World Monuments Fund Unveils 2008 "Watch List"

The list of endangered sites includes areas threatened by political conflict, unchecked development and, for the first time, climate change

by James Murdock

Two places, much in the world’s headlines, made this year’s list for different reasons. New Orleans was cited for the ongoing risk that climate change presents to its future. “Historic neighborhoods, already pummeled by Hurricane Katrina, are now struggling to restore homes while also preparing for future challenges posed by rising sea levels and the likelihood of stronger storms,” the WMF writes. Iraq, meanwhile, also earned a spot on the list: “Ongoing conflict has led to catastrophic loss at the world’s oldest and most important cultural sites.”

In a statement accompanying the list, WMF president Bonnie Burnham said: “On this list, man is indeed the real enemy. But, just as we caused the damage in the first place, we have the power to repair it, by taking our responsibility as caretakers of the world’s cultural heritage seriously.”

The WMF was founded in 1965. Since creating its biennial Watch List in 1995, more than 75 percent of the threatened sites have been saved. Here is the text of this year’s list, organized by category.

SITES THREATENED BY GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

The 2008 Watch List includes a number of sites threatened by global warming.

Herschel Island, Canada, home to ancient Inuit sites and a historic whaling town at the edge of the Yukon that are being lost to the rising sea and melting permafrost in this fastest-warming part of the world.

Scott’s Hut, Antarctica, a time capsule of early 20th-century exploration. Ironically, it is being engulfed by vastly increased snowfall thought to be a result of changes in the weather—changes the station was built to monitor.

Chinguetti Mosque, Mauritania, located in one of Islam’s seven holy cities and one of many sites in West Africa endangered by the encroaching desert.

Sonargaon-Panam City, Bangladesh, a former medieval trading hub and crossroads of culture, whose long-neglected and deteriorating architecture is increasingly threatened by flooding in this low-lying country, one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of global warming.

Leh Old Town, Ladakh, India, a rare intact medieval city in the Himalayan region, now trying to balance development and modernization with sustainability as its traditional architecture faces changing weather patterns, including heavy rains, that it was not built to withstand.

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, whose historic neighborhoods, already pummeled by Hurricane Katrina, are now struggling to restore homes while also preparing for future challenges posed by rising sea levels and the likelihood of stronger storms.

SITES THREATENED BY CONFLICT

Whether past, ongoing, or imminent, conflict has become one of the most severe threats to cultural heritage.

Cultural Heritage Sites of Iraq, where ongoing conflict has led to catastrophic loss at the world’s oldest and most important cultural sites, and where the damage continues.

Bamiyan Buddhas, Afghanistan, tragic illustrations of the importance of cultural heritage and the consequences of its destruction. The leftover fragments and historic context remain endangered and their future is in question.

Church of the Holy Nativity, Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories. The site of one of Christianity’s oldest churches is now deteriorating as a result of modern political tensions.

Famagusta Walled City, Cyprus, featured in Shakespeare’s “Othello,” now neglected as political deadlock over the island’s sovereignty continues.

Sarajevo City Hall, Bosnia and Herzegovina, an architectural testament to the cultural diversity of the city, damaged by war.

Srinigar Heritage Zone, India, where traditional structures built to survive earthquakes are suffering as a result of ongoing instability and conflict in the Kashmir region.