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Analysis on the threats and spatiotemporal distribution pattern of security in World Natural Heritage Sites

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Abstract

World Natural Heritage Sites (WNHS) are treasures that need human protection and invite appreciation, which makes conservation of WNHS an urgent task. This paper assesses where in the world threats are most pressing and which WNHS require emergency assistance. Using an analysis of “hot spots” and inverse distance weighting, it finds that Africa is the region where WNHS are least secure. Reports of the state of the conservation of WNHS describe the many threats that exist. Of these, management activities and institutional factors are the primary threats. The paper suggests relevant measures to improve the WNHS security.

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Notes

  1. World Natural Heritage Sites include natural heritage and mixed heritage identified by the WHC of UNESCO.

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Acknowledgments

Based on the data obtained from the WHC, the security of WNHS in the world was analyzed in this paper. We appreciate the work that the WHC has been doing to protect the WHS, and we thank the WHC sincerely. This paper is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41301163) and its program sponsoring doctors in the western region of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XBBS201210). We also appreciate the suggestions of all anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS, 830011, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

    Zhaoguo Wang, Zhaoping Yang & Xishihui Du

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China

    Zhaoguo Wang

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  1. Zhaoguo Wang
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  2. Zhaoping Yang
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  3. Xishihui Du
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Correspondence to Zhaoping Yang.

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Wang, Z., Yang, Z. & Du, X. Analysis on the threats and spatiotemporal distribution pattern of security in World Natural Heritage Sites. Environ Monit Assess 187, 4143 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4143-5

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