By: Bernd Debusmann Jr
NEW YORK (REUTERS).- More than 200 of the world’s most significant cultural heritage sites could be severely damaged or lost which would cost developing nations over $100 billion in lost revenue, a new report showed. Haiti’s Palace of Sans Souci, known as the “Versailles of the Caribbean,” and Mirador, a massive pre-Columbian city in Guatemala, are among the 20 sites listed in the report as on the verge of irreparable loss and destruction due to mismanagement, looting, neglect, conflict and unsustainable tourism. “These are wonderful, priceless cultural sites. If we don’t do something, we could potentially lose them forever. It would be a tragic loss,” said Jeff Morgan, the executive director the Global Heritage Fund, a California-based nonprofit group which published the “Saving Our Vanishing Heritage” report. He believes the destruction of cultural sites does not receive enough attention from organizations such as UNESCO, the United Nations Education, S