World Heritage sites under threat from conflict and crisis

Six of UNESCO’s most celebrated World Heritage sites are facing an existential threat as armed conflict, political instability and mounting environmental pressures push them toward irreversible damage. From the ancient mud-brick cities of Yemen to the sweeping savannahs of East Africa, the list of endangered landmarks is growing — and experts say the window for intervention is narrowing fast.

Ancient cities caught in the crossfire

Yemen’s Old City of Sana’a, a UNESCO site since 1986, has sustained severe damage since the civil war intensified in 2015. More than 3,000 of its distinctive tower houses — some standing for over 2,500 years — have been damaged or destroyed. The city’s ancient water channels, which kept it alive through centuries of desert heat, are now barely functional. It’s not just architecture that’s being lost. It’s an entire way of life encoded in stone and plaster.

In Libya, the Roman ruins of Leptis Magna face looting and neglect after years of political chaos following the 2011 uprising. Illegal excavations have reportedly stripped entire sections of the site, and there’s no stable government authority with either the capacity or resources to stop it.

Castles, old towns and the weight of war

Syria’s Ancient City of Aleppo and the Crac des Chevaliers — a Crusader castle that survived intact for nearly 900 years — both suffered catastrophic damage during the Syrian civil war. Aleppo’s medieval souks, some dating to the 13th century, were gutted by fire and shelling. UNESCO estimated in 2018 that restoring just the old city’s core could cost upward of $500 million. Reconstruction has barely begun.

Still, there are efforts underway. Small teams of conservators, often working with limited funding from European cultural institutions, are documenting damage and stabilising the most vulnerable structures. But it’s slow, painstaking work in places that remain dangerous.

“The scale of destruction at some of these sites is unlike anything we’ve seen in a generation,” one senior heritage preservation official said. “Without sustained international support, some of what’s been lost simply cannot be recovered.”

Wildlife migrations under pressure too

It’s not only built heritage that’s at risk. The Serengeti ecosystem, which hosts the world’s largest terrestrial mammal migration — roughly 1.5 million wildebeest crossing between Tanzania and Kenya each year — is facing growing threats from infrastructure development and climate-related habitat change. A proposed highway through the northern Serengeti was shelved after international outcry but hasn’t been permanently abandoned.

Droughts have become more frequent. Grasslands that once reliably greened in April and May are doing so later, disrupting the migration’s ancient timing.

What happens next

UNESCO’s next World Heritage Committee meeting is scheduled for mid-2025, where several of these sites could be formally added to the List of World Heritage in Danger. That designation can unlock emergency funding and diplomatic pressure — but it’s not a guarantee of action.

The real question isn’t whether these places deserve saving. Everyone agrees they do. The question is whether governments and international bodies will move fast enough to matter.