13 new sites have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List which lost one site while three were placed on the ‘In Danger’ List.

The World Heritage Committee held its 33rd session last month, the session was chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO. The Committee  inscribed two new natural sites and 11 cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and withdrew one site from the List, Dresden Elbe Valley (Germany)- the decision to remove the Dresden Elbe Valley is sited as due to the ongoing construction of a four lane highway through the cultural landscape.

A further three sites were inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger (apparently in an attempt to help raise international support for their preservation) and one site removed from the ‘In Danger’ list.

Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Kyrgyzstan all had sites inscribed into the World Heritage List for the first time in this session.

A list of sites and their relative inscriptions as decided by the 33rd session of the WH Committee follows;

Natural sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List:

The Wadden Sea (Germany / The Netherlands)

The Dolomites (Italy)

Cultural sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List:

Stoclet House (Belgium)

The Ruins of Loropéni (Burkina Faso)

Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande (Cape Verde)

Mount Wutai (China)

Shushtar, Historical Hydraulic System (Iran)

Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain (Kyrgyzstan)

The Sacred City of Caral-Supe (Peru)

The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (Republic of Korea)

The Tower of Hercules (Spain)

La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle watchmaking town-planning (Switzerland)

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal (United Kingdom)

Extensions added to World Heritage properties:

The Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains (France)

Levoca (in Slovakia)

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Philippines)

Sites removed from UNESCO’s World Heritage List:

Germany’s Dresden Elbe Valley

Sites removed from UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger:

The walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower (Azerbaijan)

Sites added to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger:

Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (Belize)

Los Katios National Park (Colombia)

The Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia)

This news has sparked some debate in my office regarding the validity of some World Heritage Sites, there have been some questions asked of the relative importance of sites added to the list compared to those already on it and other sites which aren’t ‘world heritage’. Following the UK’s DCMS consultation on World Heritage Sites status and its suggestion of a European Heritage List or equivalent have left some question marks regarding the levels of importance assigned to sites. Personally I’m not too keen on further division and labelling, it seems likely to only to add to the confusion….