Venice threatened by cruise ship tourism

News that Venice has been added to the World Monument Fund's Watch List of heritage sites at risk has been welcomed by parties set of preserving the city for future generations. Cruise ship tourism has been identified as one of the most significant threats as visitors flock to the city. Visitor numbers have increased by 400% within the past five years and during the peak season an average of 20,000 tourists pour into the city's streets and squares each day.

Fears in Afghanistan that a financial jackpot from copper mining could threaten its cultural heritage

Archeologists are racing to save Afghanistan's cultural heritage at Mes Aynak, a mountainous, 9800-acre site studded with artifacts that archeologists believe are as significant as the Bamiyan Buddhas that were destroyed 11 years ago, as well as the remains of civilizations that stretch back to the time of Alexander the Great.

It's also the site of the second-largest copper deposit in the world, a resource the Afghanistan government is cashing in on through an estimated $3billion deal with a Chinese company to mine the the copper deposit over the next thirty years, starting in 2014. This leaves little time for the archeologists leading the excavations to extract as many treasures as possible before the drilling begins, raising fears that a financial jackpot for the poverty-stricken country could come at the price of Afghanistan's cultural heritage. Read more...
Image: remains of an ancient Buddhist monastery at Mes Aynek, Afghanistan