UNESCO has decided not to include Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on its revised list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. Western media write that the verdict was passed under pressure from the Australian leadership: it does not welcome the downgrading of the reef, as this could strike a blow to the tourism industry. The question of the reef will be raised again at the next session of the UNESCO committee.
The status of the object under threat was also avoided by Venice, thanks to the timely actions of the Italian authorities. The Secretary General of the Europa Nostra organization, which promotes measures to protect the natural environment in Europe, said:
Snezka Kuedvlig-Mikhailovic, Secretary General of Europa Nostra: “We welcome the long-awaited decision of the Italian government to ban the passage of large cruise ships along the Giudecca Canal and past St. Mark’s Square. This is certainly the first step in the right direction, but we await further actions that will lead to the fact that the cruise ships will finally leave the lagoon. “
The UNESCO committee also decided to exclude the site “Liverpool – a city of sailors and merchants” from the World Heritage List due to the construction in the area of docks and port, which the UN considers the most important architectural ensemble. Liverpool hopes to revise this verdict.