A UNESCO advisory panel has recommended adding Venice to its 'Endangered' list.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will consider whether Venice will be added to its World Heritage in Danger List at an upcoming meeting of the World Heritage Committee in September.
UNESCO has been monitoring threats to the character of Venice and its lagoon since at least 2014, citing overtourism (particularly from large cruise ships). Venice was a frequent topic at committee meetings, having been raised again in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021. The 2019 resolution had warned that Venice could be listed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger if conservation deficiencies were not met.
A draft of the proposed resolution for the September session claims that there has not been a “significant level of progress in addressing the persistent and complex issues related in particular to mass tourism, development projects and climate change.” The draft resolution did, however, acknowledge some positive steps, such as the ban on large cruise ships from the San Marco Basin, creating and reinforcing tidal barriers to reduce flooding, and protections for the lagoon’s ecosystem by reducing polluting emissions from the nearby industrial area of Marghera.
UNESCO uses a marker called Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), which it defines as “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.”
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The draft resolution further notes that Italy has not yet established a strategic long-term plan to preserve the OUV of Venice. It further recommends that Italy take steps to produce such a plan, and to review development plans that UNESCO is concerned would ultimately affect the OUV of Venice. The committee is requesting a progress report from Italy on the progress report on the conservation of Venice by February 2024.
Listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site can qualify a property for conservation aid from the World Heritage Fund. World Heritage Sites also benefit from increased global recognition, and conservation protections under International Law. However, many World Heritage Sites do not benefit from financial aid or specific protections, and some even see the designation as a guarantee of future overtourism. Communities have also chafed at onerous conservation requirements imposed by UNESCO in order to maintain a designation—for which funding must oftentimes be privately raised.
Venice and its Lagoon was first listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. The description notes that, “The whole city is an extraordinary architectural masterpiece in which even the smallest building contains works by some of the world’s greatest artists such as Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and others.” UNESCO also notes that Venice became a major maritime power in the 10th century, and later served as an architectural and cultural influencer for many seaside communities across the Mediterranean.
There are 55 properties on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger, including the Historic Center of Vienna (since 2017); the Old Towns of Djenné, Mali (since 2016); Everglades National Park (since 2010); and Peru’s Chan Chan Archaeological Zone (since 1986).
Venice is the second most visited city by tourists in Italy, estimated to have peaked at 19 million in 2019. The city saw about half that number of visitors in 2021, largely owing to recent bans on large cruise ships entering the lagoon. Venice has waffled on introducing an overtourism tax to help combat overcrowding, which has still not been implemented although it was first proposed in 2017 and approved in 2022.
Only three World Heritage sites have ultimately been delisted since the World Heritage Committee was chartered in 1972. Each of the sites, in Germany, Georgia, and the United Kingdom, were delisted after development efforts significantly altered the OUV of the properties involved.
Italy has more World Heritage Sites than any other country, with 58 sites on the list. China ranks second, with 56; followed by Germany (51) and France (49). Italy does not currently have any properties on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.
I truly believe cruise ships are a contributing factor to, not only Venice, but across the world. In my humble opinion, the vast amount of waste they produce is contributing to the decline of the oceans' ecosystem. There are so many vessels and I am fairly sure many of their waste disposal processes are not following the proper protocols.
It is my hope that Venice submits their plan and the first step would be to exclude cruise ships.
I am glad to see an organization is keeping tabs to be sure something is addressed.
What does OUV stand for?