MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Over 100 of the 229 natural and mixed World Heritage sites, including 12 protected by EU laws, are under threat from factors related to harmful industrial activity, a report revealed Wednesday.
"We need to wake up to the fact that people don’t just protect these sites, these sites protect people. Governments and businesses need to prioritize long-term value over short-term revenue and respect the status of these incredible places," Director General of WWF International Marco Lambertini said, as quoted on the organization’s website.
Among the industrial factors threatening the sites the report listed oil, gas or mining concessions, unsustainable water use, transport infrastructures and deforestation, as well as other harmful activities. Over 11 million people depend on such sites for food and water, and could be negatively affected by the impacts of harmful industrial activities there, the report found.
