Africa's Natural World Heritage: Current State, Challenges and Prospects for Development

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyse the location of World Natural Heritage sites on the African continent, and to analyse the challenges and prospects for the development of their network.
Materials and methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is based on general scientific methods: comparative, statistical, cartographic, and system analysis.
Results and discussion. According to UNESCO, as of mid-2019, there were 46 natural and six mixed heritage sites in Africa, which is critically low given the continent's size, high population and density. The placement of heritage sites across the continent and by Natural World Heritage criteria is analyzed. It is shown that the vast majority of African World Heritage sites (39 sites) meet the criterion of biological diversity and/or natural scenic beauty (33). 26 sites meet the criterion of natural landscape diversity. The fewest natural heritage criteria are sites falling under the criterion of paleontological, geological or geomorphological value (11). Conclusions. The majority of African World Heritage sites meet the criterion of biological diversity and (or) natural scenic beauty. The problems and prospects for the development of the network of World Heritage sites are characterized.