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UNESCO danger-listing petitions presented

Climate Justice Programme, 17 November, 2004 -- The impact of climate change on some of the world’s unique and irreplaceable areas will be highlighted tomorrow as petitions from three developing countries are handed in to the World Heritage Committee in Paris. The petitions ask the Committee urgently to place the Belize Barrier Reef, the Huarascán National Park (Peru) and the Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal) World Heritage Sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger as a result of climate change.

Climate Justice Programme, 17 November 2004

For immediate release

[Este nota de prensa en espanol]

The impact of climate change on some of the world’s unique and irreplaceable areas will be highlighted tomorrow as petitions from three developing countries are handed in to the World Heritage Committee in Paris.

The petitions ask the Committee urgently to place the Belize Barrier Reef, the Huarascán National Park (Peru) and the Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal) World Heritage Sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger as a result of climate change.

Danger-listing is a legal mechanism under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention requiring an increased level of protection where the best parts of the planet are facing serious and significant threats. State Parties to the Convention have a legal obligation to transmit World Heritage Sites to future generations. [ 1 ]

The Belize Barrier Reef was described by Charles Darwin in 1842 as "the most remarkable reef in the West Indies," but the increase in sea temperatures and atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have already damaged the Reef and will damage it further. The seven sites comprising the World Heritage Site Reef illustrate the evolutionary history of reef development. It is a natural tropical aquarium rich in coral, with sharks, dolphins and tropical fish, and a significant habitat for threatened species, including marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile. The petitioner is the Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy. [ 3 ]

Huarascán National Park is located in the Cordillera Blanca in the Peruvian Andes, the world's highest tropical mountain range, with Mount Huascáran rising to 6,768 m above sea-level. It is the home of the spectacled bear and the Andean condor. More than 20% of the glacial coverage has been lost in the Peruvian Andes since 1968, and melting glaciers form lakes which could burst if action is not taken. The lead petitioner is Foro Ecológico del Peru. [ 4 ]

Sagarmatha National Park is dominated by Mount Everest/Sagarmatha, the highest peak in the world (8,848 m), as well as hosting several rare species, such as the snow leopard and the lesser panda, and being home to the Sherpas, with their unique culture. Himalayan glaciers have been in retreat for decades and a resulting hazard is the formation of many glacial lakes at risk from outburst flood. One study has identified 13 of these lakes in the Park. The lead petitioner is Forum for the Protection of Public Interest (Pro Public), part of Friends of the Earth International. Co-petitioners include record-holding Everest climbers Pemba Dorjee Sherpa and Temba Tsheri Sherpa, as well as Sir David Attenborough, Sir Chris Bonington, Reinhold Messner and Stephen Venables. [ 5 ]

As well as calling for remedial measures within each of the World Heritage Sites, these petitions from developing countries also point to the need and legal duty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to transmit World Heritage Sites to future generations. [ 6 ]

Candy Gonzalez on behalf of the Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy said:

"The Belize Barrier Reef, which is the site of seven World Heritage sites is a magnificent feast of sight and color to those fortunate to view the area, stretching from north to south along of the Belize coast. Unfortunately, the reef system is under enormous stress from the changing climate, hurricanes, degradation, uncontrolled development, disease and other degradation. Now, with climate change upon us, is more important than ever to focus our attention on protecting this precious and unique area for future generations.

"Many of us in Belize have worked in various ways to try to keep safe the sites, to protect the reef, and to revitalize the areas that have been badly damaged. But it is very difficult when too many people look only to gain something today with no care as to what is left for the future. That is why we are seeking assistance from the World Heritage Committee so we can better monitor, protect and nurse back to health (where possible), the reef system of Belize."

Carlos Soria, Legal Adviser, Foro Ecológico del Perú, said:

"We hold a responsibility to the World. This is a call for immediate attention to the planet's climate. The melting of the ice glaciers is a loss for humankind. But even worse is the crude reality of the devastating effects at the local level. Peru's peoples have already paid a high toll in regards to glacier related natural disasters. We demand support for the necessary investment in education, monitoring and prevention measures. We expect the the World Heritage Committee to take the specific recommendations of our petition and implement them."

Prakash Sharma, Director of Pro Public (Friends of the Earth Nepal) said:

"Mount Everest is a powerful symbol of the natural world, not just in Nepal. If this mountain is threatened by climate change, then we know the situation is deadly serious. If we fail to act, we are failing future generations and denying them the chance to enjoy the beauty of mother earth."

Co-petitioner Temba Tsheri Sherpa, who in 2001 aged 16 was the youngest to climb Sagarmatha/Everest said:

"Everest is the pride of the nation, but more than this, it is a gift to the world. Lake Tsho Rolpa has formed near the area where I come from. Local people live in fear that the lake will burst."

Co-petitioner Pemba Dorjee Sherpa, the fastest ever climber of Everest, who has climbed the mountain four times said:

"Last year when Edmund Hillary came to Everest, he told me that so much snow had melted in the fifty years since he first climbed Everest. In 1953 snow and ice had reached all the way to base camp, but now it ends five miles below. Everest is losing its natural beauty. If this continues, then tourists won’t come any more. Our communities rely on tourism. It’s my livelihood, as a tour guide and climber, and if we lose this, there will be nothing for our children."
[Correction, 7th December 2004: in the above quotation, the word "miles" should read "kilometres".]

Co-petitioner Sir Chris Bonington, the UK’s best known mountaineer said:

"I'm very happy to add my name to the petition and this is why. Sagarmatha National Park not only has the highest mountain in the World – it also has some of its finest mountain scenery. It is also a place where its inhabitants, the Sherpas, live and work. Both the beauty of this magnificent area and the livelihoods of its inhabitants are threatened by global warming."

Commenting on the Sagarmatha petiton, Dr Charles Clarke, Chairman, Mount Everest Foundation, said:

"The Mount Everest Foundation, Britain's premier mountain exploration and science charity has had its own environmental policy that we have insisted expeditions adhere to since the 1970s. Any effort to prevent further desecration and destruction of the great ranges, their peoples and socio-economic environment, and to promote wider ecological issues is welcome. I support this superb, focussed initiative to address the issues of climate change in the Himalaya, particularly in relation to its effects on glaciation, the formation and overfilling of glacial lakes, and the catastrophic human, ecological and economic consequences of flooding".

Dr John Gerrard, geomorphologist and incoming Chairman of the Mount Everest Foundation added:

"As an academic physical geographer who has researched many aspects of the Himalayan environment I wholeheartedly support this initiative to address the issues of climate change in the Sagarmatha National Park in particular and the Himalaya in general. There is little doubt that most glaciers are retreating at a rapid rate. This will have repercussions for medium term water supply but may have more immediate impact on the level of natural hazards. Debutressing of slopes by glacial retreat may lead to major rockfalls and the melt water impounded behind glacial moraines, and on, within and under glaciers is a potential source of catastrophic downstream flooding. As the many Himalayan settlements exist within the confined valley systems this must be a serious concern. Anything that draws attention to the possible impact of climate change is to be welcomed."

Sagarmatha petitioner Lalanath de Silva, of International Public Interest Defenders [ 7 ], added:

"Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park and other such glaciers are part of the global human heritage. They are protected both nationally and under the World Heritage Convention. UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee have been entrusted by the global community to facilitate the protection of that heritage for present and future generations. Climate change is irreversibly taking away that priceless heritage. Present and future generations are entitled to expect the Committee and UNESCO to act immediately to prevent such a catasrophe. The Petitions being presented afford exactly that opportunity."

Commenting on the three petitions, Peter Roderick, Director of the Climate Justice Programme [ 8 ]said:

"Glaciers and coral reefs are the canaries in the coal mine. The World Heritage Committee must urgently investigate these sites and ensure that everything necessary is done to maintain their world heritage status, to keep people safe and to pass them on intact to future generations. Legal duties require this action, including the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and these duties must be respected both within the UNESCO and Kyoto processes."

Contacts:

Belize:

  • Candy Gonzalez, J.D.
    Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy (BELPO)
    PO Box 54
    San Ignacio
    Belize, Central America
    telephone: 00 501 824-2476
    fax: 00 501 824-2685
    email: belpobz@starband.net

  • Scientific contact:
    Melanie McField, WWF
    P.O. Box 512
    Belize City, Belize
    tel: 00 501 223-7680
    fax: 00 501 223-7681
    email: mcfield@wwfca.org

Huarascán:

Sagarmatha:

  • Prakash Sharma
    Executive Director and Lawyer
    Forum for Protection of Public Interest (Pro Public)
    Post Box 14307
    Gautam Budha Marga, Kathmandu, Nepal
    (Friends of the Earth Nepal)
    Mobile (till 19 November):+ 44 (0)7810 558 250

Climate Justice Programme

For information on Himalayan temperatures:

For information on glacial lakes:

  • Dr John Reynolds
    Managing Director, Reynolds Geo-Sciences Ltd
    Dr Shaun D. Richardson
    Principal Glacial Geologist, Reynolds Geo-Sciences Ltd
    Tel: 01352 756196
    E-mail: rgsl@geologyuk.com
    Web: www.geologyuk.com

  • Dr John Gerrard, FRGS
    Honorary Senior Research Fellow
    School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
    The University of Birmingham, UK
    Tel: 0121 427 3779

For a mountaineer’s perspective re Nepal in particular:

Footage and photographs

  • Belize Barrier Reef:
    Photos from the Reef are available: Reef photos and more Reef photos

  • Huarascán National Park:
    Digital DVD aerial footage, and photographs, are available from Reynolds Geo-Sciences Ltd (contacts above)

  • Sagarmatha National Park:
    Video News Release is available from FOE EWNI
    Photographs are available from Reynolds Geo-Sciences Ltd (contacts above)

Notes

[ 1 ] The 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention is the international legal instrument protecting the most outstanding, priceless and irreplaceable parts of the planet. It was adopted over 30 years ago because these sites were, even then, "increasingly threatened with destruction." The Convention sets out the principles of how natural or cultural properties can be added to the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee and places duties on Parties to protect and preserve them for future generations. The text of the Convention is here:
http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=182

The Convention also requires the World Heritage Committee to establish, keep up to date and publish a List of World Heritage in Danger. World Heritage Sites threatened by serious and specific dangers, and the conservation of which need major operations, must be considered for adding to the danger list when assistance is requested under the Convention. According to UNESCO, "the World Heritage Committee will be alerted - by individuals, non-governmental organizations, or other groups - to possible dangers to a property. If the threat is justified, and the problem serious enough, the property will be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. This list is designed to call the world's attention to natural or human-made conditions which threaten the characteristics for which the property was originally inscribed on the World Heritage List. Endangered properties on this list are entitled to particular attention and emergency action."
http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=167

In considering whether to danger list a World Heritage Site, the Committee follows the paragraphs 80-93 of the Operational Guidelines for Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, available here:
http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=267#para80

A programme of corrective measures must be adopted if the site is put on the danger list. Currently, 35 of the 788 World Heritage Sites are on the danger list:
http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=86

The World Heritage Committee is the statutory body responsible for decision-making on all matters related to the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. It meets once a year, in June. The petitioners wish to ask the Committee to consider their danger listing petitions at their next meeting in June 2005. The Committee consists of representatives from 21 States Parties, elected by the General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention. The current World Heritage Committee is made up as follows: Argentina, Benin, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

[ 2 ] The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is listed as a "serial nomination" because it consists of seven World Heritage sites: Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park, Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, Blue Hole Natural Monument, Glovers Reef Marine Reserve, South Water Caye Marine Reserve, and Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve.

[ 3 ] The Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy is a non-governmental Organization incorporated under the Laws of Belize in 1995. It was founded by a group of concerned individuals that included professionals in the fields of Natural Resource Management, Law and Community Education. The Belize Barrier Reef petition is available here: www.climatelaw.org.

[ 4 ] Foro Ecológico del Perú is a non-governmental organization incorporated to promote sustainable development and enforcement of environmental laws, with a network of NGOs and citizens organized in 12 of 25 Peruvian departments. It is joined as a co-petitioner by Foro Ciudades Para La Vida, a national network of NGOs oriented created in 1996, whose purpose is to accomplish the principles and objectives of HABITAT II and the Summit of Rio in relation to the urban-environmental aspects and the development of management capacities and 21 Agenda and prevention of disaster. foro@ciudad.org.pe. The Huascáran National Park petition is available here: www.climatelaw.org.

[ 5 ] Pro Public is an independent, non-profit civil society organization committed to the cause of public interests and rights for the citizens of Nepal. It was founded in 1991 by a group of environmentalists, women's rights activists, lawyers, journalists, engineers and economists. Pro Public is a Friends of the Earth Affiliate. www.propublic.org. The Sagarmatha National Park petition is available here: www.climatelaw.org.

[ 6 ] A report published by leading international lawyers in September 2004, and already provided to the World Heritage Committee, concluded that legal obligations on countries under the World Heritage Convention requires cuts to be made in greenhouse gas emissions. This was the first time that a legal link had been made between the World Heritage Convention, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. These petitions build on that link. The report, entitled ‘Global Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef: Australia’s Obligations under the World Heritage Convention’ was prepared by the Sydney Centre for International and Global Law at the University of Sydney and was commissioned by Greenpeace Australia Pacific and Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) through their legal representatives, the Environmental Defender’s Office (NSW) Ltd. A copy of the report is available here:
http://www.law.usyd.edu.au/scigl/SCIGLFinalReport21_09_04.pdf
A copy of the lawyers’ media summary is available here:
http://www.law.usyd.edu.au/scigl/SCIGL_MediaSummary_FINAL.pdf

[ 7 ] International Public Interest Defenders is a Geneva-based organization dedicated to promoting the public interest in the areas of environmental conservation and human health by using international legal instruments and institutions for beneficial change: www.i-pid.org.

[ 8 ] The Climate Justice Programme (www.climatelaw.org) is an initiative hosted by Friends of the Earth International. It aims to encourage and support the enforcement of the law internationally to combat climate change in the run up to the start in 2005 of negotiations for further cuts in greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. Over 70 organisations and lawyers are signatories to its Statement of Support, including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, WWF and organizations based in developing countries.

Read the petitions:

The petition for the Belize Barrier Reef.
The petition for the Huarascán National Park in Peru.
The petition for the Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal.

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