# Top 10 Endangered Locales to Visit



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Travel Picks: Top 10 endangered locales to visit *

NEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Whether due to environmental causes, over-tourism or conflict, there is a list of ancient and treasured sites at risk with Web site askmen.com coming up with a top 10 list to visit before they disappear. 

The list was compiled by askmen.com ( www.askmen.com ) and is not endorsed by Reuters: 

1.Dampier Rock Art Complex, Murujuga, Australia 

The largest collection of rock art in the world thought to date back to 10,000 BC. Industrial development has already damaged 7.2 percent to 24.4 percent of the petroglyphs, and the recent finding of natural gas in the area is a further threat. 

2. Sonargaon-Panam City, Bangladesh 

In this ancient city, a range of architecture from the Sultanate, Mogul and colonial periods of Bangladesh dates from the 15th to the 19th century. Many Mogul and colonial monuments are also found here. Plagued by a range of problems including flooding, rising sea levels, earthquakes, illegal development and occupation, as well as vandalism, Sonargaon is in serious danger of being wiped out. 

3.Chinguetti Mosque, Mauritania, West Africa 

Found in one of Islam's seven holy cities, the medieval Chinguetti Mosque in Mauritania, West Africa, was constructed in the 13th century and was a stopping point for Sahara traders. Desertification in this endangered locale, plus flash flooding, extreme temperatures and soil erosion, represent constant threats to this UNESCO World Heritage site. 

4. Panama Canal, Panama City, Chagres River 

One of the most impressive modern engineering feats, the Panama Canal continues to be used by the international shipping community. Up to 40 ships a day pass through this canal but as demands for using the canal rise the average amount of water in Gatun Lake is decreasing. Largely as a result of deforestation, an increasing amount of silt is on the bottom of the lake, which reduces the number of ships the passageway can take. 

5. Dhangkar Gompa, Himachal Pradesh, India 

Part of the Dhangkar complex and one of the five major Buddhist monastic centers, this temple, built some thousand years ago, is found on a remote region of the border between India and Tibet. As a result of neglect in addition to erosion of the hill upon which the temple rests, this important and ancient site is deteriorating. 

6. Old Damascus, Syria 

One of the oldest, inhabited cities in the world, Old Damascus is slowly being demolished by modern construction. The area is home to a wealth of ancient sites, including eight city gates and many sites referenced by Christian and Islamic religious texts. Recently, Bab Tuma (Saint Thomas' Gate), which leads to the old Christian quarter of Old Damascus, has been recognized as being threatened by demolition and abandonment. 

7. Babylon, Iraq 

Lying 80 km south of Baghdad, Babylon was originally a city of Mesopotamia, a region regarded by many as one of the cradles of civilization. Since 2300 BC, many have also considered Babylon to be a holy city. This ancient site is certainly a significant one in human history and is one of the numerous historic sites in Iraq damaged by recent conflict. 

8. Leh Old Town, Ladakh, India 

The ancient capital of the kingdom of Ladakh, Leh Old Town is an intact and rare medieval city in the Himalayans, known for its tourist treks between monasteries and rich diversity of wildlife like the endangered snow leopard. Changing weather patterns that include heavy rain are damaging the city while the balance of development and maintaining traditional architecture is difficult. 

9. The Coral Triangle, Sulu and Sulawesi Seas 

In the seas between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, the Coral Triangle has the richest variety of coral reef, plant and animal life in the world, with over 450 types of coral here alone. A recent study from Johns Hopkins University found about 70 percent of coral reefs in the seas of Southeast Asia are endangered with the culprits including fishing practices that use cyanide and dynamite, as well as overfishing, coral bleaching, sedimentation and pollution. 

10. Greenland 

The Greenland ice sheet covers about 81 percent of the island, and comprises 1/20 of all the ice in the world. Should it melt, the country will split and become an archipelago and the famed glaciers of the region will no longer be a tourist attraction. Polar bears will lose their habitat, and rapidly melting ice could result in massive flooding in regions of the United States, including Los Angeles.


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## mbuildings (May 6, 2007)

good information


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## Mahratta (Feb 18, 2007)

Always nice to see the informative posts by HKskyline

Leh is definetely on my to-visit list, probably will go there next year, I'd love to go to Dhangar Gompa and old Damascus as well.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Endangered sites see boom in 'tourism of doom' *
3 February 2009
Agence France Presse

Tracking endangered wildlife in politically troubled, impoverished Zimbabwe might not seem the ideal holiday spot but it's in hot demand in the travel industry's latest niche market -- "tourism of doom".

The term was coined by sector specialists for the growing number of travelers flocking to far-flung corners of the planet to see endangered natural wonders before they disappear.

Ken Shapiro, the editor of TravelAge West, a magazine for travel agents, said the destinations can be melting glaciers, shrinking tropical rain forests or other places these travelers believe will be destroyed in a generation due to climate change, overbuilding or other threats to the environment.

"People are traveling to places because they really are convinced that it is going to change and they want to see it before that change happens," he told AFP, saying the trend was first spotted about two years ago.

"We see that a lot now, it has actually become much more mainstream."

Shapiro said travel agents report that clients are increasingly requesting trips to see the melting glaciers of the Antarctic, the threatened coral of Australia's Great Barrier Reef or Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro before it loses its ice cap.

Ross Kennedy, the president of Africa Albida Tourism which took part in the five-day FITUR travel fair that wrapped up on Sunday in Madrid, says the trend towards environmental awareness in travel is boosting business.

"The changing environment that the world is facing does have some relevancy and some people think: 'We have to get this done'," he said.

This logic is partly responsible for a rise in the number of foreign visitors to Africa Albida's safari lodges in Zimbabwe, where the firm operates properties near Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world. The site is well suited as a starting point for safaris along the Zambezi River on Zimbabwe's northern border to see endangered wildlife.

Despite concerns over political unrest, staggering inflation, shortages and a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, the company posted a four percent rise in visitors in 2008, Kennedy said.

The US market -- Africa Albida Tourism's main source of overseas guests -- accounted for 4,035 room stays at its properties last year, a nearly three-fold increase over 2004, he added.

The popularity of visits to the melting glaciers in the Antarctic has also soared so much that cruises must now be reserved well in advance, Shapiro said.

According to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, slightly more than 46,000 tourists visited the continent during the 2007-08 tourist season -- more than double the number five seasons ago.

About a third came from the United States while the second largest contingent -- one in six visitors -- travelled from Britain, according to data posted on the body's website.

Juan Kratzmaier, a Barcelona-based Argentinian who has accompanied tourists on more than 30 visits to the southernmost continent, said cruise ship operators have increased the number of their trips to Antarctica in response to the demand.

"Antarctica blows your mind with its vastness, its isolation, its pureness and its unique wildlife of countless penguins, seals, birds and whales," the 38-year-old said.

The safaris and Antarctic cruises are not for everyone, however, with price tags that can up to thousands of dollars per person.

"Tourism of doom" is even bringing travelers to remote corners like the town of Churchill in northern Canada, the so-called "Polar Bear Capital of the World", in significant numbers for the first time ever, said Shapiro.

Scores of tour operators have sprung up in recent years in the town to guide visitors on trips to view polar bears -- now considered endangered because of shrinking sea ice -- in the wild from the safety of specially modified buses known as "tundra buggies".

"The only reason why Churchill is on the tourist map is because of polar bears," said Shapiro.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*FEATURE-As tourism drives residents out, Malaysia's heritage city turns to millennials*
_Excerpt_










GEORGE TOWN, Malaysia, May 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The faded white walls and wooden door of Fong Lai Kheng's hair salon in the heart of Malaysia's George Town stand out on a street lined with souvenir shops, cafes and colourful murals.

But not for much longer. After a four-fold increase in her rent in just five years, Fong is planning to shut her business when the lease expires this year after five decades – joining an exodus of residents and traditional traders.

The Malaysian port city of George Town became a UNESCO world heritage site in 2008, but since then an influx of tourists and rising rents have pushed out residents and the businesses that served them.

"What else can we do?" said Fong between washing and drying the hair of one of her regular customers. "There are many others who are eager to rent even if I don't. I just have to pack my bags and retire."

Once an important trading hub, George Town in the northern Malaysian state of Penang is a melting pot of Malaysia's rich cultural diversity, where British colonial buildings sit alongside Chinese shophouses, mosques and Hindu shrines.

Since winning world heritage status, it has become one of Asia's best-known tourist spots, attracting 3.8 million visitors in 2018 - more than double 2007 levels, official data show.

But as with other world heritage sites - from Venice to Vietnam's Hoi An - there are fears the city could become a victim of its own success as the onslaught of tourists and exodus of residents threatens its unique character.

More : https://www.reuters.com/article/mal...itage-city-turns-to-millennials-idUSL5N22112D


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## Bulevardi (Jul 19, 2007)

Nothing nearby Europe 

There should be a website where you can vote which city needs to disappear in the next decade and link a disaster to choose from a list.


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