Recently, UNESCO made a controversial statement when it proposed to remove the port city of Liverpool in the center of Liverpool (UK) from the list of World Heritage Sites, due to concerns that "excessive urban planning projects are affecting the integrity of this heritage".
Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram expressed his disappointment at UNESCO's decision on social media, saying: "We are proud of our history but heritage is an important part of our regeneration."
UNESCO has warned that Everton's new football stadium planned for the historic Bramley-Moore docks is unacceptable.
In 2004, UNESCO recognized the commercial port area in Liverpool city center as a World Heritage Site because it "witnesses the development of one of the world's largest commercial centers in the 18th and 19th centuries".
However, eight years later, this heritage was placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO due to the city government's proposed Liverpool Waters project. UNESCO warned that construction projects in Liverpool could destroy the historical heritage here. This is one of two World Heritage in Danger in Europe, along with medieval monuments in Kosovo.
The inclusion on the list of World Heritage in Danger was a warning from UNESCO, but so far the project has continued.
In addition to the historic trading port of Liverpool, the Selous Wildlife Sanctuary in Tanzania is also recommended by UNESCO to be removed from the World Heritage list.
Selous Wildlife Reserve in Tanzania.
Continuing a controversial statement, UNESCO also proposed to put the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), the "city of bridges" Venice (Italy) and the "heart of Europe" Budapest (Hungary) along with several other sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the risk of disappearance.
Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
On June 22, Australia announced that it would strongly oppose UNESCO's recommendation, citing the erosion caused by climate change leading to irreversible consequences.
In the “city of bridges” Venice, the impact of over-tourism is one of the criteria that led UNESCO to request the city be listed as a World Heritage Site in danger.
Venice - City of Bridges.
In Budapest, “inappropriate” demolition and widespread rebuilding, especially of overly high-rise buildings, disfigured two historic sites on the banks of the Danube and the Buda Palace.
The city is known as the "Heart of Europe".
The Kathmandu Valley in Nepal and the area around Lake Ohrid, which straddles Albania and Macedonia, have also been proposed for inclusion on the list of World Heritage in Danger. UNESCO has also made similar recommendations for volcanoes in Russia's Kamchatka region.
The final decisions will be made by the World Heritage Committee at its meeting in Fuzhou, China, from July 16 to 31.
