A world heritage site in the Solomon Islands is “in danger” due to logging, warns the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The East Rennell area of the Solomon Islands was inscribed on the list of world heritage sites in 1998 for its forests and coral reefs. East Rennell is the world’s largest coral atoll.
According to UNESCO, logging in the area is threatening East Rennell’s marine ecosystems.
“The World Heritage Committee determined that logging is threatening the outstanding universal value of East Rennell, and asked the national authorities to provide an impact assessment study of the logging, although it is taking place outside the site’s core area,” UNESCO said in a statement.
The forests of the Solomon Islands have been heavily logged since the early 1990s. While U.N. data suggests that only 5,000-6,000 hectares of forest are cleared per year, a larger area is affected by timber extraction.
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