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Venice may be put on Unesco endangered list if cruise ships not banned

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Venice may be put on Unesco endangered list if cruise ships not banned
The MSC Orchestra cruise ship sails across the basin past the Bell Tower and the Doge's palace. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)

The UN art heritage agency has said it may put Venice on its ‘endangered’ list if the lagoon city does not permanently ban cruise ships from docking there.

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The Italian lagoon city, along with Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the city of Budapest, and Liverpool’s waterfront may be put on the list of "World Heritage in Danger," meaning they risk being removed from Unesco’s prestigious list of world heritage sites completely.

Unesco said on Monday the issue will be discussed at a meeting of its World Heritage Committee, which oversees the coveted accolade, in Fuzhou, China, on July 16-31.

It "would be a very serious thing for our country" if Venice was removed, said Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini on Monday.

READ ALSO: ‘More local, more authentic’: How can Italy move toward responsible tourism in future?

The MSC Orchestra cruise ship arrives in Venice on June 3rd, 2021. Photo: ANDREA PATTARO/AFP

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Participants at the China meeting will make the final decision on the deletion and warning proposals, and the agency could demand urgent action on cruise ships from the Italian government by next February.

There has long been concern about the impact of cruise ships on the city's delicate structures and on the lagoon's fragile ecosystem.

READ ALSO: Hundreds demonstrate against cruise ships’ return to Venice

The Italian government appeared to have passed a ban on cruise ships docking in Venice earlier this year - but the giant vessels continue to arrive in the city.

The government’s decree in fact did not constitute an immediate ban.

Instead, it said a plan for docking cruise ships outside Venice's lagoon must be drawn up and implemented.

In the meantime, the ships will continue sailing through the lagoon and docking at the city's industrial port, which has been the landing site for them since last December.

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