Venice is not added to UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list

A couple walks in a flooded Saint Mark’s Square during high waters on Nov. 19, 2013, in Venice, Italy.

Marco Secchi/Getty Images

Venice, with its maze of canals and historic buildings, won’t be added to a list of endangered World Heritage sites — for now.

At a meeting to discuss World Heritage sites underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, officials from 21 UNESCO member states decided Thursday not to add Venice, Italy to the World Heritage in Danger list.

UNESCO issued a report in July outlining the risks facing Venice, including extreme weather and rising sea levels caused by human-induced climate change, over-tourism and over-development.

A spokesperson for UNESCO, the United Nations body that designates and protects World Heritage sites, did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment on the reason why Venice, a World Heritage site since 1987, remains off the endangered list.

UNESCO’s official statement about the decision reiterated addressing concerns “for the proper conservation of the site,” which include tourism, development projects and climate change. “The protection of this World Heritage site must remain a priority for the entire international community,” UNESCO stated.

UNESCO added it plans to send a delegation to Venice, and submit a new report about the issues facing the city by February of next year, with a view to discuss its inclusion on the World Heritage in Danger list again next summer.

Adam Markham, deputy director for climate and energy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, and an expert on the link between climate change and cultural heritage, expressed frustration over the decision.

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