The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia since 25 July finished its consideration of nominations for the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Meeting under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Culture of Brazil, Joao Luiz da Silva Ferreira, the Committee inscribed 21 new sites, including 15 cultural, 5 natural and 1 mixed properties.

Three countries, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tajikistan, had sites added for the first time. One existing natural site was also recognized for its cultural values and thus becomes a mixed site.

The World Heritage Committee also added four sites to the List of World Heritage in Danger and removed the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) from this List.

The new sites on the World Heritage List of Sites in Danger are (in alphabetical order):

• Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia)
• Rainforests of Atsinanana (Madagascar)
• Tombs of Buganda Kings (Uganda)
• Everglades National Park (United States of America)

The new mixed site is:

• Papahanaumokuakea (United States of America)

The new natural sites are:

• China Danxia (China)
• Pitons, Cirques and Remparts of Reunion Island (France)
• Phoenix Islands Protected Area (Kiribati)
• Putorana Plateau (Russian Federation)
• Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)

The Committee also recognised the cultural values of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania), which was inscribed in 1979 as a natural site. This property now becomes a mixed site.

The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee opened on 25 July and closed on 3 August. The next session will be held in June 2011 in Bahrain.

Sources: Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news