UNESCO omits Great Barrier Reef from 'danger' list, but has concerns

A UNESCO committee omitted Australia's Great Barrier Reef from its list of world heritage sites it considers to be in danger, a move the government welcomed but conservationists questioned.

Palmyra’s World Heritage Site May Not Be as Damaged as Feared

After months of occupation by Daesh terrorists, historians worried that Palmyra’s ancient wonders had been completely destroyed, but the havoc is not as bad as was originally feared, according to Syria’s antiquities chief.

Save remaining elephants in Tanzania's largest game reserve: WWF

The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), the leading global conservation organization, on Monday appealed to the government of Tanzania and international community to take urgent measures to protect the remaining elephants in Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve from poaching.

UNESCO: Archaeological sites of Palmyra still retain much of their authenticity

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Wednesday that the ancient city of Palmyra preserves had suffered significant damage at the hands of ISIS terrorist, but that the archaeological sites retain much of their authenticity.

Palmyra ruins generally 'in good shape' - Syria antiquities chief

Ancient artefacts in the city of Palmyra are in much better shape than expected, Syria's antiquities chief said Sunday after regime forces recaptured the desert oasis from the Islamic State group.

Palmyra Castle partially damaged due to ISIS deliberate acts of demolition

The archaeological Palmyra Castle was found to have sustained massive damage deliberately inflicted by ISIS terrorists before they have fled deep into Tadmur (Palmyra) city.

UNESCO sites face major obstacles

A number of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites face major challenges, including the following:

Australian bushfires gravest crisis to world heritage forests

Bushfires engulfing Australian Tasmania could have detrimental long-term effects on the state's unique world heritage forests, according to conservationists.

Lake Baikal’s level again declines below extreme point

Water level in the Lake Baikal declined to the extreme low limit of 456 meters [under the Pacific Elevation System] and dropped 0.01 m below it last weekend, Russian water resources authority said on Monday on its website. 

Lake Baikal’s water level may drop to new record low in spring

The water level at Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater source, having dropped to critical marks in April, may fall by another 28 centimetres next spring, the head of the Baikal Institute told TASS on Tuesday.

UNESCO to assess damage of world heritage sites in Nepal

Following the massive destruction to world heritage monuments in Nepal after Saturdays devastating earthquake, UNESCO on Monday said they would field an international expert mission to undertake an in-depth damage assessment of the damage to heritage and path to recovery.

UN culture agency says Hatra destruction shows 'contempt' for history, heritage of Arab people

UN, 7 March 2015 – Official sources in Iraq reported today the destruction by Islamic State forces of the United Nations World Heritage property of Hatra, the capital of the first Arab kingdom, ‎and a city that bears the roots of Islamic Arab cities, according to a statement released by the UN body charged with protecting cultural sites.

China to ban use of Tibetan sky burial for tourism. (Some travel agents have shown disrespect to the tradition)

China has set out to make a new law to regulate the traditional Tibetan practice of sky burial, which involves feeding bodies of the dead to birds. Official sources in Tibet have indicated that the use of sky burial sites as tourist attraction may be banned.

Tibet's intangible heritage well-protected, says official

LHASA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government's efforts to preserve intangible heritage in Tibet and other ethnic regions have proven effective, said sources at the first Tibet development forum Wednesday.

"Of the 386 million yuan (62.7 million U.S. dollars) for cultural heritage preservation allocated by the central treasury between 2002 and 2009, about a quarter was spent in ethnic regions including Tibet," said Li Jianhui, a culture promotion official with the State Ethnic Affairs Commission.

Poor outlook warned for Great Barrier Reef (five-yearly review to address UNESCO)

Australia's Great Barrier Reef remains under threat despite efforts to rein in major sources of damage to the World Heritage-listed icon, the government said on Tuesday.

Canberra released a five-yearly review of the reef and moves to protect it, to address concerns raised by UNESCO and persuade the world body not to put the key tourist attraction on its "in danger" list next year. "Even with the recent management initiatives to reduce threats and improve resilience, the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef is poor, has worsened since 2009 and is expected to further deteriorate," the government said in its outlook report.

Central and Southwest China: Concern for ancient buildings after floods

Concerns have been raised over the protection of historic towns as persistent downpours in Central and Southwest China have flooded Fenghuang, a renowned tourism destination in Hunan Province.

More than 120,000 people were relocated amid power cuts in Fenghuang on Wednesday.

UNESCO adds Grand Canal, Silk Road route to World Heritage List

China gained two more UNESCO World Heritage sites Sunday, bringing the nation's total to 47.

The decision was announced by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Qatar.

The Silk Road, which served as a corridor for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe dating back 2,000 years ago, was inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Grand Canal, which runs 1,794 kilometers from Beijing to Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province.

Australia hails Barrier Reef deferral. Environmentalists call UNESCO decision "final warning"

Australia Thursday called a decision by UNESCO to defer listing the Great Barrier Reef as in danger "a win for logic," but environmentalists said it was a final warning.

The UN cultural agency on Wednesday said the reef could be put on a list of endangered World Heritage Sites if more was not done to protect it.

It voiced alarm at a "serious decline in the condition" of the reef, and said "a business as usual approach to managing the property is not an option."

Australia was given until February 1 next year to submit a report on what it was doing to protect the natural wonder. The Queensland state government saw the deferral as "a tick of approval."

UNESCO to decide if Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in danger

The United Nations world heritage body UNESCO will decide on Wednesday whether to list Australia's Great Barrier Reef as "in danger."

Concerns were raised in May over the decision to allow dredging near the reef, the ABC reported.

UNESCO recommended adding the reef to the World Heritage in Danger list in 2015, unless the Queensland Government took further action to protect it.

The committee is meeting this week in Doha and Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell is also there to convince UNESCO the reef is not in danger.

Silk Road inscription into World Heritage list "hopeful"

The multinational campaign to include the Silk Road into the World Heritage list has entered the final countdown, with officials and experts sanguine about its success.

Jointly submitted by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the application for adding part of the millennium-old trade route into the UNESCO list is expected to be finalized by a vote in June, when the World Heritage Committee convenes its 38th session in Doha.