New places added to UNESCO's World Heritage List

July 29, 2024 11:42 PM

Chinese desert and ancient Indian burial grounds in Assam state added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. A possibly unparalleled desert, an archipelago with oceans virtually free from human exploitation and resting places for royals of old are among sites given world heritage status.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (5 comments total)

Kudos to UNESCO for staying above the geopolitical fray. There are locations in Russia, Iran and the Gaza Strip on the list.
Full list here.
posted by Lucubrator at 4:20 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Beauty! Singing sands?!! SINGING SANDS

(I am also an insufferable pedant, and from my armchair shake a small fist at UNESCO’s copywriters: we have a powerful choice to make with our words when we describe its ecological condition. Rather than saying that its waters are "virtually free from human exploitation", we could say that the inhabitants of these islands have been successfully and sustainably managing these waters for literally MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS)
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:42 AM on July 30 [3 favorites]

(Of course, sustainable management equals not exploiting, in the sense of overfishing or polluting! But the first phrasing makes it sound like the Marquesas are an untouched wilderness, when they appear to be a place where humans developed and/or applied their expertise in natural-resources management.)

Thank you as always for your posts pointing towards good news, chariot pulled by cassowaries!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:47 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Awww, this is neat. Thank you for posting.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 8:38 AM on July 30

i see japan is another step closer to its goal of having the entire country declared a world heritage site
posted by emmling at 8:38 PM on July 30