The Convention at work
Angkor (Cambodia)
One of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia, Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia contains the magnificent remains of the various capitals of the Khmer Empire. Over the years, political and military upheavals, illicit excavation, pillaging of archaeological sites and landmines were destroying the site. Although many monuments are still in need of attention and pressure from tourism is growing, more than fifteen major conservation and restoration projects have been undertaken. In 2004, the Committee considered that Angkor was being properly managed and that the numerous conservation and restoration activities were successful and the site was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
In 2005, Sangay National Park, Ecuador, was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger as significant measures had been taken to address threats. Heavy poaching of wildlife, illegal livestock grazing, encroachment along the park's perimeter and unplanned road construction were threatening to cause irreversible damage to the natural environment. Today, activities such as hunting, mountain climbing or illegal grazing can only be found in a minimal section of the park, and road construction has been modified to satisfy rigorous international environmental standards.
Ilulissat Icefjord (Greenland, Denmark)
Over the years, the town of Ilulissat experienced a rise in the number of cruise tourists. Without proper management, the growing number of visitors led to difficulties such as attrition, crowding and problems of waste disposal. A management plan (2009–2014) was formulated with initiatives encompassing commercial hunting, motorized vehicles, navigation, recreational activities, research and information. When the plan was presented at a public meeting, many citizens joined the discussion about the management of the World Heritage site.
Island of Mozambique (Mozambique)
Decades of wars and economic stagnation allowed the former historic capital, on the Island of Mozambique, to lapse into decay. Under a truly multi-donor rehabilitation project – with financing from Japan, Portugal, the Flemish Government of Belgium, the Netherlands and the Union of Luso-Afro-American-Asian Capital Cities – more than 100 local and Mozambican professionals and students were trained in traditional building techniques, using local building materials and decorative principles to restore the fortress and install a new public water cistern.
Tongariro National Park (New Zealand)
New Zealand’s Tongariro National Park, whose mountains have cultural and religious significance for the Maori people and symbolize their spiritual links with the environment, was designated as the first cultural landscape on the World Heritage List in 1993. The recognition of cultural landscapes as World Heritage sites in 1992 was an important step in underlining the intimate spiritual relationship between peoples and their natural environment.
Old Walled City of Shibam (Yemen)
The 16th-century Old Walled City of Shibam, Yemen, nicknamed 'the Manhattan of the desert', has been under threat of destruction because of the abandonment of the old agricultural flood management system in the wadi surrounding the city and the overloading of the traditional sanitary systems. Extensive conservation works implemented by partner organizations have resulted in the restoration of 65 per cent of the buildings, and large-scale flood control measures have been taken in the wadi.
Yellowstone National Park (USA)
Yellowstone National Park is the nucleus of the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA), which contains six National Forests, two National Parks, and two National Wildlife Refuges. In 1964, to coordinate management of the ecosystem across boundaries, the three federal land-management agencies that operate within the GYA formed the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee (GYCC).A GYCC sub-committee launched, in 2007, a creative approach to developing an ecosystem-wide Climate Action Plan to identify and reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: GHG emissions reduction projects were identified by each individual GYCC agency unit, aggregate into goals for each unit, and into ecosystem-wide GHG emissions goals. In this way, each unit not only has complete ownership over the emissions reduction actions in the plan, but also has control over its implementation timeline. The plan has evolved into a template for other environmentally sensitive areas in the country.