WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Galapagos Islands may be listed as "in danger’’ by the world’s top cultural body because tourism is threatening the environment that helped shape Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, the organization’s chief said recently.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee began a weeklong meeting in New Zealand and will consider an application from the territory’s ruler, Ecuador, to further protect the Galapagos, said chairman Tumu te Heuheu.
The islands have "a very fragile ecosystem and there is a need to manage those activities,’’ Te HeuHeu said.
The Tower of London is another World Heritage Site the organization will consider adding to its endangered list when it meets in the southern city of Christchurch. Delegates will also consider applications to add at least another 45 new sites - including the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House in Australia - to the World Heritage list.
To be considered are 11 natural sites, 32 cultural sites, and two "mixed’’ sites, the committee said. It declined to give details of sites up for consideration.
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