At its annual meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided that Venice, one of the most visited tourist destinations in Italy, will not be placed on the list of endangered world heritage.
In July, UNESCO assessed that Venice is at risk of irreparable damage due to a range of factors, from climate change to mass tourism, which are causing sea levels to rise, among other things. With development that includes the construction of high-rise buildings, Venice is also threatened with a “negative visual impact”. That’s why they were considering putting the city on the water on the list of endangered heritage. However, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee decided not to do so at its annual meeting, which runs until September 25 in Riyadh.
“The committee made a decision not to place Venice on the list of endangered world heritage,” an unnamed source at UNESCO told the French news agency AFP.
With the designation of endangered heritage, UNESCO encourages better preservation of a certain area for the future. In exceptionally suitable locations, the World Heritage designation may be withdrawn if the measures are judged to be unsatisfactory.
They “escaped” for the second time without changing their statusVenice with its lagoon has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987, and the organization has been concerned about the state of the city for several years. In 2021, the city avoided being declared an endangered heritage site, just weeks after Italy banned cruise ships from entering its center.
With the previous warning, cruise ships were banned, now an entrance fee has been introduced for touristsIt is different at the meeting in Riyadh Lazare Eloundou Assomo from the UNESCO World Heritage Directorate warned that the measures taken by the Italian government to protect Venice are not sufficient. Meanwhile, city authorities in Venice decided on Tuesday to introduce a fee for one-day visitors to the city. Critics believe that this measure will not be sufficient.
Source: Rtvslo
