World Heritage Site newsletter #15

 

February 2008

 

This newsletter is sent in HTML-format.

When your e-mail client doesn’t support HTML, please go to http://www.worldheritagesite.org/news/newsletter15.html

 

 

In the News

The delisting of the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary last year was the forebode of Unesco getting tough on preservation issues. Over the past weeks there has been lots of Google Alert ‘noise’ about the status of Dresden, St. Petersburg and Keoladeo.

 

Another hot item is the new USA Tentative List. The previous old and long list has been discarded, and replaced with 14 new sites. A pretty interesting choice I think, from the Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings to the White Sands National Monument. Read more about it on: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/OPINION01/801240302/1006

 

And do you know the whereabouts of Mostar’s worldheritage plaque? It is missing:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/180063,problems-arise-over-the-old-bridge-in-mostar.html

 

 

Other Lists

People like you and me that devote a whole lot of time and money to the World Heritage List are actually sufferers from ‘listophilia’ (definition = the condition of having an developed penchant for and love for lists, the creation of and crossing off of items from same).

 

A common other list to get addicted to is ‘the list of all countries in the world’. 193 ‘official’ countries are widely recognized (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries). Crossing off this list has become too easy for many, so longer lists have been developed that also include islands / states / dependencies. The two most prominent of these are http://www.travelerscenturyclub.org/ (317 entities) and http://www.mosttraveledpeople.com (673 entities).

 

I’ve been following two of these countrylistophiles recently via their entertaining blogs http://weecheng.com/ and http://www.leeabbamonte.com/lee/trip-blog/. Their enthusiasm about having visited another country or island surely matches my pleasure at visiting World Heritage Sites. What I cannot understand however is that a one day visit to Addis Ababa enables them to tick off Ethiopia! These guys have it so easy. A little money (or better: a lot of money) thrown in and their goal is within reach.

 

But try to visit all 8 World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia. These sites are scattered all over this infrastructure-challenged country. Some are major tourist destinations (Lalibela), others mere spots on the earth (read about Paul Tanner’s efforts on Lower valley of the Awash). It takes time, dedication and an interest in a whole range of subjects (from palaeontology to Christian orthodoxy) to visit them all. This variety and sometimes obscurity is what the World Heritage List still makes the number one list for me.

 

Recommended sites

Finally, the usual update on reviewed and recommended WHS. 87% of the sites have now been reviewed on the website. ‘Only’ 110 to go! Still searching for stories about Bisotun (Iran), Wadi al Hitan (Egypt), Pattadakal (India) or even Wrangel Island (Russia).

Some WHS recently received their first travel notes:

·         Iain Jackson sprints to the top of the most visited list. He has shared his views on the Algerian sites Beni Hammad and M'Zab Valley.

·         Panama’s Coiba National Park: ‘The highlight of the day trip including a two hour session surfing on the west side where I spent the majority of my time observing the Scarlett Maccaws flying overhead and landing on the beach only feet away!’

·         Kieran Donoghue gives his advice on whether or not to visit Cuba’s Vinales Valley

 

 

That’s it for this edition, Els
webmaster www.worldheritagesite.org
contact me