The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is nearing the end of its annual session to discuss new sites to add to its prestigious heritage list. Some exciting landmarks have been added but others have been put at risk.
ADVERTISEMENTA number of sites across the world are still being assessed in India for inclusion in the United Nation's cultural agency's World Heritage List - a collection of outstanding landmarks and areas of natural or traditional unique environments.
As protection of these sites is paramount there are also some examples that have been placed on an alternative line-up of places at risk of being harmed.
The Vjetrenica cave is the most recent landmark added to the protected list becoming the fifth site to be recognised in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Located in the Dinaric mountain range, UNESCO describes it on its website as “the property that stands out with its remarkable cave biodiversity and endemicity.” Within the cave, there are several pre-tertiary relict species whose relatives went extinct a long time ago, some may call them “living fossils”.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will work with the state’s party to guarantee sufficient water to the cave system and supply adequate funding.
Another new addition is the Schwerin Residence Ensemble in Germany. This castle survived World War II without any bomb damage and was featured in the film “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.
Adding to Germany’s list of over 50 World Heritage sites, this castle does it all. It is a training center for kindergarten teachers, a museum, and also the state Parliament seat.
Is Stonehenge “in danger”?
Last week, Unesco rejected recommendations last week to place Stonehenge on the list of endangered world heritage sites over concerns that Britain’s plans to build a nearby highway tunnel threaten the landscape around the prehistoric monument. Potential undiscovered archaeological artifacts were also cited as in need of protection.
The UK government wants to build the A303, a highway that currently runs right past the landmark, into an underground tunnel. The attempt to build a tunnel has gone on since the 1980s but has been rejected for being “too expensive”, according to Forbes.
After a reportedly hour-and-a-half conversation in New Dehli however, the committee decided to not add it to the list of sites at risk. UNESCO’s issued an amendment to reverse a prior decision, essentially overturning all rulings and conversations from the past, leaving some critics extremely annoyed.
John Adams, chairman of the Stonehenge Alliance said, “This is a dark day for Stonehenge and a hollow victory for the UK government as this decision won’t stop the harm to the World Heritage Site.”
Stonehenge was built on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain in stages starting 5,000 years ago. The stone circle was created around 2,500 B.C., according to AP.
The week-long session comes to an end on Wednesday, July 31st leaving time for more sites to be added.
