MARCH 2019 globaltravelerusa.com 49
properties contain a mixture of both cultural and natural value.
That’s the upside. The downside? Two have been delisted (Arabian
Oryx Sanctuary of Oman and Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany), and
54 properties are in danger. And the list does not recognize gender
equality, either, as two religious sites are restricted to men only —
Okinoshima Island in Japan and Mount Athos in Greece.
Initially, it was believed a UNESCO World Heritage listing would
bestow prestige and prove economically beneficial to countries by
promoting tourism and providing incentives to protect cultural and
natural heritage for future generations. Unfortunately, that hasn’t
always been the case. While the list of manmade and natural land-
scapes around the world may be dazzling, the reality is environmental
issues stemming from over-popularity by making the list, terrorism
and perceived cultural bias can detract from the original noble
purposes of UNESCO. For example, in 2016 the organization was
challenged for referring to sites in Jerusalem through a Muslim lens,
thus detracting from Jewish people and their historic connection.
SOME SITES, ONCE THEY MAKE the World Heritage list,
discover the designation may not be permanent. The List of World
Heritage in Danger was designed to bring world attention to areas
requiring corrective measures and cooperation. Listings can result in
positive outcomes; the Galápagos Islands and Yellowstone National
Park have subsequently been removed from this list because of posi-
tive developments. Another danger listing — Everglades National
Park — was on the list from 1993 to 2007 and again since 2010
because of “continued degradation of the site resulting in a loss of
marine habitat and decline in marine species.”
Removal from the list occurs when there are improvements in
management and conservation to the original reasons for inclusion.
However, UNESCO succumbed to sustained lobbying efforts by the
Australian government to de-list the Great Barrier Reef as late as
2016, in direct defiance of evidence showing widespread destruction
and substantial die-off of the coral reef.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