Misleading WHS Names

The geographical scope is unclear due to lack of official map, and site is cultural while natural is implied by focus on the Valley. Suggestion for an alternative name: ‘Hominid fossil sites in the Lower Omo Valley’.

The majority of Rio’s built environment is excluded - the core zone is limited to natural elements that have seen human intervention, resulting in a 'cultural landscape'. The flowery subtitle 'Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea' isn't of help. An alternative name could be like 'Cultural landscape of Tijuca National Park and the Sugarloaf Mountain'.

Only very small parts of Modica and Scicli towns and Catania are included, so the name 'Baroque Towns' seems to be overstating it. An alternative could be 'Baroque heritage of the Val di Noto'.

This only includes the Indian side of the area, and focuses on the mangroves. A better name, as suggested by IUCN in its evaluation, could have been 'The Sundarbans Mangrove Reserves of India'.

This only includes the Bangladeshi side of the area, and focuses on the mangroves. A better name, as suggested by IUCN in its evaluation, could have been 'The Sundarbans Mangrove Reserves of Bangladesh'.

Both grandiose and vague. An alternative name could be "Frankincense sites of Dhofar", to reflect the regional limit and that these are mostly archeological sites.

The included areas only cover 14% of the total area of Anticosti Island (its coastline and the channels of its two principal rivers).

The name suggests a natural site, but it is a purely cultural site focused on the tradition of building shell mounds (and using some of them as burial places).

This site covers much less than the region that is known as the Pantanal in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay (only 1.3% of Brazil's Pantanal!). Four adjacent nature reserves/parks that are seen as representative of the whole have been chosen. Although 'Conservation Zone' in the full name is an indicator of limitations, a more precise name like 'Pantanal Matogrossense National Park and adjoining reserves' would be welcome.

The protected area only covers the higher altitude center of the island plus some outlying portions. A better name would be something like 'Yakushima Forest Reserve'.

Upper Svaneti is a historic region centered around the town of Mestia, but this site covers only one village some 2 hours drive away. An alternative WHS name could be: "Chazhashi" (= the name of the village).

It includes Elephantine Island which is downstream of Philae (and not Nubian).

The geographical scope is unclear due to the lack of an official map, and the site is cultural while natural is implied by focus on the Valley. Suggestion for an alternative name: ‘Hominid fossil sites in the Lower Valley of the Awash’.

The WHS uses the same scoping as the National Park, but both cover only the southern part of the lake; so Southern Lake Malawi might have been a better name.

Remains of the Great Wall can be seen at numerous places along its 6,000km long northern stretch. However, the WHS is limited to the beginning and the end, plus the popular Badaling section near Beijing. This discrepancy was noted by ICOMOS before inscription ("the present proposal may, in fact, be taken in various ways. This will inevitably bring about conflicts in the short term as to the definition of the property") China answered that the Great Wall "has to be considered and protected as a whole" - but this has never lead to a boundary change.

This WHS only covers a tiny part of the frontiers of the Roman Empire, which stretch all around Europe and the Mediterranean. Also, other Roman Frontiers have been inscribed as separate WHS. 'Limes of the British Isles' could have been a good alternative here, however, a stretch in Germany is included as well which is known as the Upper German-Raetian Limes.

The reef is a well-distinguishable feature that can be seen all along Belize’s coast. But only seven protected sites (covering 12% of the surface) have been selected to reflect the whole. While the addition of 'Reserve System' to the name is an indicator of there being limitations, it could be made more clear that it excludes the popular Cayes ('Protected areas of Belize Barrier Reef')

The Western Ghats is a huge mountain range; however, the WHS is limited to 37 very specific parks and reserves which require some effort and formal entry. Suggestion for alternative name: 'Western Ghats (Strictly) Protected Areas'.

This does not cover the full archipelago, especially large parts of the main Vega island (where you will arrive) are excluded. Also, the title has a ‘natural’ feel, while it is a cultural landscape focusing on the local lifestyle of fishing and eider down harvesting. Suggestion for alternative name: "Cultural landscape of Vegaøyan".

This is not a natural WHS and the area of interest also goes beyond Gorham's Cave. The original name 'Gibraltar Neanderthal Caves and Environments' (or without 'and Environments') would have been much better, but Spain objected.