Category: Niger

Agadez Mosque World Heritage; Deutsche Welle

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Photo: Deutsche Welle

In Niger the famous mosque of Agadez built about 700 years ago continues to attract tourists from all over the world. But unfortunately this UNESCO World Heritage Site is facing threats of destruction from floods due to climate change.

Source: Agadez Mosque World Heritage

Natural World Heritage Sites in trouble, especially in the Tropics; Claire Asher; Monga Bay

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Niger – Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves

A new assessment of UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites found 35 percent with significant conservation concerns, or worse. Most are in the Tropics.

  • From the Great Barrier Reef to the Galapagos Islands and the forests of central Africa, over a third of Natural World Heritage Sites designated by UNESCO are under threat from myriad problems.
  • Of the seventeen locations with a critical conservation outlook, sixteen are in the Tropics, and the majority of those are in Africa. Less than half of African World Heritage sites received a “good” outlook. Lack of funding in developing nations is a major problem.
  • Sites harboring rich biodiversity, such as Virunga and Garamba national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve in Honduras, are especially at risk.
  • The most common threats are invasive non-native species, unsustainable tourism, poaching, hydroelectric dams, and logging.

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