Most endangered monuments in the world
Every two years, the World Monuments Fund puts out a list of the most endangered cultural and architectural sites in the world. They call it the Watch List. In 2014, that list included the entire country of Syria (because of war), and the entire city of Venice (because of cruise-ship tourism). The new 2016 Watch List includes 50 monuments from 35 countries around the world, including two in the U.S.
The Mission San Xavier del Bac, located just south of Tucson, Arizona, is one of those endangered sites. In the mid-twentieth century, a well-intentioned restoration campaign covered the surface of the National Historic Landmark with a layer of cement, leading to decades of structural deterioration from moisture trapped within the walls. A full restoration is now underway to reverse the effects of those repairs and save the historic European-style church.
Roșia Montană Mining Landscape
Country: Romania
The rich gold deposits of Transylvania's Apuseni Mountains have been known--and mined--since pre-Roman antiquity. At first, they were mined through orderly, fire and hand-chiseled galleries. In recent years, though, the mining has expanded to open pits, threatening the Roșia Montană Mining Landscape with almost complete destruction. Those fears have now been averted, but challenges remain to promote sustainable development and create opportunities for the appreciation of the site's rich heritage.
Durbar Square - Nepal
Country: Nepal
On April 25, 2015, a major earthquake struck Nepal, causing thousands of human casualties, a series of deadly avalanches on Mount Everest, and widespread damage to the country's buildings and infrastructure. The earthquake's impact was particularly extensive on Cultural Heritage Sites throughout the Kathmandu Valley, home to hundreds of sacred Buddhist and Hindu sites. According to Nepal's Department of Archaeology, around 750 monuments were affected and now require reconstruction.
Chapultepec - Mexico
Country: Mexico
Chapultepec Park is an oasis that offers opportunities for leisure activities for residents and tourists alike, but planning and vision are needed for the Park to continue to be enjoyed by the public.
Ladeira da Misericórdia - Brazil
Country: Brazil
The Ladeira da Misericórdia, a historic street connecting the upper and lower sections of the World Heritage city of Salvador de Bahia that is the site of a visionary project by Lina Bo Bardi, been abandoned for over two decades.
National Art Schools - Cuba
Country: Cuba
After surviving decades of neglect, Cuba's National Art Schools are finally gaining recognition as modernist monuments, but an integrated approach to the management of the site remains a necessity.
Bo-Kaap - South Africa
Country: South Africa
The historic character and built heritage of Bo-Kaap are under threat, due to economic forces and social change.
World War II Concentration Camps
Country: Italy
The remaining concentration camps built in Italy during World War II are facing both neglect and destruction, due to the denial of this almost-forgotten chapter of Italy's recent past.
Rock art sites of Sabu and Jaddi
Country: Sudan
The historic rock art sites of Sabu and Jaddi are neither fully documented nor protected, and they are currently threatened by both erosion and acts of vandalism.
Iglesia "La Ermita" - Peru
Country: Peru
A crumbling church in a lively district of Lima with the potential for revitalization, La Ermita de Barranco is a reminder of the neighborhood's origin as a humble fishing village.
Amedy - Iraq
Country: Iraq
Planning is urgently needed to integrate new development proposals with community needs while respecting the historic urban fabric of Amedy.
Chug-Chug Geoglyphs - Chile
Country: Chile
The thousand-year-old Chug-Chug Geoglyphs depend on the establishment of an archaeological park to protect, preserve, and interpret the site.
Brussels Courts of Justice - Belgium
Country: Belgium
The Brussels Palace of Justice is a victim of its enormous size that long caused it to be seen as a folly and needs a guarantee of its future and a ground-up rehabilitation.
Great Zimbabwe
Country: Zimbabwe
An architectural masterpiece and one of Africa's most iconic sites, Great Zimbabwe is at risk from the uncontrolled growth of vegetation and other management challenges that threaten its preservation.
San Esteban del Rey
Country: United States
A comprehensive restoration program for the San Esteban del Rey Mission requires investment and remains long overdue.
Bunce Island - Sierra Leone
Country: Sierra Leone
Bunce Island, a site that testifies to a dark chapter in world history, is being slowly eroded by exposure to the elements and overwhelmed by the social and economic problems facing Sierra Leone.
Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso
Country: Mexico
The Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, a former Jesuit college that became the cradle of the Mexican muralist movement, is laden with outdated systems that hinder its function as a world-class exhibition space.
Conventos de Sevilla - Spain
Country: Spain
The dwindling monastic vocation poses a serious challenge to the future of Seville's remaining cloistered convents.
Aqueduto da Água da Prata - Portugal
Country: Portugal
Laborious effort is needed to preserve the Água da Prata Aqueduct while allowing it to keep functioning for the irrigation of parks and gardens.
Spaç Prison - Albania
Country: Albania
Spaç Prison, a notorious labor camp, is in an extremely advanced state of deterioration, and deserves to be transformed into a modern place of remembrance.
Cementerio General de Santiago - Chile
Country: Chile
The General Cemetery of Santiago, the burial place of presidents and hundreds of other luminaries, has borne the brunt of many earthquakes and is now neglected by the city.
Colonial Churches of Santiago de Cuba
Country: Cuba
Santiago de Cuba's historic churches and their plazas have suffered from the impact of natural disasters and are currently endangered by a lack of resources that can be dedicated to conservation.
El Vedado - Cuba
Country: Cuba
The historic character of Havana's El Vedado is being lost due to lack of investment in properties in the district, weak protective regulations, and the trend of inappropriate alterations.
Convent of San Francisco - Ecuador
Country: Ecuador
The Church and Convent of San Francisco is facing the pressure of balancing large numbers of worshippers and visitors with the needs of maintenance and upkeep.
Abusir el-Malek - Egypt
Country: Egypt
Looting archaeological sites like Abusir el-Malek erases irreplaceable information about human history and cultural milestones.
Fundición Averly - Spain
Country: Spain
Averly Foundry, recognized widely as one of Spain's most significant industrial complexes, is slated for demolition.
Conventos de Sevilla - Spain
Country: Spain
The dwindling monastic vocation poses a serious challenge to the future of Seville's remaining cloistered convents.
Traditional Architecture of Mauritius
Country: Mauritius
Traditional Architecture of Mauritius: The island of Mauritius holds a unique yet fragile architectural heritage that is on the verge of disappearing.
Wentworth Woodhouse - UK
Country: United Kingdom
Wentworth Woodhouse, the largest house in the United Kingdom, is one of the most important historic buildings at risk in the country today.
Pavlopetri - Greece
Country: Greece
Pavlopetri, the world's oldest submerged city, is under serious threat from pollution and disturbances caused by large ships. Here, the ruins of Pavlopetri lie a short distance under the surface of the water, off Pounta Beach.
Saspol Meditation Caves - India
Country: India
The Gon-Nila-Phuk cave temples contain Buddhist wall paintings of exquisite artistic and spiritual significance, but they are endangered by the menacing disintegration of the surrounding rock.
Arch of Janus - Italy
Country: Italy
The Arch of Janus, the only surviving quadrifrons arch in Rome, is the last monument of the Forum Boarium that remains unrestored.
Moseley Road Baths - UK
Country: United Kingdom
Moseley Road Baths, an Edwardian time capsule still in use and serving a diverse urban community, is now at risk of closure due to cutbacks in government spending.
Petra - Jordan
Country: Jordan
Addressing the many long-term challenges facing Petra has been a slow but steady process, and the integration of community members into preservation planning represents a new opportunity for progress.
Architecture of Tsukiji, Japan
Country: Japan
The relocation of the Tsukiji fish market ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games warns of redevelopment pressures for some of the last remaining markers of Tsukiji's historic twentieth century architecture.
National Sports Complex - Cambodia
Country: Cambodia
A modernist symbol of Cambodian rebirth, the National Sports Complex is used daily by Phnom Penh residents for recreation and social gatherings, and yet there are mounting fears of encroachment and loss of the space as a community asset.
Simwonjeong Pavilion - South Korea
Country: South Korea
Rising land values and a lack of legal protection are threatening Simwonjeong Pavilion, a marker of Korean national heritage, which could be irreversibly changed or even lost.
Dalieh of Raouche - Lebanon
Country: Lebanon
Used as a public space for more than 7,000 years, the Dalieh of Raouche may become the latest victim of a development frenzy that has destroyed or privatized many of Beirut's open spaces.
Shukhov Tower - Russia
Country: Russia
Ongoing vigilance is necessary to secure the future of the Shukhov Tower, an icon of the advent of modern technology and an engineering masterpiece of the early twentieth century.
Oasis of Figuig - Morocco
Country: Morocco
The Oasis of Figuig is on Morocco's Tentative List for World Heritage and despite the pressures of modernization has maintained its traditional irrigation systems.
Fortifications of Portobelo - Panama
Country - Panama
The Fortifications of Portobelo need better management to reverse the effects of prolonged lack of maintenance and to mitigate the challenges of urban encroachment and an adverse environment.
Kua Ruins - Tanzania
Country: Tanzania
The remains of a medieval Swahili town, the Kua Ruins are at risk from the effects of a harsh climate and destruction at the hands of explorers digging for fabled Swahili treasures.
