People and nature in UNESCO-designated sites: global and local contributions

UNESCO's report highlights the extraordinary contribution of its sites for both people and nature. While global wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970, those within UNESCO-protected areas have remained comparatively  stable. These sites represent over 1,000 languages, and a quarter of them overlap with Indigenous Peoples' territories. This is the first report to examine all UNESCO categories – World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Global Geoparks – as a single network of over 2,260 sites covering more than 13 million km², an area larger than China and India combined. The Report received support from the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation.