The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) categorizes a total of 1,157 sites around 167 countries in the world as World Heritage Sites.
Each of these sites are considered to have an outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria, amongst which are:
- represent masterpiece of human creative genius,
- exhibit an important interchange of human values, and
- bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilization.
While Italy is the country with the most sites on the list, as many as 58, many other countries in other parts of the world like Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, India, and others, have numerous sites names world heritage.
And while the majority of these sites are treated with utmost care, and preserved in different forms in order for their existence to be saved for the upcoming generations, many of them are considered endangered, whether it be from the human or nature impact.
In order to make sure that these endangered sites are treated rightly and preserved, UNESCO has established the List of World Heritage in Danger, which currently consists of 55 world sites – 21 in Africa, 21 in Asia, four in Europe, seven in Northern and Southern America, and two in Oceania.
The reasons why these sites are endangered are numerous, from natural risks, to wars, tourism influx, illegal hunting and poaching, demolishing of structures due to attempt to build new ones nearby, etc.
Africa
Africa, together with Asia, shares the first spot of the continent with the highest number of sites in the List of World Heritage in Danger, as 21 out of the designated 147 World Heritage Sites in Africa are considered to be endangered.
Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park in Central African Republic
Manovo-Gounda St Floris is the largest park in the Central African savannas, and has been part of UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger since 1997, after tourism was brought to a halt in the same year, following the shooting of four members of the park staff.
The park covers an area of 1,740,000 ha and is home to a wide variety of species like black rhinoceroses, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, red-fronted gazelles and buffalo.
It was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger about 26 years ago due to reports of illegal grazing and poaching by heavily armed hunters, who, according to some reports, may have harvested as much as 80 per cent of the park’s wildlife.
So far, the site has benefited from an amount of $225,488 allocated in four different approved requests.
Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve in the Ivory Coast & Guinea
Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is part of the list since 1992, and so far, has benefited from more than half a million US dollars through 22 requests, which makes it the World Heritage in Danger that has received most financial support since it was listed as endangered.
The organization has added the reserve to the list following a proposed iron-ore mining concession to an international consortium, as well as the arrival of a large number of refugees to areas in and around the Guinean part of the site.
The reserve sits in three countries, the Ivory Coast, Guinea and Liberia.
3 National Parks & 1 Wildlife Reserve in Danger in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Four sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo are considered in danger by the UNSCO, three of which are national parks, and the last is a wildlife reserve.
The Virunga National Park was the first to become part of the list in 1994 due to the war in neighbouring Rwanda as a result of which hundreds of thousands of Rwandans fled to Congo. Massive deforestation and poaching at the site, followed.
The park is home to mountain gorillas and some 20,000 hippopotamuses, amongst others. $253,560 have been invested in this park through ten different requests.
Two years later, the Garamba National Park was added to the list in 1996 due to the increased poaching and pressure linked to the civil war, and since then has received $353,270 through 14 approved requests for its preservation.
The park is known for its savannahs, grasslands and woodlands, which are home to four large mammals – elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus and the white rhinoceros.
Only a year later, in 1997, the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve were both added to the list of heritage in danger.
The Kahuzi-Biega National Park was added to the list after great parts of it had been deforested, increased poaching and the illegal removal and burning of timber had been reported. The park was also affected by the war and civil strife ravaging the country, and the influx of refugees.
Okapi Wildlife Reserve on the other hand, occupies about one-fifth of the Ituri forest in the north-east of the DRC, and is part of one of the largest drainage systems in Africa.
It is home to threatened species of primates and birds and about 5,000 of the estimated 30,000 living okapis.
UNESCO has asserted that the Reserve is also threatened by the armed conflict, in addition to the killing of elephants in this site, and reports of gold mining.
Abu Mena in Egypt
The Christian holy city of Abu Mena has been added to the list after a land-reclamation program for the agricultural development of the region affected the structures in the city, which are mainly built by clay.
Due to risk of collapse, Abu Mena was announced an endangered site, though only $7,000 have been invested to reverse the damage and prevent its further demolishing.
Lake Turkana National Parks in Kenya
Africa’s saltiest lake, Turkana, has been twice supported, with a total of $35,300, after the same was added to the list of endangered sites five years ago in 2018.
At the time, the World Heritage Committee asserted that the disruptive effect of Ethiopia’s Gibe III dam on the flow and ecosystem of Lake Turkana and the Kuraz Sugar development Project, posed a serious threat to the site.
5 Sites in Libya
In July of 2016, the World Heritage Committee added five sites in Libya to the List of World Heritage in Danger due of damage caused to these sites by the conflict affecting the country.
These sites are:
- Archaeological Site of Cyrene. A colony of the Greeks of Thera, Cyrene was one of the most important cities in the Hellenic world, later Romanized into a great capital until the earthquake of 365.
- Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna. One of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire, embellished by Septimius Severus, who was born there and became emperor from 193 to 211.
- Archaeological Site of Sabratha – which was part of the Numidian Kingdom of Massinissa before being Romanized and rebuilt in the second and third centuries A.D.
- Old Town of Ghadamès – known as ‘the pearl of the desert’, is one of the oldest pre-Saharan cities.
- Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus. It was built on the borders of Tassili N’Ajjer in Algeria, that has thousands of cave paintings in very different styles, that date back to periods of 12,000 B.C. to A.D. 100.
Rainforests of the Atsinanana, in Madagascar
The Rainforests of the Atsinanana with six national parks became part of the world’s endangered sites in 2010, due to illegal logging of wood species like the ebony and rosewood, and poaching of endangered lemurs.
The rainforests have been financially supported for preservation with a total of $155,000 since 2010, in three separately approved requests.
Old Towns of Djenné, Timbuktu & Tomb of Askia in Mali
Three sites in Mali, two in 2012, and one in 2016 have been added to the list of World Heritage in Danger.
The most recent one is the Old Towns of Djenné, which has been inhabited since 250 B.C. The site is famous for its traditional houses, built on hillocks to survive the floods. The same has been supported with $115,119 in total through seven different requests.
Next is Timbuktu which became part of the list in 2012. In the past it was intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout the continent of Africa. It is home to the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, and three great mosques – Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia.
The site has been supported with $189,352 since then.
Tomb of Askia is the third and last Malian site part of this list. It is a 17-metres tall pyramidal structure of the Tomb of Askia built in 1495. $79,822 have been allocated for this site so far.
All three sites are considered in danger due to the armed conflict in the northern region, in particular after the degradation of the Timbuktu tombs in a bid of the group controlling the country at the time to stop the practice of worshipping there.
Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves, in Niger
In 1992, six members of the Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves were being held hostages, when in compliance with the request of Niger’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, the Committee added the site to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Reserves includes the volcanic rock mass of the Aïr, a small Sahelian pocket and a variety of landscapes, plant species and wild animals.
Niokolo-Koba National Park, in Senegal
Poaching and livestock grazing in the Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal, known for its very rich fauna, pushed the organization to add the same to the group of world sites in danger in 2007.
$206,799 through nine requests have been allocated for this park since 2007.
Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi in Uganda
A fire that resulted in the destruction of part of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi in Uganda became the reason why the same joined the list of world sites in danger in 2010. $240,363 have been invested for the restoration and preservation of the same since then.
The former palace of the Kabakas of Buganda is at the core of this site, as well as four royal tombs, amongst others.
Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania
The World Heritage Committee placed the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania to the List of World Heritage in Danger asserting that the widespread poaching is decimating wildlife populations on the property, in June 2014. Since then, $67,980 have been allocated for the reserve through three different requests approved.
The Reserve occupies an area of 50,000 km2, and is home to a large number of elephants, black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses and crocodiles.
Asia
Asia also has a total of 21 sites listed as endangered, and the majority of them are in this list due to threats by war and armed conflict. In total, Asia has 268 sites designated as World Heritage Sites, which makes it the continent with the highest number of sites on this list.
6 Sites in Danger in the Syrian Arab Republic
Six World Heritage sites of the Syrian Arab Republic were added to the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013 to draw attention to the risks they are facing because of the situation in the country.
While the war went on beyond 2013, the list of heritage sites that were damaged or destroyed by shelling, looting, and demolition, during the Syrian Civil War became quite longer.
However, the following six remain part of the sites of World Heritage in Danger:
Ancient City of Aleppo – a thousands of years old city, with a 13th-century citadel, 12th-century Great Mosque and various 17th-century madrasas, palaces, caravanserais and hammams. Aside from the war, the city is also now threatened by overpopulation. $80,250 have been allocated for this site in total, through three requests approved.
Ancient City of Bosra – which once was the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, and an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to the city of Mecca. The site is also threatened by war, and in the last ten years, through four requests $81,250 have been invested in the site.
Ancient City of Damascus – one of the oldest Middle Eastern cities, founded in the third millennium B.C. It has some 125 monuments from different periods. $186,050 have been allocated for this site up until now, in seven separate requests approved.
Around 40 Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, which date from the first to 7th centuries and were abandoned in the eighth to tenth centuries are also part of this list. They include well-preserved landscapes and the architectural remains of pagan temples, churches, bathhouses etc. The villages altogether have been once supported with an amount of $30,000.
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din are two castles that represent the evolution of fortified architecture in the Near East during the time of the Crusades. Both together have benefited from an amount of $65,000.
Site of Palmyra was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world between the first and the second century. $111,250 have been allocated for the ruins of this city so far.
Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli in Lebanon
One of the most recently placed sites in the list of heritage at danger is the Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, due to what the Committee called an “alarming state of conservation” as well as the lack of financial resources for its preservation, and the concealed risk of development proposals that could affect the integrity of the complex.
The same was designed in 1962 by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer as the flagship project of Lebanon’s modernization policy in the 1960s.
Palestine
Hebron’s old town in the occupied West Bank was announced a Palestinian world heritage site in danger in 2017, declaring the city to be in danger and of outstanding universal value. The decision sparked outrage from Israel which claimed that the wording ignored Jews’ historic links to the city.
Hebron is a site of pilgrimage for the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. An amount of $30,000 has been allocated for this site.
Previously in 2014, UNESCO had added the “Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir” to the list of world sites in danger, upon an assertation that the impact of socio-cultural and geo-political transformations could bring irreversible damage to the authenticity and integrity of the landscape.
The Committee had mentioned the start of construction of a separation wall that would isolate farmers from the fields they have cultivated for centuries as one of the ways this could happen.
Ashur, Hatra & Samarra Archaeological City in Iraq
Three sites in Iraq have been added to the list of World Heritage in Dangers in three different years – Ashur in 2003, Samarra Archaeological City in 2007, and Hatra in 2015.
The first one, Ashur (Qal’at Sherqa), which dates back to the third millennium BC, was the first capital of the Assyrian Empire. It was destroyed by the Babylonians but revived during the Parthian period in the first and second centuries AD.
The reason why it was added to the list of endangered heritage was a large dam project that threatened the site, which would have been partially flooded by a reservoir.
The Samarra Archaeological City, on the other hand, was added to the list due to the state of conflict in the country, that does not allow the responsible authorities to enssure the protection and management of the property.
The site is testament of the architectural and artistic innovations that developed in this location in the past.
Whereas the third one, Hatra, in the past was a large fortified city under the influence of the Parthian Empire and capital of the first Arab Kingdom. The site was added to the list due to damage inflicted to the property by armed groups.
Jerusalem (Site proposed by Jordan)
Since 1982, the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls have been part of the World Heritage in Danger. The site has a great spiritual importance for a Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, with its 220 historic monuments.
Amongst the most important are the Dome of the Rock built in the seventh century as well as the Resurrection rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher that houses Christ’s tomb.
An amount of $100,000 through a single allocation has been invested in the site in the last 41 years.
4 Sites in Yemen
Four sites in Yemen are part of the endangered heritage list, with the first having been added in 2000, two others in 2015 and the last in 2023.
In 2000, the Committee added the Historic Town of Zabid to the list mainly due to the deteriorating remaining houses of the town, and the lack of conservation and rehabilitation strategies.
Zabid is considered to be an outstanding archaeological and historical site with its domestic and military architecture and its urban plan. It has also been capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century.
A total of nine requests for investment in this site have been approved by the organization, in the amount of $188,997.
In 2015, the Old City of Sana’a and the Old Walled City of Shibam were both added to the list, due to serious damage afflicted on them due to armed conflict in the country and threats from further damage.
Sana’a is a mountain valley town inhabited for more than 2,500 years, and a major center for the propagation of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries. It is home to 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses built before the 11th century.
The Old Walled City of Shibam is a 16th-century city surrounded by a fortified wall with impressive tower-like structures rise out of the cliff. It is also known as ‘the Manhattan of the desert’.
The last Yemeni site in the list is the Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib, added in January this year, through an emergency procedure, due to threats of destruction from the ongoing conflict.
The Landmarks are a serial property comprising seven archaeological sites, a reminder of the rich Kingdom of Saba and its architectural, aesthetic and technological achievements.
Bamiyan Valley & Remains of Jam in Afghanistan
In 2002 and 2003, the Committee added two sites located in Afghanistan to the list of World Heritage in Danger, the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam and the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, respectively.
The Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam was added to the list due to lack of protection, and conversion, and since then $98,750 have been allocated to the site in three separate requests. The 65m-tall Minaret of Jam dates back to the 12th century, and according to UNESCO, it represents the culmination of an architectural and artistic tradition in this region.
The archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley, on the other hand, were added to the list due to their fragile state of conservation, and the risk of imminent collapse of the Buddha niches with the remaining fragments of the statues.
The Buddhas were two sixth-century monumental statues carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley. On orders from Taliban founder Mullah Omar, the statues were destroyed in March 2001.
Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz in Uzbekistan
The Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz was added to the list in 2016 due to the over-development of tourist infrastructure in the site. The site is over 2,000 years old and was the cultural and political center of the Kesh region in the 14th and 15th century.
Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra in Indonesia
The Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, which was added to the list in 2011 cover an area of 2.5 million hectare and comprises three national parks: Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park.
It is home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, many of them rare and endangered.
The rainforest was added to the list due the road construction, agricultural encroachment, illegal logging, poaching, and institutional and governance weaknesses.
Europe
Europe is the second country with highest number of places considered as World Heritage Sites, with 171. Only four of them, however, are considered endangered. The European countries, in particular those that are part of the Eruopean Union, are well known for the preservation of their historic centers, old towns, palaces, churches, parks and rivers.
The Historic Centre of Odesa in Ukraine
Following the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, less than a year later in January 2023, UNESCO added the Historic Center of Odesa, to the list of World Heritage in Danger through an emergency procedure.
The organization has already ensured the repairs to damages the Odesa Museum of Fine Arts and the Odesa Museum of Modern have suffered and has also provided equipment for the digitization of nearly one thousand art works of the documentary collection of the city’s achieves.
Historic Centre of Vienna in Austria
In 2017, UNESCO added the Historic Centre of Vienna to the list due to a large complex planned to be built in the center, about 6500 square meters. The same was planned to be 66.3 meters tall, way taller than UNESCO’s restriction of 43 meters.
The historic center of Vienna is well known for its rich architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, late-1800s ring road lined with buildings, monuments and parks.
Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
The European sites that have been for the longest period in the list of heritage in danger are the Medeival Monuments in Kosovo, which include mainly monasteries and churches.
The sites were added to the list in 2006 due to lack of the legal status of the properties, and unsatisfactory state of conservation and maintenance of the properties amongst others.
Roșia Montană Mining Landscape in Romania
In 2021, UNESCO announced the Roșia Montană Mining Landscape in Romania a heritage site in danger due to plans to resume and expand open-pit mining.
According to UNESCO, the site features the most significant, extensive and technically diverse underground Roman gold mining complex known at the time of inscription.
The Americas
There are 79 sites in North America and 70 sites in South America part of UNESCO’s list of World Heritage. Only seven of them together, are considered endangered.
Everglades National Park in the United States
Florida’s “river of grass flowing imperceptibly from the hinterland into the sea”, or as it is officially known, the Everglades National Park was added to the list of heritage in danger in 2010.
At the time, the organization had concluded that the property’s aquatic ecosystem continues to deteriorate due to alterations of the hydrological, urban and agricultural growth, nutrient pollution from upstream agricultural activities, amongst others.
Mexico’s Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
244 islands, islets and coastal areas of Mexico were listed as endangered world heritage in 2019, due to the use of mail nets in the illegal fishing of totoabas, as a result of which only about ten specimens of vaquita remain today, compared to an estimated 300 in 2005.
The site counts 695 vascular plant species, which is more than in any other on the World Heritage List. It also contains 39 percent of the world’s total number of species of marine mammals and one-third of the world’s marine cetacean species.
Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo
The poor and fragile state of conservation of the Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo, prompted UNESCO to add this site to its list of endangered world heritage in 2012.
The site dates back to the 17th- and 18th-century, and was a part of the defense system built by the Spanish Crown to protect transatlantic trade at the time.
$76,800 have been invested in this site so far through four different requests, though UNESCO remains unhappy with the measures implemented, which it claims have remained in the planning stages for over ten years.
Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve in Honduras
With its abundant and varied plant and wildlife, over 2,000 indigenous people have preserved their traditional way of life Río Plátanom one of the few remains of a tropical rainforest in Central America.
The site is however, threatened by illegal logging and occupation, and general deterioration of law and order and the security situation in the region. For this reason, UNESCO has added it to the list of World Heritage in Danger in 2011, and has allocated a total of $223,628 to it since then.
Coro and its Port in Venezuela
Calling it the “only surviving example of a rich fusion of local traditions with Spanish Mudéjar and Dutch architectural techniques”, UNESCO added Coro in Venezuela to endangered sites in 2005.
The city was founded in 1527, which makes it one of the first colonial towns, and home to 602 historic buildings. Many of them, however, have been damaged by heavy rains that started in November 2004 and lasted for about four months.
Chan Chan Archaeological Zone in Peru
One of the sites that were added quite early to the List of World Heritage in Danger is the Chan Chan Archeological Zone in Pertu, which was the capital of the Chimu Kingdom, that reached its peaks in the 15th century.
The site was added to the list in 1986 after its structures were damaged by natural erosion. $118,700 have been allocated for the preservation of this site.
City of Potosí in Bolivia
Bolivia’s City of Potosí became an endangered site in 2014, after continued and uncontrolled mining operations in the Cerro Rico Mountain increased the risks of degrading the site.
The City of Potosi has been part of the World Heritage List since 1987. It consists of industrial monuments, an intricate system of aqueducts and artificial lakes, colonial town with the Casa de la Moneda, the Church of San Lorenzo, several patrician houses, and the areas where the workers lived, known as barrios mitayos.
Oceania
The World Heritage Committee has designated 37 World Heritage Sites in Oceania, the majority of which are in Australia. Only two of these sites have been listed as endangered and in need of further preservation.
Solomon Islands’ East Rennell
In 2013, Solomon Island’s East Rennell became a UNESCO protected site in danger, due to grounding and consecutive oil spill that occurred just outside the site.
It includes approximately 37,000 ha and a marine area extending three nautical miles to sea. It is home to the largest lake in the insular Pacific – Lake Tegano, and is mostly covered with dense forest.
$56,335 USD have been invested for the preservation of this site in two different requests.
Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia (2016)
The 100 islets of Nan Madol in south-east coast of Pohnpei became part of the world Heritage Sites in Danger in 2016, due to the siltation of waterways contributing to the unchecked growth of mangroves and undermining existing edifices.
The islets harbor house the remains of stone palaces, temples, tombs and residential domains built between 1200 and 1500 CE. A total of $30,000 have been invested in these islets.