Publication
Climate change vulnerability and risk in UNESCO Global Geoparks and Biosphere Reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean: executive summary
This study is the first quantitative analysis of the impact of climate change on UNESCO Global Geoparks and Biosphere Reserves. The combined area covered by the study exceeds 1.02 million km2 and is home to approximately 110 million people.
The study analysed the situation in five UNESCO Global Geoparks and ten Biosphere Reserves in nine countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Uruguay). In all, 15 sites but 17 zones were evaluated, as the Mâta Atlantic Biosphere Reserve in Brazil is so vast that it had to be divided into three different zones.
The study underscores the grave consequences of climate change for the entire region. If current trends continue, this impact will increase.
Climate change is most visible in the form of drought, inland and coastal flooding, forest fires and landslides. All 15 sites are experiencing higher temperatures and a change in precipitation patterns that are projected to lead to a loss of vegetation cover and habitat, more forest fires, loss of human life and damage to infrastructure, an interruption in the water supply and/or loss of agricultural yield. Those sites with coastal zones are experiencing sea-level rise and more frequent and more forceful storm surges.
For nearly every risk factor, site managers underestimated the risks their territories faced, suggesting the need for further risk planning and climate change adaptation at the site and country levels.
The study showcases the value of UNESCO designated sites as observatories of climate change which can make important contributions to national and international climate policy. Notably, the study presents a new methodology for compiling and generating baseline data from open source and large scale databases, including those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal, Copernicus, Spatial Planning for Area Conservation in Response to Climate Change (SPARC) Project, the World Resources Institute and others, as the foundation of vulnerability and risk assessment.
Funding permitting, this methodology could be used to assess the impact of climate change on all UNESCO Global Geoparks and Biosphere Reserves, which are home to about 300 million people around the world.
