HERITAGE/ New and Fascinating UNESCO Sites

The Japanese iconic mountain, Mount Fuji, has finally made it into the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. The recognition has elevated Fujisan (the common name for Mount Fuji) into a coveted place globally, but instead of being marked out as a natural heritage site, Fujisan has gone into UNESCO’s list as a cultural site. Officially, Mount Fuji is now known as the Wellspring of Art and the Object of Worship. The storming of Mount Fuji into the UNESCO’s list is however not surprising, consider...

Among the newest additions to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2013 is the Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora found on the shores of the Black Sea, Ukraine. The area carries with it a rich history that is reminiscent of notable archaeological sites under the international body’s protection status. The decision by the World Heritage Committee that was agreed upon during their 37th session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia brings the number of protected sites in Ukraine to seven. C...

The Western Ghats, a UNESCO site since 2012, sustain livelihoods of about 50 million of the 1 billion people in India. Except the Indo-Malayan region, no other biodiversity hotspot impacts so many. Historically, well-covered in forests providing food and natural habitat for its natives, inaccessibility made it difficult for the plainsmen to cultivate and construct. The British cleared territories for plantations (tea, coffee, rubber, eucalyptus, teak) affecting species. Increasing population str...

Red Bay was reached by a crew of Basque sailors who were exploring the northern regions of Canada. It is located on the north-eastern tip of the Canadian shore of the Sound of Belle Island. It is an archaeological site that captures and embodies the classic European whaling activities. The Red Bay Basque Whaling station, one of the newest UNESCO sites, was first called Gran Baya when it was founded in the early 1530s; it was used by the visitors as a site for butchering, storage, coastal huntin...