Threatened with disappearance due to rising sea levels, the Pacific island of Tuvalu has appealed to UNESCO to help save its cultural and natural heritage before it is too late.
Tuvalu’s Special Envoy, Samuelu Laloniu, made the appeal in Paris, saying, “We are directly affected by climate change and we need your help as soon as possible to avoid the disappearance of our material and immaterial heritage.”
Climate change is one of the greatest threats faced by cultural and natural heritage sites around the world, with at least one World Heritage site in five being affected by such natural threats, according to the UN.
Tuvalu’s ratification of the World Heritage Convention as its 195th signatory will enable it to seek recognition of its natural and cultural sites and their inclusion on the World Heritage List. The island nation will then be able to receive assistance for the sites' protection once the list is established by experts.
According to UNESCO, climate change is of particular importance to small island developing states. Tuvalu, composed of nine islands, is home to around 12,000 people and has a rich cultural and natural heritage, including a living one, the UN organisation said.
Experts consider Tuvalu to be particularly vulnerable, to the extent that a humorous yet dark song is called “Toodeloo Tuvalu,” meaning 'goodbye and farewell' in British slang, which, ironically, predicts its disappearance.
