Year in Review

See More

25 of the world’s most endangered places

Katia Hetter
By Katia Hetter, CNN
Updated 3:07 PM EST, Tue November 19, 2019
<strong>2020 World Monuments Watch list: </strong>The latest list of 25 sites is out, and includes the Koutammakou, Land of the Batammariba, Benin and Togo. The Batammariba people will be able to remain in their historic homeland with the conservation of their traditional dwellings.
2020 World Monuments Watch list: The latest list of 25 sites is out, and includes the Koutammakou, Land of the Batammariba, Benin and Togo. The Batammariba people will be able to remain in their historic homeland with the conservation of their traditional dwellings.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Ontario Place, Canada</strong>. Threatened by redevelopment, this modern megastructure could continue to serves its various communities as a recreational center.
Ontario Place, Canada. Threatened by redevelopment, this modern megastructure could continue to serves its various communities as a recreational center.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Rapa Nui National Park. Easter Island, Chile. </strong>Faced with the<strong> </strong>loss of culturally significant rock carvings, an indigenous community seeks new solutions to curb the damage.
Rapa Nui National Park. Easter Island, Chile. Faced with the loss of culturally significant rock carvings, an indigenous community seeks new solutions to curb the damage.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Alexan Palace, Asyut, Egypt.</strong> Locals want to transform this now closed grand historic residence into a museum.
Alexan Palace, Asyut, Egypt. Locals want to transform this now closed grand historic residence into a museum.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Notre-Dame de Paris, France.</strong> This iconic cathedral was nearly lost to fire, and will require years of restoration work.
Notre-Dame de Paris, France. This iconic cathedral was nearly lost to fire, and will require years of restoration work.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Tusheti National Park, Georgia. </strong>The local community in the eastern part of the country wants to promote sustainable tourism in their region.
Tusheti National Park, Georgia. The local community in the eastern part of the country wants to promote sustainable tourism in their region.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Gingerbread Neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. </strong>Investment in the historic houses of the Gingerbread<br />neighborhood, featuring architecture typical from the end of the 19th century to the start of the 20th, will sustain the homes as a tourism attraction.
Gingerbread Neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Investment in the historic houses of the Gingerbread
neighborhood, featuring architecture typical from the end of the 19th century to the start of the 20th, will sustain the homes as a tourism attraction.
Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Historic Water Systems of the Deccan Plateau, Karnataka and Maharashtra, India.</strong> Improvements in the traditional water management systems can start to address the water crisis for contemporary communities in the area.
Historic Water Systems of the Deccan Plateau, Karnataka and Maharashtra, India. Improvements in the traditional water management systems can start to address the water crisis for contemporary communities in the area.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, India.</strong> The stadium provides public recreation space for residents, and is also an architectural icon in need of repair.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, India. The stadium provides public recreation space for residents, and is also an architectural icon in need of repair.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Mam Rashan Shrine, Mount Sinjar, Iraq. </strong>This Yazidi shrine was destroyed in a genocidal campaign. Rebuilding it could help this embattled minority community that has long been denied its rights.
Mam Rashan Shrine, Mount Sinjar, Iraq. This Yazidi shrine was destroyed in a genocidal campaign. Rebuilding it could help this embattled minority community that has long been denied its rights.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Inari-yu Bathhouse, Tokyo, Japan.</strong> Locals want to save one of Tokyo's disappearing neighborhood bathhouses, preserving a way of life.
Inari-yu Bathhouse, Tokyo, Japan. Locals want to save one of Tokyo's disappearing neighborhood bathhouses, preserving a way of life.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Iwamatsu District, Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. </strong>Sake brewing is significant in the history of this coastal town, and it's hoped that preserving that art can reverse the trend of residents moving out. <br />
Iwamatsu District, Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Sake brewing is significant in the history of this coastal town, and it's hoped that preserving that art can reverse the trend of residents moving out.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Canal Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico.</strong> As the government makes plans for a new park, the local caretakers of the country's <br />oldest human-made waterway want to be part of the process.
Canal Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico. As the government makes plans for a new park, the local caretakers of the country's
oldest human-made waterway want to be part of the process.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Choijin Lama Temple, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. </strong>One of the few temples to survive Mongolia's suppression of religion, this deteriorating structure needs restoration work.
Choijin Lama Temple, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. One of the few temples to survive Mongolia's suppression of religion, this deteriorating structure needs restoration work.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Traditional Burmese Teak Farmhouses, Myanmar.</strong> Modernization is causing the disappearance of this local, traditional architecture style, which requires documentation if it's to be preserved.
Traditional Burmese Teak Farmhouses, Myanmar. Modernization is causing the disappearance of this local, traditional architecture style, which requires documentation if it's to be preserved.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Chivas and Chaityas of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. </strong>Development is threatening many votive shrines in the area, inspiring the community to document them before they are lost.
Chivas and Chaityas of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Development is threatening many votive shrines in the area, inspiring the community to document them before they are lost.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore, Pakistan. </strong>The community wants to be included in the development of this historic neighborhood, which includes a famous urban neighborhood market.
Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore, Pakistan. The community wants to be included in the development of this historic neighborhood, which includes a famous urban neighborhood market.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco Region, Peru.</strong> The construction of a new airport in Peru's Cusco region near Machu Picchu threatens the preservation of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco Region, Peru. The construction of a new airport in Peru's Cusco region near Machu Picchu threatens the preservation of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Kindler Chapel, Pabianice Evangelical Cemetery, Pabianice, Łódz Voivodeship, Poland. </strong>If reopened, the chapel could serve as a cultural facility for the community.
Kindler Chapel, Pabianice Evangelical Cemetery, Pabianice, Łódz Voivodeship, Poland. If reopened, the chapel could serve as a cultural facility for the community.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Courtyard Houses of Axerquía, Córdoba, Spain.</strong> Preserving this style of historical urban housing would address the negative impacts of gentrification and modern tourism.
Courtyard Houses of Axerquía, Córdoba, Spain. Preserving this style of historical urban housing would address the negative impacts of gentrification and modern tourism.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Bennerley Viaduct, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England</strong>. This rare Industrial Age viaduct could be preserved as a community site for recreation and nature.
Bennerley Viaduct, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England. This rare Industrial Age viaduct could be preserved as a community site for recreation and nature.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Bears Ears National Monument, Utah, United States.</strong> A federal government plan that reduced the size of the protected lands sacred to Native American people threatens this site, its supporters say.
Bears Ears National Monument, Utah, United States. A federal government plan that reduced the size of the protected lands sacred to Native American people threatens this site, its supporters say.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Central Aguirre Historic District, Aguirre, Puerto Rico, United States. </strong>Once a company town for the local sugar mill, now the area sits mostly abandoned. A wood construction training program would create employment and provide disaster relief.
Central Aguirre Historic District, Aguirre, Puerto Rico, United States. Once a company town for the local sugar mill, now the area sits mostly abandoned. A wood construction training program would create employment and provide disaster relief.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Woolworth Building, San Antonio, Texas, United States. </strong>This Texas building was the site of the first successful desegregation of a lunch counter, but its future is threatened by a proposed development.
Woolworth Building, San Antonio, Texas, United States. This Texas building was the site of the first successful desegregation of a lunch counter, but its future is threatened by a proposed development.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
<strong>Traditional Houses in the Old Jewish Mahalla of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. </strong>The history of the Jewish presence in Central Asia following the community's migration will be documented.
Traditional Houses in the Old Jewish Mahalla of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The history of the Jewish presence in Central Asia following the community's migration will be documented.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund
Endangered monuments around the globe for 2020
CNN  — 

At Notre-Dame de Paris in France, the threats to a world-famous cathedral come from the damage caused during a fire.

At Bears Ears National Monument in the United States, supporters say threats come from a federal government plan that reduced the size of the protected lands sacred to Native American people.

The construction of a new airport in Peru’s Cusco region near Machu Picchu threatens the preservation of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

A fire caused massive damage to the Notre-Dame de Paris, France.
A fire caused massive damage to the Notre-Dame de Paris, France.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund

The World Monuments Fund added 25 culturally important sites to its 2020 World Monuments Watch list of threatened heritage sites with historical significance. The list is updated every other year.

“We often take our most treasured heritage sites for granted,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, the fund’s CEO. “Sometimes it’s not until they are put at risk that we realize the importance they have in constructing our identities as individuals, communities, or citizens of a country.”

The 25 sites, which were chosen from a list of more than 250 nominations, join a list of 836 watch members recognized since 1996. Their supporters will compete for a total of $1 million in conservation funds provided by American Express, a founding sponsor.

They can also qualify for money from the World Monuments Fund and other sources. Since 1996, the fund has given more than $110 million to Watch sites, while other funders have donated nearly $300 million.

Threats to a Woolworth building

The San Antonio Woolworth Building is a significant site of the US Civil Rights movement.
The San Antonio Woolworth Building is a significant site of the US Civil Rights movement.
Courtesy World Monuments Fund

Other monuments on the 2020 Watch list include Mam Rashan Shrine in Iraq, a Yazidi shrine destroyed during a genocidal campaign; threats to the significant rock carvings on Easter Island at Rapa Nui National Park in Chile; and the San Antonio Woolworth Building in United States, a significant site of the African American Civil Rights Movement in Texas, which is being threatened by a redevelopment plan.

“The San Antonio Woolworth Building, for example, was one of the first places to peacefully integrate its lunch counter during the Civil Rights Movement, but today that memory has faded,” said de Montlaur.

UNESCO names 29 new World Heritage sites for 2019

Almost $500 million for preservation

Inari-yu Bathhouse, Japan
Inari-yu Bathhouse, Japan
Courtesy World Monuments Fund

Founded in 1965, the World Monuments Fund has sponsored more than 600 projects in 90 countries around the world. The World Monuments Watch was launched in 1995, the fund’s 30th anniversary, to identify and provide support for significant sites threatened by natural disasters, violent conflict, growing political turmoil or growing urbanization.

The fund is part of a worldwide community of organizations working to save, preserve and restore human-made and natural sites of cultural and historical significance, including the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger and the US-based National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

America's 11 most endangered historic places

2020 World Monuments Watch List (in alphabetical order by country)

Koutammakou, Land of the Batammariba, Benin and Togo
Koutammakou, Land of the Batammariba, Benin and Togo
Courtesy World Monuments Fund

1. Koutammakou, Land of the Batammariba, Benin and Togo

2. Ontario Place, Canada

3. Rapa Nui National Park, Chile

4. Alexan Palace, Egypt

5. Notre-Dame de Paris, France

6. Tusheti National Park, Georgia

7. Gingerbread Neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

8. Historic Water Systems of the Deccan Plateau, India

9. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, India

10. Mam Rashan Shrine, Iraq

11. Inari-yu Bathhouse, Japan

12. Iwamatsu District, Japan

13. Canal Nacional, Mexico

14. Choijin Lama Temple, Mongolia

15. Traditional Burmese Teak Farmhouses, Myanmar

16. Chivas and Chaityas of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

17. Anarkali Bazaar, Pakistan

18. Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru

19. Kindler Chapel, Pabianice Evangelical Cemetery, Poland

20. Courtyard Houses of Axerquía, Spain

21. Bennerley Viaduct, United Kingdom

22. Bears Ears National Monument, USA

23. Central Aguirre Historic District, USA

24. San Antonio Woolworth Building, USA

25. Traditional Houses in the Old Jewish Mahalla of Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Visit wmf.org/2020watch for more information.

Related