Art News

UNESCO Adds 21 New Places to World Heritage List

SAO PAULO (AP).- The Bikini Atoll and a silver trade route in Mexico were among 21 new places added to the list of World Heritage sites at the annual meeting of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, which concluded Aug. 2 in Brazil. The additions bring to 911 the total number of sites on the list, which include natural attractions like the Grand Canyon as well as manmade and cultural sites like the Acropolis. The committee also designated four sites as endangered, including Everglades National Park in Florida. The Everglades, home to 20 endangered species, was previously on the list from 1993 to 2007 because large amounts of water were being diverted to cities. UNESCO said in a statement the park was added again for the same reason. Other places newly added to the endangered list were the Atsinanana rain forests of Madagascar, where illegal logging and poaching are a threat to rare lemurs; the Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery in Georgia, and the tombs of Buganda Kings in Ugan