Recognizing Dams as a World Heritage Threat

By: 
Katy Yan

The Omo River Valley and Lake Turkana downstream, both home to World Heritage Sites, will be impacted by Gibe III Dam
The Omo River Valley and Lake Turkana downstream, both home to World Heritage Sites, will be impacted by Gibe III Dam
Andrzej Zarzecki

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee just concluded its 35th session in Paris, and for the activists and experts who worked long and hard to protect many dam-threatened World Heritage Sites, the results were a mixed bag.

In early June of this year, 18 organizations and individuals sent a letter to World Heritage Committee members urging them to list a number of threatened sites on the List of World Heritage In Danger.

Here are some of the recent decisions:

The Nu River's first bend in northern Yunnan
The Nu River's first bend in northern Yunnan
Green Watershed

Free flowing rivers are at the heart of many of these sites and the reason why they are so beautiful, healthy and vibrant. Natural flows help maintain groundwater levels, nutrient flows to downstream fields, and fish migrations. Free flowing rivers are often also the last refuge for many endangered aquatic species. A host of other World Heritage Sites are currently threatened by dam building planned within and around their borders. 

The World Heritage Committee will publish further decisions on actions to take for these sites in the next couple of weeks. We hope that the Committee will commit to stronger actions to discourage dam-building impacts to our world's most treasured sites, and we will urge host country governments to step up their own protection measures.

We will update you on our efforts to continue fighting for the protection of Lake Turkana, Three Parallel Rivers, and other dam-threatened sites around the world. Stay tuned.


Help us spread the word about these sites:

  • Watch two videos on why we need to protect these incredible sites and consider making a donation to support our efforts.
  • Share these videos with your friends and family:

Facebook linkTwitter link

More information: