UNESCO Names 29 new World Heritage sites for 2019

The World Heritage Committee added 26 sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2019. The newly inscribed sites are located one in Africa, two in the Arab States, ten in the Asia Pacific region, 15 in Europe and North America and one in Latin America. Among them are two natural sites, one in France and one in Iceland, a mixed, i.e. natural and cultural, site in Brazil and two cultural sites in Burkina Faso and Iraq.

World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, no matter of the territory on which they are located.

Perhaps the most famous site to be added to the list is the city of Babylon in Iraq. The city was first mentioned in the 23rd century BC and may have been home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – the Hanging Gardens.

Here’s the list of destinations added to the UNESCO list in 2019

1. Australia: Budj Bim Cultural Landscape

2. Azerbaijan: Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace

3. Bahrain: Dilmun Burial Mounds

4. Brazil: Paraty and Ilha Grande — Culture and Biodiversity

5. Burkina Faso: Ancient ferrous metallurgy sites of Burkina Faso

6. Canada: Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi

7. China: Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City

8. China: Migratory Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China, Phase I

9. Czech Republic: Landscape for Breeding and Training of Ceremonial Carriage Horses at Kladruby nad Labem

10. Czech Republic/Germany: Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region

11. France: French Austral Lands and Seas

12. Germany: Water Management System of Augsburg

13. Iceland: Vatnajökull National Park

14. India: Jaipur City, Rajasthan

15. Indonesia: Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto

16. Iran: Hyrcanian Forests

17. Iraq: Babylon

18. Italy: Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano a Valdobbiadene

19. Japan: Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan

20. Republic of Korea: Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies

21. Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang — Plain of Jars

22. Myanmar: Bagan

23. Poland: Krzemionki Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region

24. Portugal: Royal Building of Mafra — Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park, Tapada

25. Portugal: Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

26. Russian Federation: Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture

27. Spain: Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape

28. United Kingdom: Jodrell Bank Observatory

29. United States: The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright

Meanwhile, IUCN may recommend that a site be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger or we can call it Danger List if it faces potential danger as defined in paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines to the Convention.

Danger listing can be due to natural or human causes, for example: resource extraction (such as mining and illegal logging), inappropriate development (such as roads), poaching, agricultural encroachment, threats induced by armed conflict and war, earthquakes and other natural disasters, pollution, poaching, uncontrolled urbanization, and unchecked tourist development pose major problems to World Heritage sites.

If the alert is justified and the problem serious enough, the Committee may consider including the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Today, 16 natural World Heritage sites are listed as in danger. For this year’s World Heritage Committee meeting, IUCN has provided recommendations for about 60 natural World Heritage sites facing threats and has evaluated 10 sites nominated as potential new sites.