7 Amazing Places That Could Disappear Forever

The ancient city of Palmyra has survived Isis’s 10-month occupation after being recaptured by Syrian troops.

In October, the group released a video of it blowing up the Arch of Triumph there – but new pictures show much of the 2,000-year-old city has been left unharmed.

The historic settlement is not unique in having been targeted and partially destroyed by militants – nor is its place on Unesco’s ‘endangered’ list.

Since 1972, the World Heritage Convention has allowed the body to list areas in danger to help create a “programme for corrective measures" with the relevant governments. The full list of ‘In Danger’ sites is HERE.

While the convention has had many successes, there remain areas in desperate need of intervention, and more being added all the time.

Here, we look at the historic sites and natural wonders you may never get to see, if you haven’t already, if the world doesn’t act quickly.

A gorilla in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Credit: Christopher Michel/Flickr)

Kahuzi-Biega National Park
The site: Found near Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and sat between two dormant volcanoes, Kahuzi and Biega, this vast area contains many endangered species, including one of the last groups of eastern lowland gorillas. Founded in 1980 by Belgian photographer and conservationist Adrien Deschryver (although the earliest reserve there was established in 1937), it is home to 49 species of birds – including 42 endemic – 136 species of mammals and 1,178 species of plants, as of 2003.
Why it’s in danger: The park contains a raft of IUCN Red Listed animals and plants – including forest elephant, Congo peafowl and Eastern chimpanzee – whose numbers have fallen due to deforestation and hunting. The Congolese Civil Wars, which began in 1996, have seen move than 5.4million people die and coincided with the area being added to Unesco’s World Heritage in Danger list. The Foreign Office advises against all travel to the east and north eastern parts of the country, although the park is still open to tourists.

The Great Mosque, Aleppo (Credit: Varun Shiv Kapur/Flickr)

Syria’s ancient cities
The site: In 2013, the ancient cities of Aleppo, Damascus and Bosra were all added to Unesco’s danger list, along with the ‘dead’ villages of Northern Syria, as the country’s civil war began to take hold. The former has been a place of settlement since approximately 5000 BC, although it is best known for its medieval architecture which had remained virtually untouched for centuries, with its 13th-century citadel and 12th-century Great Mosque particular highlights. Damascus, too, is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East, with its the eighth-century Great Mosque of the Umayyads a spectacular piece of architecture.
Why it’s in danger: Isis’s intentional destruction of cultural sites has been particularly alarming, with the group destroying ancient temples across Iraq and Syria. However, the prolonged civil war between President Assad’s forces and the Syrian Free Army has also razed a great deal of the region’s heritage, with the Battle of Aleppo, for example, having decimated much of the Al-Madina Souq. Unesco also fears for the future of the Forgotten Cities in the northern part of the country, which date back to between the first and seventh centuries and have stood still since they were abandoned a 1,000 years ago, with militants taking refuge there.

Marojejy, part of the Atsinanana rainforest (Jeff Gibbs/WikiCommons)

Rainforests of the Atsinanana
The site: These rainforests, which comprise six national parks, “are critically important for maintaining ongoing ecological processes necessary for the survival of Madagascar’s unique biodiversity,” according to Unesco. Madagascar falls in the “megadiversity” category as approximately 80 to 90 percent of its groups are unique to the country. There are some 12,000 endemic plant species, plus many endemic mammals, which most famously includes the lemur.
Why it’s in danger: Deforestation is a huge problem in Madagascar. The WWF estimates that about 52,000 tonnes of precious wood, such as ebony and rosewood, from 100,000 trees was cut in 2009 alone. This illegal logging as well as poaching of endangered lemur has convinced Unesco to place the property on its World Heritage in Danger list.

The ancient settlement (Einsamer Schütze/WikiCommons)

Abu Mena
The site: A world heritage site since 1979, this early Christian holy city was built over the tomb of the martyr Menas, who died in AD 296. Found southwest of Alexandria, Egypt, the site contains a church, baptistry, basilicas, public buildings and monasteries, and was excavated in the early 20th century.
Why it’s in danger: In 2001, Unesco noted that a land-reclamation programme in the region had caused water tables to record a dramatic rise. This meant that the soil, which is exclusively clay, became semi-liquid, spelling potentially disastrous consequences for the ancient buildings. In fact, huge underground cavities opened up and authorities had to act quickly by adding sand to bases of some buildings, including the crypt of Abu Mena. Unesco maintains that subsequent moves to dig trenches remain insufficient and thus the city is still listed as in danger.

Belize (dronepicr/Flickr)

Belize Barrier Reef
The site: Found 300 metres offshore, the Belize Barrier Reef is a magnificent 190-mile long area, comprising offshore atolls, sand cays, mangrove forests, and coastal lagoons. It’s also the country’s top tourist destination, and popular snorkelling and scuba diving spot. The largest largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, it’s home to species such as marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile – and more than 500 species of fish.
Why it’s in danger: This popular area, unlike some additions, on our list, is easily accessible and visited often by tourists. But, of course, there’s a reason Unesco has added it to its list. The body lists the sale and lease of public lands for the “purposes of development leading to the destruction of mangrove and marine ecosystems,” as the reason for its inclusion.

The Church of Nativity in the 1930s (WikiCommons/United States Library of Congress)

Birthplace of Jesus
The site: Bethlehem is found some six miles south of Jerusalem, and has been considered the birthplace of Jesus since the 2nd century. There has also been a church (the Church of Nativity) there since 339AD – although it was largely replaced after a fire in the 6th century. The region is of course a focal of Christian pilgrimage, but the site itself is also an “outstanding example of an early church in a remarkable architectural ensemble” as Unesco puts it.
Why it’s in danger: The site was listed as World Heritage Sites and World Heritage in Danger property in the same year, 2012, the latter due to its ‘vulnerability’ caused mostly by water leaks. The basilica was placed on the Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund in 2008, and in 2010, a multi-million restoration project was announced by Palestine, with work having started this year. However, the church remains on Unesco’s danger list to this day.

The Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building (Chowells/WikiCommons)

Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City
The site: Made up of six locations throughout Liverpool city centre – including the Pier Head, Albert Dock and William Brown Street – the Maritime Mercantile City has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2004, boasting dozens of Grade I and II listed buildings. The Pier Head in particularly is incredibly well known, containing three of the city’s most famous constructions: The Liver Building, The Port of Liverpool Building and the Cunard Building.
Why it’s in danger: You may feel the historic docks stick out on the World Heritage In Danger list and you’d be right: it’s one of just two in Europe (the other being in Kosovo). But while it isn’t in danger of sinking or being targeted by militants like some entries on this list, it is still in danger of losing what makes it special. Unesco believes that if the proposed £5.5bn Liverpool Works development goes head “Liverpool may entirely lose the outstanding universal value for which it was given World Heritage status.”

(Main credit: WestEnd61/REX/Shutterstock)