In October 2025 the IUCN/World Heritage Centre published an updated Conservation Outlook Assessment for the Site (IUCN, 2025).
Download the IUCN/World Heritage Centre Victoria Falls World Heritage Site Conservation Outlook Assessment Report (external link, direct download).
The report’s summary of the Site’s conservation outlook as “good with some concerns,” appears at odds to the detailed analysis of the threats facing the Site, with a growing list of issues assessed as being of ‘high threat,’ including tourism infrastructure developments and activities and urban growth pressures. The assessment also appears to conflict with the repeated comments and warnings from the Committee over the cumulative impact of developments and need to disclose developments in full before they are approved (World Heritage Committee, 2023; 2024).
“The property faces a complex array of current and potential threats that could collectively challenge its OUV. Current threats include urban growth and development in adjoining areas, which are expanding rapidly without adequate planning, leading to habitat fragmentation and visual intrusion. Tourism activities, while economically beneficial, are causing significant disturbances, including noise pollution from helicopters and motorboats, habitat disruption from infrastructure development, and aesthetic degradation.”
The report also recorded concerns over the protection and management of tourism pressures at the Site.
“In 2023, the Committee reiterated its concern over the increasing pressure from tourism infrastructure within and around the Property, exacerbated by the absence of strategic planning and also requested the States Parties to prioritize the review and update the Joint Integrated Management Plan (JIMP) to ensure that necessary safeguards and thresholds are incorporated to mitigate against developmental pressures for the protection of the Property’s OUV (UNESCO, 2023).”
Assessing the overall state of the World Heritage values of the Site the report recorded a deteriorating trend.
“Inappropriate tourism developments, such as the construction of hotels and lodges on riverbanks, have compromised the wilderness and aesthetic values of the Site. Noise pollution from aircraft and motorboats, along with expanding urban settlements, further degrade the visual integrity of the Property... the overall state and trend of the site’s OUV are increasingly threatened by climate change, human activities, and insufficient monitoring and enforcement. Key declines in water flow and biodiversity highlight the need for stronger adaptive management, sustainable tourism practices, and community engagement to address these challenges and ensure the long-term preservation of Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls as a World Heritage Site.” (IUCN, 2025)
References
IUCN (2025) Victoria Falls World Heritage Site Conservation Outlook Assessment Report (external link, direct download).
World Heritage Committee (2023) Decisions Adopted, 45COM 7B.10
World Heritage Committee (2024) Decisions Adopted, 46COM 7B.60
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