The Dresden Elbe Valley still remains on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Christchurch (New Zealand) - The UNESCO World Heritage Committee conference today decided during its meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand, to maintain the Elbe Valley in Dresden on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This site was placed on the endangered heritage list last year due to the planned construction of a bridge over the river. Delegates made this decision despite the ongoing intention of the government of the German federal state of Saxony to implement this transport project. According to the DPA agency, the future of the approximately twenty-kilometer stretch around the river, which originates in the Czech Republic, will be decided in October.
The commission reviewing this case granted the responsible authorities a three-month deadline to submit an alternative proposal for bridging the river. Otherwise, the valley near the Saxon capital will again risk becoming the very first item to be removed from the collection of 830 world treasures.
Prior to the commencement of the 31st committee session, 31 sites were symbolically inscribed on the endangered heritage list, hovering over them was the "Sword of Damocles" of being removed from the UNESCO cultural heritage list. As announced today by the AP agency, the conference delegates have already removed Florida's Everglades National Park and the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve in Central America from this list. In their opinion, the condition of both natural monuments with unique fauna and flora has improved to such an extent that they no longer need to be on this list.
Conversely, the Galapagos or the London Tower could end up on it. The environment on the Pacific islands belonging to Ecuador has deteriorated significantly in recent years due to increasing tourism. UNESCO believes that the same applies to the condition of the medieval residence of English kings, which is blamed on intensive construction in the surrounding area.
The conference, which will last until July 2, will still discuss their possible inclusion among endangered sites. It also has on its agenda the evaluation of the candidacy of 45 new sites for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Among them are the world-famous Sydney Opera House in Australia and the beech forests on the Slovak-Ukrainian border.
The Czech Republic last-minute withdrew its candidacy for the historic hand papermaking mill in Velké Losiny, as it supposedly would have no chance of approval in its current form. This would mean that it could never apply for inscription in the future.
The Czech Republic currently has 12 sites on the list, including the historic centers of Prague, Český Krumlov, and Telč.