Can World Heritage status save our natural and cultural wonders?

The UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has recently added 27 new places with outstanding natural or cultural value from around the globe to its list of World Heritage Sites, increasing the number of such sites to 878 which include 174 natural, 67 cultural and 25 mixed sites from 145 countries across the globe.
With the World Heritage Site status, these natural and cultural sites will no doubt become prominent tourist destinations, but with the celebrity status, also comes the danger of overexploitation and pollution by the ever-increasing influx of tourists to these destinations. The inclusion of a site in the list of World Heritage Sites does not guarantee its protection but makes it more visible and gives it an international appeal, which increases the inflow of tourists to these sites.
It is rightly said that tourism carries with it the seeds of its own destruction and its impacts in a destination cuts both ways. The money that tourism brings help in the conservation and preservation of these sites. On the other hand, the negative impacts of tourism can destroy these natural and cultural heritage sites.
Therefore, the responsibility of protecting these natural and cultural heritage sites does not end at giving them a World heritage status. This is only the beginning and much success in their conservation and protection will depend on promoting sustainable tourism, one that is locally planned and managed. Much success will however depend, above all, on the commitment of the individual traveler who needs to be educated to travel in a responsible way. The challenge to everyone is to use tourism wisely to preserve these heritage sites lest they end up in the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Via msnbc
Tags: UNESCO, World Heritage Site, Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Travel