8 endangered UNESCO sites to see now in the Americas

By Jen Rose Smith, CNN
8 minute read
Updated 12:42 PM EDT, Fri September 29, 2017
<strong>UNESCO's endangered World Heritage Sites.</strong> While it's an honor to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, no country really hopes for its treasured destinations to be included on<a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/" target="_blank" target="_blank"> UNESCO's 55-member list of sites "in danger."</a> The list includes this site in Belize and seven other World Heritage sites in the Americas suffering from environmental degradation and development.
UNESCO's endangered World Heritage Sites. While it's an honor to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, no country really hopes for its treasured destinations to be included on UNESCO's 55-member list of sites "in danger." The list includes this site in Belize and seven other World Heritage sites in the Americas suffering from environmental degradation and development.
Belize Tourism Board
<strong>Belize Barrier Reef</strong>. Stretching almost the entire length of Belize's Caribbean coast, this reef draws scuba divers from around the world. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1996, it was listed as threatened in 2009 due to overfishing, poor water quality and development.
Belize Barrier Reef. Stretching almost the entire length of Belize's Caribbean coast, this reef draws scuba divers from around the world. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1996, it was listed as threatened in 2009 due to overfishing, poor water quality and development.
Belize Tourism Board
<strong>Everglades National Park, United States.</strong> Designated a World Heritage Site since 1979, this 1.5 million-acre national park was named a site in danger in 2010 because its low-lying elevation makes it vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Everglades National Park, United States. Designated a World Heritage Site since 1979, this 1.5 million-acre national park was named a site in danger in 2010 because its low-lying elevation makes it vulnerable to rising sea levels.
National Park Service
<strong>Portobelo-San Lorenzo, Panama</strong>. The remains of the high stone walls around this Caribbean town built in the 17th and 18th centuries were designated a World Heritage Site in 1980. Because there aren't any defined boundaries around the fortifications, development continues to threaten the structures. The site was added to the endangered list in 2012.
Portobelo-San Lorenzo, Panama. The remains of the high stone walls around this Caribbean town built in the 17th and 18th centuries were designated a World Heritage Site in 1980. Because there aren't any defined boundaries around the fortifications, development continues to threaten the structures. The site was added to the endangered list in 2012.
Alfredo Maiquez/Visit Panama
<strong>Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, Peru</strong>. Centuries before the arrival of the Spanish, the Chimu people ruled the northern coast of Peru and built the largest mud brick city in the world. More than 500 years of rainwater is melting the remains of the city, and it could get worse as weather patterns become more extreme. Chan Chan was named a World Heritage Site and an endangered site in 1986.
Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, Peru. Centuries before the arrival of the Spanish, the Chimu people ruled the northern coast of Peru and built the largest mud brick city in the world. More than 500 years of rainwater is melting the remains of the city, and it could get worse as weather patterns become more extreme. Chan Chan was named a World Heritage Site and an endangered site in 1986.
Jim Williams/UNESCO
<strong>Rio Platano Biosphere, Honduras</strong>. The largest intact rainforest in Central America is also home to many impoverished communities, whose people fish and hunt illegally and clear trees for subsistence farming. The Rio Plátano Biosphere was named a World Heritage Site in 1982 and named to the list "in danger" in 2011.
Rio Platano Biosphere, Honduras. The largest intact rainforest in Central America is also home to many impoverished communities, whose people fish and hunt illegally and clear trees for subsistence farming. The Rio Plátano Biosphere was named a World Heritage Site in 1982 and named to the list "in danger" in 2011.
RARE
<strong>Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, Chile</strong>. From the late 1800s until World War II, workers living in company-run towns dug out massive deposits of saltpeter, the "white gold" chemical compound used for making bombs and fertilizer. Now suffering from neglect, these saltpeter works were added to both the World Heritage and the "in danger" lists in 2005.
Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, Chile. From the late 1800s until World War II, workers living in company-run towns dug out massive deposits of saltpeter, the "white gold" chemical compound used for making bombs and fertilizer. Now suffering from neglect, these saltpeter works were added to both the World Heritage and the "in danger" lists in 2005.
Nuria Sanz/UNESCO
<strong>Potosí, Bolivia.</strong> Indigenous people dug for silver ore in the Bolivian Andes for centuries before the Europeans, whose arrival in the 16th century launched a mining boom. Potosí's historic buildings were designated as a World Heritage Site in 1987. The older structures exist right next to modern parts of the city without any buffer zone to protect them, and continued mining also is a threat. Potosí was listed as "in danger" in 2014.
Potosí, Bolivia. Indigenous people dug for silver ore in the Bolivian Andes for centuries before the Europeans, whose arrival in the 16th century launched a mining boom. Potosí's historic buildings were designated as a World Heritage Site in 1987. The older structures exist right next to modern parts of the city without any buffer zone to protect them, and continued mining also is a threat. Potosí was listed as "in danger" in 2014.
Patricia Rincon-Mautner/Inter-American Bank
<strong>Coro and its port, Venezuela. </strong>Founded in 1527, Coro's lovely architecture is a mix of Moorish influences brought by Spanish conquistadors and Dutch influences via Aruba and Curaçao. It was also the first South American town to declare independence from Spain. Coro and its port were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. They were added to the "in danger" list in 2005 due to damage caused by heavy rains and lack of protection by the national government.
Coro and its port, Venezuela. Founded in 1527, Coro's lovely architecture is a mix of Moorish influences brought by Spanish conquistadors and Dutch influences via Aruba and Curaçao. It was also the first South American town to declare independence from Spain. Coro and its port were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. They were added to the "in danger" list in 2005 due to damage caused by heavy rains and lack of protection by the national government.
Ko Hon Chiu Vincent/UNESCO
Photos: UNESCO's 8 endangered Americas heritage sites

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated. Prices and access to tours are subject to change.

CNN  — 

Florida manatees swim and sleep in the sunshine and golden-brown panthers prowl the shady forests at Everglades National Park.

A swampy wilderness of gnarled cypress stands and waving sawgrass just beyond Miami’s suburbs, this 1.5 million-acre UNESCO World Heritage Site can seem timeless.

But rising sea levels have spiked the fresh groundwater beneath the Everglades with salt, and plants and wildlife must quickly adapt to new conditions to survive.

That’s why the Everglades are among the eight World Heritage Sites in the Americas included in UNESCO’s list of “World Heritage in Danger,” an exclusive club of 55 destinations, dominated by war-torn countries and terrorist hotspots.

Stretching from the Florida backwoods to an ancient Peruvian city and ghostly Chilean mines, these eight sites are some of the Americas’ most extraordinary places. But they’re also sites that UNESCO has found are threatened by “serious and specific” perils, whether human or environmental.

These eight UNESCO sites underscore the importance of preservation efforts in our backyards – and invite adventurous travelers to explore them before they further deteriorate.

1. Everglades National Park, United States