UNESCO has been doing great work on preserving historical and popular landmarks all over the world. Preserving these sites plays an important role as we can learn a lot from the people that have lived way earlier than us.
Unfortunately, we might be taking these places for granted. We do not care about preserving them and simply ignore the value that they hold. As a result, human activities had caused some of these tourists attraction to close in the future.
1. Everglades National Park
This 1.5 million-acre national park is made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes, and pine Flatwoods that are also home to hundreds of wildlife species. It has become a popular destination for Americans, however, human activity had caused the national park to face threats. In 1993, it has been battered by Hurricane Andrew. And as time goes by, the site faces a few other threats such as decreasing water flow and increasing pollution impacts on the site. The diverse wildlife also is impacted by the threats.
2. The Great Barrier Reef
The world’s largest coral reef system is suffering from coral bleaching which is a side effect of climate change. This caused harm to marine life that seeks shelter from the reef. Climate change had stripped the coral of its nutrients and depletes its dazzling colors that were a hallmark of this site. This damage could become irreversible in a ten-years time.
3. Glacier National Park
This national park has glacier-carved peaks and its valleys running to the Canadian border. Before there was news on the melting of glaciers getting worst, there were 150 glaciers at this site. Due to climate change, there are only 25 glaciers remaining. The national park is facing drastic deterioration as the remaining glaciers are expected to disappear as early as 2030.
4. The Taj Mahal
This one of the most beautiful buildings in the world was built in the year 1632. Sadly, the Indian Supreme Court could potentially close this famous building. The government said that they had done their best in preserving it, however, mass tourists had caused great pollution to the place. This prestigious place also experienced insect infestations, which mostly come from the polluted Yamuna River near the Taj Mahal.
5. Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century and had become the world’s treasure. It is located in southern Peru. The attraction of this place is the remains of a huge stone citadel that is considered as one of the must-see spots in South America. Unfortunately, because the site has been visited by a lot of tourists, the structures started to wear down. UNESCO has been trying to reserve this site as the area surrounding it is going through urbanization.
Source: rd.com