UNESCO recommends putting Venice on heritage danger list

UNESCO, the cultural agency of the United Nations, on Monday (July 31) recommended Venice be added to its list of world heritage in danger. The agency said that its high time the Italian authoritiesstep up their efforts in order to secure the historic city and its surrounding lagoon.

In its recommendation, UNESCO has said that Venice risked "irreversible" damage due to multiple issues, including climate change and mass tourism.

The recommendation will now go to a meeting of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in Riyadh in September for adoption.

"The effects of the continuing deterioration due to human intervention, including continuing development, the impacts of climate change and mass tourism threaten to cause irreversible changes to the outstanding universal value of the property," said UNESCO.

"Some of these long-standing issues have already led to the deterioration of the inherent characteristics of the property and its attributes," UNESCO said.

The agency also warned that the developments including high-rise buildings risk having "significant negative visual impact".

"Moreover, the combined effects of human-induced and natural changes are causing deterioration and damage to building structures and urban areas," it added.

The agency said that there was a "lack of significant progress" by Italy in addressing these issues and this was further "hindered by a lack of overall joint strategic vision".

The World Heritage Committee is prepared to adopt a resolution and its draft said that there had not been "a significant level of progress in addressing the persistent and complex issues". It further added measures proposed by Italy were "still insufficient and need to be further developed".

UNESCO said it hoped inscription on the danger list "will result in greater dedication and mobilisation of local, national and international stakeholders."

What does the danger label mean?

When UNESCO puts something in the "danger" category, it means the particular site needs better preservation. The site can also be stripped of its World Heritage label if the steps are deemed unsatisfactory in exceptional circumstances.

The World Heritage Committee oversees the awarding of the coveted World Heritage label to sites around the world. The body will meet in Riyadh from September 10-25.

(With inputs from agencies)

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