Friday, March 29, 2024
Scuba DivingThirteen World Heritage Sites stay on Danger List

Thirteen World Heritage Sites stay on Danger List

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Thirteen natural World Heritage Sites, including theGalapagos Islands, will stay on the List of World Heritage in Danger,following the advice of IUCN, says an article on the IUCN website.

A report written on the IUCN websit says that thedecision of the World Heritage Committee to retain the GalapagosIslands on the the danger list comes two years after they wererecognised as being under severe threat because of growing tourism,invasive species and immigration.

This decision to retain Galapagos on the List of World Heritage inDanger shows some commitment from the government of Ecuador tocontinue with its conservation efforts and work together with theinternational community, to maintain the outstanding universal value ofthis unique place of the unique Galapagos Islands.  

Ecuador’s history of working in line with the World HeritageConvention also led to the removal of Sangay National Park from thedanger list.

The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of continental Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands of Ecuador and the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary inIndia are the two natural sites on the danger list outside Africa. Theother 11 sites are all located in the African continent.

The Galapagos islands were among the first sites to be inscribed onthe World Heritage List in 1978 and further extended in 2001.  The islands are geologically young and famed for their vast number of endemic species, with a widevariety of flora and fauna on the 19 islands which contributed to CharlesDarwin’s theory of evolution.

Due to increased tourism, immigration andthreats from invasive species brought by plane and boat by thevisitors, the islands have been inscribed on the danger list, followingIUCN’s recommendation in 2007.

Sara-Lise Haith
Sara-Lise Haithhttp://www.divasindubai.com
Sara-Lise is the former News Editor for DeeperBlue.com. She is based in Dubai.

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