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The 32nd session of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is over

The 32nd session of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee took place on July 02-10, in Quebec (Canada). 27 new sites in 25 countries were inscribed on the World Heritage List. UNESCO's World Heritage List now numbers a total of 878 sites, 679 cultural and 174 natural sites and 25 mixed in 145 countries.

List of the new natural properties inscribed on the WNH List is as follows:

  • Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Canada)
  • Mount Sanqingshan National Park (China)
  • Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (France)
  • Surtsey (Iceland)
  • Saryarka - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)
  • Monarch Butterfly biosphere Reserve (Mexico)
  • Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona (Switzerland)
  • Socotra Archipelago (Yemen)

The Russian natural nomination The Putorana Plateau Nature Complex considered at the session was finally returned back for the further revision and completion. Before the new nomination file is presented it is necessary to fulfill the following IUCN recommendations: to conduct detailed comparative analyses of the nominated area with another similar sites according to vii and ix criteria; to present additional guaranties for long-term integrity and safety of this property and to work out a management plan for the nominated area.

List of endangered World Heritage Sites remained unchanged and includes 30 properties including 14 natural and 16 cultural ones.

Over 2 days of the session were devoted to revision of the state of conservation of a number of cultural and natural properties, including 9 Russian ones: Lake Baikal, Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Golden Mountains of Altai, Western Caucasus, Wrangel Island, Curonian Spit, Kizhi Pogost, Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow, Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments. The World Heritage Committee with great satisfaction apprehended decision of the RF Prime Minister Mr. Vladimir Putin on transfer of the Olympic sites' construction from the Grushevy Ridge being in immediate proximity to the WH property The Western Caucasus. The corresponding amendments were included into the session's resulting documents, among them a gratitude to the State Party for its actions for preservation of the World Heritage.

Decisions of the last UNESCO's World Heritage Committee session regarding all the Russian natural sites will be posted at the site within the next few days.