UNESCO Suggests Venice for Its Heritage Danger List
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has recently made a significant proposal. They suggest that Venice, a fragile city in Italy, should be added to its heritage danger list. This city is one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting countless visitors each year. However, this influx of tourists is causing significant issues. Coupled with the impacts of climate change, these problems are causing serious concern. UNESCO is now urging the Italian government to take decisive action. The organization believes that addressing these long-standing issues should be a top priority for the government.
Venice’s Struggles with Tourism and Climate Change
Venice is currently one of the 1,157 locations designated as a World Heritage Site. These sites are recognized for their “outstanding universal value” due to their cultural or natural offerings. However, Venice has been grappling with the adverse effects of mass tourism and climate change for years. These persistent and complex issues have led to the recommendation of including Venice in the World Heritage in Danger list.
The Implications of the Recommendation
The recommendation came from UNESCO and its advisory body experts. They included it in the provisional agenda for the forthcoming 45th session of the World Heritage Committee. This crucial session is due to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September. The committee’s draft resolution presents a compelling argument. It highlights the lack of significant progress in tackling Venice’s urgent issues. These issues encompass mass tourism, development projects, and climate change impacts. These challenges are inflicting substantial damage on Venice. They are causing deterioration to building structures and urban areas. Moreover, they are eroding the city’s cultural and social identity. The integrity of Venice’s cultural, environmental, and landscape attributes and values is also under threat.
Venice’s Weather and Tourism Challenges
In recent years, Venice has been dealing with a series of weather-related problems. Earlier this year, the city experienced a severe drought that made it impossible for gondolas, water taxis, and ambulances to navigate through some canals. In contrast, in November 2019, the city faced such severe flooding that historical treasures and buildings were at risk.
Overtourism and Its Impact on Venice
Overtourism in Venice has been a persistent issue. While UNESCO acknowledged some efforts to combat this, such as the ban on large ships from entering the San Marco Basin – Giudecca Canal, the report stated that the continuing deterioration due to human intervention, climate change impacts, and mass tourism threaten to cause irreversible changes to the outstanding universal value of Venice.
Long story short, in response to UNESCO’s recommendation, the Municipality of Venice stated that it would carefully review the proposed decision and discuss it with the government. As of now, the Italian Culture Ministry has not released a statement on the UNESCO recommendation. CNN has also reached out to the Italian Tourism Ministry and the Municipality of Venice, but neither had responded by Monday evening. The future of Venice, a city grappling with the impacts of climate change and overtourism, hangs in the balance as it awaits a decision on its inclusion in the heritage danger list.
