India’s 3 world heritage sites face threat: Survey

Activities such as mining, illegal logging, oil and gas exploration threaten 114 out of 229 natural World Heritage sites, including Sundarbans known for iconic Royal Bengal tiger, Western Ghats, one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world, and the Manas Sanctuary in Assam, home to many endangered species including Indian rhinoceros, it said. 

While ecology of Western Ghats covering six states - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala - is threatened by mining and oil and gas exploration, Manas Wild Life Sanctuary faces threat from dams and unsustainable water use, the survey ‘Protecting People Through Nature’ said. 

The Western Ghats supports the single largest population of endangered Asian elephants and vulnerable Indian gaur, the report said underlining the need for protecting the site. 

“These iconic places face a range of threats, including climate change. Removing pressure from harmful industrial activity is therefore critical to increase the sites’ resilience,” says Tim Badman, Director of IUCN’s World Heritage Programme, commenting on the WWF survey.