Antique cité maya de Calakmul et la Réserve de la biosphere (06/12/2004)

Just magically appeared on Mexico's Tentative list for (2004). Interesting timing since Els just mentioned its exceptional natural qualities in her review! Furthermore, the properties "natural" critieria will be evaluated in 2014.

Anyway it was strange to see this TLS disappear in Mexico's T List and then know that it was being proposed for this year. A little different happens with China's extention for the Southern Karst Sites, which isn't in the T list and to my knowledge, has never been, apart from a brief mention in the AB evualuation in 2007.

I thought I was going mad, I was sure the natural part was on the T List but I could not find it anymore when writing the review! Calakmul should be a mixed WHS, and as you will have noticed already, I loved it. Together with the Monarch Butterflies the highlights of my trip to Mexico so far.

I thought also this was rather odd, since I had seen it some years ago in Mexico's T list and thought that was a good idea. But then disappeared and I thought this was a reengineering of Mexico's T list, just to appear again nominated. Great to see the evaluations you made of all those mexican sites and that you liked so much Calakmul. I think that would cover a thematic section, the rain forests of southern Yucatan and El Petén. Probably -I would say definitively- the issue of the T List entry was raised by the IUCN, from usual procedure. Who knows if a chinese entry for the extension of the South China Karst is gonna 'magically' surface sometime between now and may. Would be great to know what exactly is being nominated this year, since in the 2007 evaluation, the IUCN raised the issue that is was better a single, more coherent, nominate what's really missing and not "something of the same kind" extension, than what China initially planned for the South China Karst sites.

India selected 57 sites for revised tentative list out of 238 sites including 6 cultural landscapes.
Total of 238 properties were proposed out of which 162 were cultural and 76 were natural, mixed or cultural landscapes.

Do you have any links to documentation on these proposed and selected sites (or could provide Els with any documentation for her to set up on the site?)

Some of the revised tentative list properties are already disclosed to public.
They are Fort St.George in Chennai, Chettinad, Kazhugumalai rock sculptures and Pulikat Lake, Charaideo Sivasagar, Lord Sri Ranganathar temple in Srirangam, Padmanabhapuram palace, Kakitiya in Warangal (fort,Ramappa temple), Little and great rann of kutch , Gir and Girnar
http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/five-tamil-nadu-places-in-unesco-world-heritage-sta tus-tentative-list-279577
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060119/asp/northeast/story_5737072.asp
http://sevendiary.com/inclusion-proposal-unesco-assams-charaideo-moidams/
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/world-heritage-status-likely-for-pad manabhapuram-palace/article4827456.ece
The list includes some sites in previous list.
Art deco(mumbai), Majuli, Nalanda, Ahmedabad

I do not have the full list. However if you want I can upload a photo regarding the type of tentative list site( It is a comparision between previous and revised TL) or email it.

4 New nominations

The Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries (25/11/2013) (Croatia)

The Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries (09/10/2013) (Italy)

The Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries (11/02/2014) (Montenegro)

Heart of Sharjah (06/02/2014) (United Arab Emirates)

Ah, those Italians. It never ends! Any idea which of the 3 is the leading country?

More Dalmatian tourist sites!

Maybe Italy?
http://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/Cronaca/mura-ora-lunesco-e-piu-vicina-il-progetto- entra-in-tentative-list_1045550_11/

A strange proposal, covering more than two centuries, at least the Italian parts are very different: Bergamo and Palmanova (both nice, but very similar to already inscribed sites) and rather insignificant remains of fortifications in Chioggia.
Seems to be a relabelling of sites that are already on the T-list (Bergamo, Palmanova, Zadar) to enhance the chance of inscription.

While we all feign surprise about Italy's ability to manufacture nominations, it is also interesting to note the (perhaps) equally surprising rate of new nominations since January 2013. The topic was summarized by Solivagant in the previous page rather well, but I think it is a topic worth discussion. In particular, the "active" nominations of the tentative list is only a fraction of the current 1574 total.

In 2013, there were only 49 new tentative nominations (as of today), and 2014 has started even slower with only 2. Side note: Several of the nominations in 2013 were just updated versions of previous Chinese nominations.

This is one of the slowest rates of new nominations since the inception of the world heritage program. There are very few countries still to introduce their first tentative list. The only 2 new (first) tentative lists in 2013 were Kuwait and Maldives, both consisted of 1 nomination.

That would be my reading as well. I've only visited Palmanova and though it is pleasant I don't think it is up to scratch as a WHS, so it is the best way forward.
Whether it is good for the World Heritage List is a different matter

One would expect, in particular for countries with a long T-list like France, that the recent entries are more likely to be nominated than those that are on the T-list since more than a decade. But this can be misleading.
In order to get more information on some of the proposals suggested for our Top50 voting, I've done a bit research on Carnac and found this website of a recently founded association:
http://www.megalithes-morbihan.com/

In the submenu "Association" is written:
"Site protection and promotion work is designed to lead to a project to promote all of the heritage in the 26 municipalities in Southern Morbihan included in the research programmes, followed by an application to be listed as Unesco World Heritage. Since 1996, the Carnac alignments have been on France's Tentative List for Unesco world heritage. "


I've visited most of the Italian sites, the fort in Sibenic (solely for the view of the Cathedral) and Korcula. Palmanova is nice, but very similar to the Vauban site Neuf-Brisach, though I liked Palmanova better. The others are medieval towns, like many others on the list. However, I feel that these sites have not much in common, apart from the fact that there are remains of fortifications from a certain period. But what city in Europe had no fortifications between 15th to 17th Century?
It is different from the Vauban WHS, where the sites are connected by the consistent construction concept of the architect. And the serial nomination includes examples how this was carried out at various locations: at seaside, on flat terrain, or in mountain areas.

New nomination from Argentina:

Geological, Paleontological and Archaeological Provincial Reserve Pehuén co - Monte Hermoso (mixed)

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