Every two years, it publishes a select list known as the Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites that are in urgent need of preservation funding and protection. The sites are nominated by governments, conservation professionals, site caretakers, non-government organizations (NGOs), concerned individuals, and others working in the field.[1] An independent panel of international experts then select 100 candidates from these entries to be part of the Watch List, based on the significance of the sites, the urgency of the threat, and the viability of both advocacy and conservation solutions.[1] For the succeeding two-year period until a new Watch List is published, these 100 sites can avail grants and funds from the WMF, as well as from other foundations, private donors, and corporations by capitalizing on the publicity and attention gained from the inclusion on the Watch List.[2] Since the Watch List was launched in 1996, more than 75 percent of the enlisted threatened sites have been saved.[1]
2008 Watch List
The 2008 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites was announced on June 6, 2007 by WMF President Bonnie Burnham.[1][3] The 2008 Watch List highlights three critical man-made threats affecting the world's cultural heritage: political conflict, unchecked urban and industrial development, and global climate change.[1]
On this list, man is indeed the real enemy. But, just as we caused the damage in the first place, we have the power to repair it, by taking our responsibility as caretakers of the world’s cultural heritage seriously. So today we are sounding the alarm, using the World Monuments Watch List to demonstrate, through the vivid examples of beloved places around the world, the importance of working together to meet these challenges and join forces to protect our world’s shared architectural heritage.
— Bonnie Burnham, WMF president, launch of 2008 Watch List[1]
List by country/territory
The colossal Buddha statues of Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 after branding them as "un-Islamic". Since then, conservators have carried out emergency work to document and conserve the statues' surviving fragments in situ.[1]Explorer Robert Falcon Scott's hut serves as a mute testimony to the heroic age of Antarctic exploration during the early 20th century. Unprecedented buildup of snow and ice, thought to be due to climate change, imperils this monument.[1]The Theban Necropolis on the Nile's West Bank is famed for its pharaonic remains, but also features sites dating back to Paleolithic times.[1]Jaipur's Jantar Mantar is one of the five sites from India to be included on the 2008 Watch List.A planned motorway threatens the Iron Age site of Tara Hill in Ireland,[4] leading to its inclusion on the 2008 Watch List.Mexico's Monte Albán archaeological site has been threatened by a lack of protection due to the civil unrest in the locality.[1]Uncontrolled development and environmental mismanagement brought about by increased tourism activity has led to the inclusion of Peru's Machu Picchu on the Watch List.[1]Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, was once known as the "Athens of West Africa."[5]Built in 1975, the Joan Miró Foundation is a product of late-Modern architecture and is the "youngest" site on the 2008 Watch List.[1]The Island of Saint-Louis in Senegal has been a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site since 2000.[6]Ukraine's Pidhirtsi Castle was severely damaged during the Polish-Soviet War (1919-21). The structure was also damaged by a fire caused by a lightning strike in 1956.[1]St. Peter’s College, Cardross was named as Scotland's greatest post-WWII building by the architecture magazine Prospect.[7]The New York State Pavilion is a remnant of the 1964 New York World's Fair. Forty years later, it is in imminent danger of collapse as its foundation starts to decay.[1]
The following countries/territories have multiple sites entered on the 2008 Watch List, listed by the number of sites:
Number of sites
Country/Territory
7
United States of America
6
Peru
5
India and Turkey
4
Italy, Mexico and United Kingdom
3
Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan[D], Russia and Syria[D]
2
China, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Palestinian Territories[D] and Uzbekistan
Notes
^ A. Numbers list only meant as a guide on this article. No official reference numbers have been designated for the sites on the Watch List. ^ B. Names and spellings used for the sites were based on the official 2008 Watch List as published. ^ C. The references to the sites' locations and periods of construction were based on the official 2008 Watch List as published. ^ D. Tally includes the transfrontier site of Jordan River Cultural Landscape.
