Press
Release No.2001-136
TWO
NEW SITES INSCRIBED ON THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST IN DANGER
Helsinki
(Finland), December 13 – Two sites, the rice terraces of the Philippine
cordilleras, and Abu Mena in Egypt, were today inscribed on the
World Heritage List In Danger by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee,
which has been meeting in Helsinki since December 11 under the
chair of Henrik Lilius of Finland.
During
the same meeting, Brazil’s Iguaçu National Park was withdrawn
from the Danger List on which it had been inscribed in 1999.
The
Rice
Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 1995, represent a very delicate, evolving cultural
landscape. In the absence of a systematic monitoring programme and
comprehensive management plan, it is,
at present, impossible to guarantee the preservation and sustainable
development of these rice terraces.
Abu Mena (Egypt).
Built over the tomb of the martyr Menas of Alexandria, this early Christian
holy city has retained its church, baptistery, basilicas, and
monasteries, as well as houses and workshops. While the dry soil was capable of supporting these
buildings, a land-reclamation programme for agricultural development
has caused a dramatic rise of the water table. Excess water is
posing a serious threat of collapse to numerous buildings and
they have had to be closed to the public. Abu Mena was inscribed
on the World Heritage List in 1979.
Iguaçu
National Park (Brazil), inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986 and on the
World Heritage List in Danger in 1999, was withdrawn from the
latter. The park features one of the world’s largest and most
impressive waterfalls, and is home to many rare and endangered
species of flora and fauna. It was threatened by Brazilian helicopters
flying over the site but, above all, by the illegal opening -
by local people - of a road that cut the Park in two. The authorities
have taken the necessary measures to remove threats and have closed
the road.
The World Heritage List in Danger now features
31 sites around the world. Apart from the two newly inscribed
sites, they are: Butrint
(Albania), Royal Palaces
of Abomey, (Benin), Srebarna Nature Reserve (Bulgaria),
Angkor
(Cambodia), Manovo-Gounda
St. Floris National Park (Central African Republic),
Mount Nimba
Nature Reserve (Côte d'Ivoire / Guinea), five parks
and reserves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sangay National
Park (Ecuador), Simen National
Park (Ethiopia), Rio Platano
Biosphere Reserve (Honduras), Manas Wildlife
Sanctuary and Group of Monuments
at Hampi (India), the old city of Jerusalem and its
walls (site proposed by Jordan), Timbuktu
(Mali), Air & Ténéré
Natural Reserves (Niger), Bahla Fort
(Oman), Fort and Shalamar
Gardens in Lahore (Pakistan), Chan Chan Archaeological
Zone (Peru), Djoudj National
Bird Sanctuary (Senegal), Ichkeul National
Park (Tunisia), Rwenzori Mountains National Park (Uganda), national parks of the Everglades and Yellowstone (USA), Historic Town
of Zabid (Yemen), Natural &
Cultural-Historical Region of Kotor (Yugoslavia).
The
List of World Heritage in Danger helps UNESCO draw the attention
of governments and public opinion to the need to protect cultural
and natural sites of universal value that are particularly threatened
by natural causes or by human intervention. Inscription of a site
on this list also facilitates access to funds and the taking of
preservation measures. The list is revised annually at the meeting
of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. The Committee is scheduled
to announce the inscription of new natural sites on the World
Heritage List today.
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For
more information: http:/www.unesco.org/whc/
