World of Wonders
UNESCO's World Heritage List aims to protect and promote outstanding natural and cultural sites. The cultural and natural diversity around the world is breathtaking, but in the past it was up to each country to protect this heritage. For decades, UNESCO the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been awarded sites with the designation of the World Heritage Site, which require the protection of property with "outstanding global value" in order to be listed. To quote directly "Considering the outstanding global value, the property must also meet the requirements of integrity and or originality and must have an appropriate protection and management system to ensure its preservation." Thus, all countries of the world have taken a major step forward in promoting global awareness of the inherent value of rural cultural and natural heritage. UNESCO listed the first World Heritage sites in 1978, with 12 on the list. The United States contributed to two of the 12 that year Yellowstone National Park, the most seismically active region of the Rocky Mountains with more than 200 features such as heaters, hot springs, clay pots and fumarol Misa Verdi, an architectural tribute to the lost Anzazi civilization ). The Galapagos Islands famous for a huge number of unique and endemic species, are listed, as are two sites from Canada the Nahani National Park in the Northwest Territories due to the river, the cave and the natural valley the L'Anse aux Meadows, a national historical site in Labrador, Represents the first European presence in North America. UNESCO World Heritage List today has 1,092 establishments. Of these, 845 are considered of cultural significance while 209 meet natural standards, and 38 characteristics contain a combination of cultural and natural value alike. This is the upside. the negative side? Two lists were deleted (the Arab Oryx Reserve in Amman and the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany) and 54 properties at risk. The list does not recognize gender equality, as only two religious sites are reserved for men the island of Ukinushima in Japan and Mount Athos in Greece. At first, UNESCO's World Heritage List was believed to grant status and prove to be economically beneficial to countries by promoting tourism and providing incentives to protect the cultural and natural heritage of future generations. Unfortunately, this was not always the case. While the list of man made landscapes and nature around the world may be impressive, the reality is the environmental issues caused by over popularization by making the list, terrorism and perceived cultural prejudice can detract from the original noble purposes of UNESCO. For example, in 2016, the organization was challenged to refer to sites in Jerusalem through an Islamic lens, leading to criticism of the Jewish people and its historical relationship. Some sites, once you create a World Heritage list, discover that classification may not always be. The World Heritage List is designed at risk to attract world attention to areas that require corrective measures and cooperation. Lists can lead to positive results The Galapagos Islands and Yellowstone National Park were subsequently removed from this list due to positive developments. Another risk list Everglades National Park was listed on the list from 1993 to 2007 and again since 2010 due to "continuous deterioration of the site resulting in the loss of marine habitats and the decline of marine species." Removal occurs from the list when there are improvements in management and preservation of the original reasons for listing. However, UNESCO surrendered to the ongoing pressure exerted by the Australian Government to cancel the Great Barrier Reef List in late 2016, in direct defiance of evidence of widespread destruction and major coral reef deaths.
The united nations’ cultural agency meets annually to decide the newest nominations to join the UNESCO World Heritage List. Debate centers around 10 criteria, of which at least one must be met in addition to being of “outstanding universal value.” That translates into unmatched natural beauty or environmental, cultural or historic significance that can include art, architecture, cultural traditions, landscape and Earth’s history, according to UNESCO. It can also include communities of plants and animals.
But first a site must be nominated. To be considered for nomination to the World Heritage Site List, a property must be designated on a Tentative List. This is merely a cumulative inventory of those properties countries nations intend to consider for nomination. For example, over the years the United States designated these properties for the Tentative List Process (ironically, that is where they remain) Petrified Forest National Park (2008), White Sands National Monument (2008), Dayton Aviation Sites (2008), civil rights movement sites (2008), Ellis Island (2017) and the Brooklyn Bridge (2017).
for many traveiers, the World Heritage list provides yet another opportunity to create a bucket list, offering the necessary motivation to directly experience some of the world’s greatest heritage. But with more than a thousand sites currently listed, where does one start.
I find the easiest way is to visit the ones in your home country. Begin with the state where you reside for me, that’s New Mexico. The list includes cherished treasures such as Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Taos Pueblo.
Then expand your horizons by including the listed national parks. They are the Everglades, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, Mesa Verde, Olympic National Park, Redwood National Park and State Park, Yellowstone and Yosemite.
Next, go global. With 110 countries under my belt and still counting, some of my favorite UNESCO sites include Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia Wachau Cultural Landscape, Austria Okavango Delta, Botswana Angkor, Cambodia Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (terracotta warriors) in China LedniceValtice Cultural Landscape, Czechia Galápagos Islands, Ecuador Cathedral of Notre Dame, Former Abbey of Saint Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims, France Upper Svaneti, Georgia; Upper Middle Rhine Valley, Germany the Acropolis, Athens Budapest, Hungary, including Banks of the Danube, Buda Castle Quarter and Andrassy Avenue Masada, Israel Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata in Italy Mount Kenya National Park Natural Forest, Kenya Kathmandu Valley, Nepal the Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow Singapore Botanic Gardens Göreme National Park and Rock Sites of Cappadocia, Turkey Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania and Mosi oa Tunya Victoria Falls in Zambia.
The UNESCO World Heritage Sites, wherever you may be and whatever you visit, are part of a rich and culturally stimulating experience that can only enhance intercultural understanding of man made heritage and appreciate the amazing natural world in which we live. For details on the ten selection criteria for World Heritage Sites, visit the UNESCO website at whc.unesco.org.