UNESCO Recommends Adding Venice to ‘World Heritage in Danger’ List

UNESCO experts have recommended adding Venice and its lagoon to the World Heritage in Danger list, citing Italy’s insufficient efforts to protect the city from climate change and mass tourism. A committee of 21 member states will review the decision in September during a meeting in Riyadh, where they will assess over 200 sites for potential inclusion in the danger list.

Among the nearly 10 sites recommended for inclusion are the historic centre of Odessa, Ukraine, the town of Timbuktu in Mali, and various sites in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. Additionally, UNESCO suggests adding the cities of Kyiv and Lviv in Ukraine to the danger list this year.

UNESCO expressed concerns about Italy’s lack of a joint strategic vision and ineffective management at all levels to preserve Venice adequately. The proposed corrective measures by the Italian state were deemed insufficient and lacking in detail. Italy’s communication with UNESCO has also been limited since the 2021 Committee session when Venice was previously threatened with blacklisting.

The hope behind adding Venice to the danger list is to encourage greater dedication and mobilization from local and national stakeholders to address long-standing issues. In response, the Venice municipality stated that they will carefully review the proposed decision and discuss it with the government.

Venice has been grappling with the challenges of mass tourism for years, with a notable 193,000 visitors flooding the historical centre during the 2019 Carnival. The city has been planning to introduce a day-tripper fee to manage visitor numbers, but the implementation has faced delays due to objections.