Every year, a list of UNESCO sites in danger is drawn up, highlighting positive work and issuing warnings for threatened sites. There are countries where the sites at risk are unsuspected, such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo or Palestine. However, other places are far more surprising, such as the Historic Centre of Vienna and Liverpool's Mercantile Zone.
In the former cases, the threat is mainly due to armed conflicts in those countries or regions, while in European cases the risk arises from property speculation. There are currently more than 50 sites in danger of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), only three of which are in Europe, while the majority are in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
List of UNESCO sites at risk
Historic Centre of Vienna (Austria)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2017
The UNESCO committee has announced its decision to place the UNESCO Historic Centre on the red list, following the authorisation of the construction of a multi-storey hotel. The organisation considers that the building will have a negative impact on the beauty and "exceptional universal value of the site". The Historic Centre of the Austrian capital is home to an important collection of buildings, including Baroque-style castles.
Barrier Reef (Belize)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2009
Belize's coral reefs and the surrounding marine life are unbelievable. I still remember the diving experience I had in that part of the world. The Belize Barrier Reef System is the largest coral zone in the Northern Hemisphere, with atolls, lagoons, estuaries and mangroves. Since 2009, UNESCO has declared the Barrier Reef System a threatened site. The main problem identified concerns the cutting down of mangroves and excessive development.
Potosí (Bolivia)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2014
In 2014, the World Heritage Committee placed the city of Potosí in Bolivia on the list of UNESCO sites under threat, due to "ongoing and uncontrolled mining operations" in the Cerro Rico Mountains. UNESCO considers that the constant mining activity will degrade this fantastic Bolivian city, and that there is even a risk of the Cerro Rico collapsing, in addition to the immediate and prolonged environmental impacts on the landscape and, socially, on the local population.
Sumatra Rainforest (Indonesia)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2011
The Sumatran Rainforest is one of the most diverse regions on the planet, encompassing three national parks: Gurung Leuser, Kerinci Seblat and Bukit Barisan Selatan. The total area of the forest is more than 25,000 km2.
The organisation decided to put this Indonesian Atlantic forest on the endangered list because of illegal hunting, illegal logging, cutting down trees for agriculture and plans to build roads.
The Site of Palmyra and the Old Towns of Aleppo and Damascus (Syria)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2013
Unsurprisingly, Syria is one of the nations with the most UNESCO sites in danger. Since the beginning of the conflict - which has killed around half a million people - cities have almost been wiped off the map. Naturally, the architectural heritage has been significantly affected.
The World Heritage Committee has decided to put six Syrian sites on the list and warn of the risks they face due to the serious situation in the Middle Eastern country. UNESCO says that this inscription on the list can be a catalyst for "mobilising all possible support for the safeguarding of these sites", which are recognised as having outstanding universal value for humanity.
The six sites under strong threat in Syria are: Old City of Aleppo,
Old City of Damascus, Site of Palmyra, Old City of Bosra, Crac des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria.
Maritime market town of Liverpool (England)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2012
A megalomaniac project to renovate Liverpool's docks - worth more than six billion euros - has led UNESCO to classify this part of the Beatles' city as endangered. The Liverpool Waters project continues to progress and the UN organisation has highlighted the negative factors of the work.
The Committee argued that "the development will significantly enlarge the city centre, alter the skyline and profile and will fragment and visually isolate the different port areas". UNESCO has warned that if the project is implemented (and it looks like it will be), Liverpool will permanently lose the outstanding universal value for which it was awarded the World Heritage label.
Everglades National Park (United States)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2010
After being removed from UNESCO's list of endangered sites in 2007, the Everglades National Park in the United States was once again placed in the red zone in 2010. The organisation justified the decision by the prolonged and serious degradation of the aquatic ecosystem. Interestingly, the inscription was made at the request of the United States and the American giant asked for the organisation's help to solve the problem as quickly as possible.
The first time the Everglades were listed as a World Heritage Site in danger, it was because of the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1993. However, the problems remain, as "water flows have been reduced to 60% and nutrient pollution has increased", causing significant losses of habitat and marine species.
Selous Reserve (Tanzania)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2014
With an area of over 50,000 square kilometres, the Selous Reserve is home to a large number of elephants, black rhinos, cheetahs and hippos. In 2014, however, UNESCO decided to warn of the need for the international community to unite against illegal traffic and to support Tanzania in the fight against the criminal activity of poachers. The organisation warns that the slaughter of animals within the Selous Reserve is decimating entire populations of wild animals.
Atsinanana Rainforest (Madagascar)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2010
The Atsinanana Rainforest includes six national parks in the eastern part of Madagascar. Atsinanana has been placed on UNESCO's list of threatened sites due to illegal logging and hunting of endangered lemurs. This is a serious problem on the island of Madagascar, as much of the forest has been devastated in recent decades.
UNESCO has criticised the attitude of the Madagascan government, which continues to authorise the exploitation of forests to harvest species such as ebony. Many countries that have ratified the World Heritage Convention and are the recipients of these woods have not escaped the organisation's critical eye.
Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
Date of inscription on the Heritage in Danger list: 2011
The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve is considered to be one of the last areas of Atlantic rainforest in Central America, with abundant flora and fauna and home to indigenous populations who have maintained their way of life almost unchanged.
The Honduran government has asked UNESCO to place Río Plátano on the list of UNESCO sites in danger, mainly due to threats such as illegal logging, fishing and poaching. In addition, the Honduran government has recognised its inability to control the occupation of the land, especially by drug traffickers.
UNESCO sites in danger with positive results
The truth is that these UNESCO warnings end up being effective, as several attractions previously at risk of conservation have been removed from the list. Examples of this are, for instance, the Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania, the Iguazu National Park in Brazil and Argentina, or Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
The list is updated annually, and in 2017, one of the attractions removed from the endangered list was Simien National Park, in Ethiopia. This Ethiopian region had been added to the list in 1996, meaning it took over 20 years for the UN organization to consider that there had been sufficient progress to withdraw the alert.
It's up to me, and you, to visit these places and in some way try to help solve the problems or influence them directly or indirectly so that they aren't irretrievably destroyed.
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