Travel: Global treasures

The global list of cultural and natural treasures grew by 12 this year, as the United Nations World Heritage committee added 13 sites, while removing another due to construction of a highway bridge.

The committee, an offshoot of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, picked two new natural areas: The Wadden Sea, off the coast of Holland and Germany, the entire Dolomite mountain range in northern Italy.

New cultural sites included a historic house in Belgium, the ruins of an ancient gold-trading city in Africa, a sacred Buddhist mountain in China and town in Switzerland entirely dedicated to watch-making.

Additionally, the World Heritage Committee put the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System on the danger list because of mangrove cutting and excessive development. The Belize reef system is

the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, with offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries.

To keep the reef system on the list, Belize will have to enact stricter development controls and reinstate a moratorium on mangrove cutting on that expired in 2008.

The Wadden Sea is a unique coastal wetland and tidal flat ecosystem spanning thousands of square miles from Holland to Denmark. The complex interaction of tides, dunes and estuaries has formed a multitude of transitional habitats with tidal channels, sandy shoals, sea-grass meadows, mussel beds, sandbars, mudflats and salt marshes.

Although it's smack-dab in the middle of the highly developed Atlantic coast of western Europe, the Wadden Sea is one of the last remaining natural, large-scale, intertidal ecosystems where natural processes continue to function largely undisturbed. The area harbors marine mammals such as the harbour seal, grey seal and harbour porpoise. It is also a breeding and wintering area for up to 12 millions birds per year.

One of the best places to experience the Wadden Sea is on the Dutch island of Texel, easily accessible via ferry after a short train ride from Amsterdam. The island's sprawling dunes and beaches on the island are already protected by national park status. A network of hiking and cycling trails spans the island, linking quiet coastal inns and lively seaside resorts. Bike rentals are inexpensive and widely available. The various bike shops have a cooperative maintenance agreement, although the sturdy and comfortable bikes rarely break down.

UNESCO"s World Heritage site selection criteria: http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/

Complete list of World Heritage sites: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/536

Summit Daily Wadden Sea and Texel Dunes travel feature: http://bit.ly/13p5FQ

Endangered reef

Just a few hours away from Colorado, the Belize reef is a favorite spot for snorkelers and divers. Easy access from the shore, a spectacular variety of marine life and enticing spots like the Great Blue Hole are just a few of the reasons tourists from around the world flock to the tiny Caribbean country.

But in updating its list of World Heritage sites at a recent meeting in Spain, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization found a host of serious threats to the Northern Hemisphere's largest barrier reef.

Tourism development along the shore of the mainland and the offshore cayes is causing deterioration of the marine environment. The mangroves serve as fish nurseries, providing shelter for small fry. The unique plants also trap sediment and moderate damage from erosion. Pollution from coastal towns and over-fishing are additional threats, according to the World Heritage committee, which said, “The reef is faced with specific and proven imminent danger.”

Recommendations for the preservation of the reef include a renewed moratorium on the clearance of mangroves, as well as a halt to land sales and development on critical islands. The report singles out construction of a hotel on Glovers Reef in 2003, heavy traffic of 10,000 visitors a year on Half Moon Caye, the loss of 29 percent of the mangrove cover on the Pelican Cayes, an excessive amount of development on the mangrove islands on the site, and dredging and filling with corals and sand, apparently for real estate.

In Belize, the decision to list the reef as threatened triggered a political debate, as the current government pointed the finger at post office holders, charging that they sold off critical islands for development.

Much of Belize's coast has also been parceled out for potential oil and gas development, raising concerns about more long-term environmental risks.

Go to www.summitdaily.com/travel for links to Belize reef information.

Red Mangrove Eco Adventures: http://mangrovebelize.com/blog/

Read a Summit Daily travel feature on the Belize reef: http://bit.ly/kxkZr

A Belize newspaper reports on the reef threats at: http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?url=58

World Resources Institute on Belize reefs: http://www.wri.org/project/reefs-belize