This is the 2024 edition of the World Heritage Watch Report, a 228-page annual publication by World Heritage Watch e.V. It compiles 55 contributions from civil society actors worldwide, documenting threats to UNESCO World Heritage sites. The report is intended for heritage professionals, policymakers, and the public concerned with the preservation of cultural and natural heritage.
The World Heritage Watch Report 2024 is the tenth annual edition from World Heritage Watch e.V., a global network of over 200 civil society actors in more than 60 countries. This 228-page volume presents 55 contributions documenting threats to UNESCO World Heritage sites, aimed at heritage professionals, policymakers, and the public. The report highlights ongoing challenges, including armed conflict, climate change, and inadequate protection measures.
The first section, Monuments and Sites, covers individual landmarks under threat. Cases include Stonehenge in the UK, the Ġgantija Temples in Malta, the Acropolis of Athens, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Chora in Istanbul, Tauric Chersonesos, Petra in Jordan, and sites in Gaza, St Catherine Area in Egypt, Sudan, and Tigray in Ethiopia. Each contribution details specific damages, planning abuses, or management failures.
The second section, Historic Cities and Urban Ensembles, addresses threats to urban heritage. Examples include St Petersburg's Okhta Cape, the Waldsiedlung Berlin-Zehlendorf, Goslar, Vienna's Historic Centre, Venice, Safranbolu, the Lake District, Prosecco Hills, Fertö / Lake Neusiedl, Ohrid, Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens, Battir, and the Classical Gardens of Suzhou. Reports focus on development pressures, illegal construction, and inadequate conservation.
Later sections cover natural heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, Canaima National Park, Lake Bogoria, the Galapagos Islands, the Wadden Sea, Doñana, the Aeolian Islands, the Western Caucasus, Kazakhstan, the Western Tien Shan, Tigrovaya Balka, Lake Baikal, and the Volcanoes of Kamchatka. These contributions emphasize threats from climate change, energy projects, and mismanagement, with calls for stronger international oversight.
The report concludes with an annex listing authors and a preface discussing the effectiveness of the World Heritage Convention. It notes the 50th anniversary of the Convention and the lack of systemic improvements, urging more engaged State Parties and leadership. The document includes 296 photos, 30 graphics, and 52 maps, with an ISBN and editorial team details.