by hotel and marina construction, heavy use of agrochemicals and sewage pollution from tourist resorts and urban centres. Erosion of the shoreline by removal of vegetation including mangroves and seagrass areas are also a major threat.