Paris.- The measures adopted by the Italian State to protect the city of Venice and its lagoon are “insufficient” and “should be expanded“Unesco indicated this Monday, which will propose to place it on the list of endangered heritage.
The Unesco Heritage Center considered mass tourism, renovation projects and climate change as the main threats to the Italian city, as they damage building structures and urban areas, degrading their cultural and social identity.
Venice “faces a proven danger and threats that have harmful effects on its intrinsic characteristics,” added the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).
For all these reasons, the Heritage Committee will propose placing it on the list of endangered places during the UNESCO General Assembly that will take place in Riyadh from September 15 to 25.
In its report, the organization acknowledges that Italy has improved tourism management and coordination between the different administrations involved to protect the ecosystem.
In addition, progress has been made in the creation of barriers against the tide and in the consolidation of the beaches and coastal dunes and “state-of-the-art technology” has been used in forecasting their rise in water levels, while maintaining the veto to cruises to the ports closest to the center.
But these advances are not enough, indicates the organization, which calls for a more in-depth study of the natural phenomena that affect Venice and the impact of climate change on the city, as well as the consequences of the barrier system and the arrival of cruise ships. to nearby channels.
On the other hand, it requires “a sustainable model of tourism” that reduces “the exceptionally high number of visitors” and “considerably improves the quality of life of residents.”
He also considers that the projected construction of high-rise buildings on the outskirts of the city may have a negative visual impact that adds to the other dangers that threaten Venice, inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1987.
These threats can cause “irreversible changes and a substantial loss of the historical authenticity and cultural importance that constitute a part of the outstanding universal value” of the city, it added.
Venice, founded in the 5th century and converted into a naval power in the Mediterranean in the 10th century, is currently one of the most visited cities in the world, with daily peaks of up to 100,000 tourists who spend the night there, while its population of about 50,000 inhabitants , is reduced annually.
