 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
World Heritage Sites — What Are They?UNESCO World Heritage Sites represent our world's most precious natural and cultural legacies. Each possesses "outstanding universal value" for the global community. By means of this designation, these sites belong to all the people of the world, regardless of where they are located. Among them are the Great Wall of China, the Galápagos Islands, the Pyramids, Venice and Yellowstone National Park. Currently, there are 878 sites. Of these, 174 of them are natural properties, such as the Great Barrier Reef off Australia; 679 are cultural properties, such as the Chartres Cathedral in France, and 25 are mixed (natural and cultural) properties, such as Machu Picchu in Peru. The UNESCO World Heritage Site program began in 1972. National governments petition UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) for designation of properties within their boundaries. Annually, the World Heritage Committee selects sites for inclusion on the World Heritage List. Sites on this list are placed under the protection of the international community. This becomes especially significant when natural disasters or human activity threaten them. Currently, 30 properties are on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. They range from the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, whose exceptional architectural design is gradually disappearing due to uncontrolled urban development, to the Galapagos in Ecuador,whose ecology has been threatened by invasive species, growing tourism and immigration. Any organization or individual can alert the UNESCO World Heritage Centre [wh-info@unesco.org] to the dangers threatening a World Heritage site. |
