For communities living in and around Andohahela National Park in Madagascar, water is a constant concern. Without water, they cannot farm their land, meaning they must turn to other activities – such as illegal logging or slash-and-burn agriculture – to meet their needs. These problems are not unique to Andohahela – they affect all six parks in the Rainforests of the Atsinanana UNESCO World Heritage site. As a result, in 2010, they were inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger.
Today, the rainforests are turning a corner. Since they were inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the international community has rallied to protect their exceptional ecosystems – notably through the BIOCOM project, implemented by UNESCO. Sixty-three percent of forest cover has been restored, and illegal logging and lemur poaching are at their lowest levels in a decade.
With this initiative, UNESCO is making residents living near key parks like Andohahela and Marojejy central players in conservation efforts. Over 550 local residents, especially young people, have received vocational training in trades such as masonry, metalwork, fish farming, ecotourism, basketry, cooking and guiding.
For young people who want to help protect the parks, we can do trainings and get skills in a profession like I did, and we can abandon activities linked to the destruction of the forests.
In parallel, UNESCO has constructed a small dam, which expanded irrigated farmland from 16?ha to 41?ha, boosting yields for 58 households, while upstream reforestation secured the watershed and prevented erosion.
Since the construction of the dam, we do three harvests per year.
The List of World Heritage in Danger – a global call to action
As this shows, the List of World Heritage in Danger is more than a warning – it is a powerful tool for preservation. By identifying outstanding cultural and natural sites that are under threat, the List serves as a global call to action.
Properties inscribed on this List are eligible for emergency funding and technical support, while heightened international visibility often accelerates conservation measures.
For the Rainforests of the Atsinanana and other African sites, inclusion on the List has been a lifeline, mobilizing global expertise and resources to rescue irreplaceable heritage.
At the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, two other African sites are being removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger: the early Christian city of Abu Mena in Egypt, and the Old Town of Ghadamès in Libya, strengthening UNESCO's commitment to increase the presence of African sites on the World Heritage List.
When sites are removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger, it is a great victory for all. For the countries and communities directly concerned, for UNESCO and, more broadly, for the shared heritage of humanity. We are pursuing a special effort for Africa, both to train experts and facilitate new inscriptions, and to support strategies to bring some sites out of danger. These efforts are paying off today.
The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee came to a close in Paris, France, with the inscription of 26 new cultural and natural properties on UNESCO's World Heritage List. This year's session of the Committee was marked by the inscription of sites whose nomination was directly supported by local communities, with the support of national authorities.
These inscriptions bring the total number of sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List to 1248, in 170 countries.
