[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] 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.
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.
^ C. The references to the sites' locations and periods of construction were based on the official 2008 Watch List as published.
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
]
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
]
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
]
