Great Barrier Reef in Australia Image Credit: Australia Geographic

The Great Barrier Reef of Australia may be listed as a UNESCO heritage site along with six other ancient sites in Syria. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation convened on Sunday for its annual gathering to decide which cultural treasure around the world deserves to be recognized as World Heritage site.

UNESCO will pick 31 sites for their outstanding universal value based on set criteria. The conference will be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and around 1,300 delegates are expected to attend. The closing ceremony will be at Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia's very own heritage site.

The World Heritage list already contains 962 names and discussion will begin on Thursday. UNESCO will also highlight the existing World Heritage sites under threat.

Director General Irina Bokova called for government around the world to observe solidarity and exercise political will to protect cultural treasures at risk. UNESCO's director general also said in her opening address that heritage sites under attack are located in Central African Republic, Syria and Mali. Bokova said that authorities should not just stand by and watch the sites be slowly destroyed.

The civil war in Syria has left 93,000 lives lost. Some areas have been completely destroyed and reduced to rubble. The damage is considered a great threat to Syrian World Heritage Sites based on an evaluation conducted by UNESCO.

The fighting in Syria caused damages to the ancient cities of Aleppo, Bosra and Damascus. Aleppo received the greatest damage so far according to the assessment. The UNESCO committee has yet to decide on actions needed to but deep concern was expressed.

Great Barrier Reef

The Australian Great Barrier Reef is up for consideration as an endangered site. Recent scientific studies have shown a significant loss of coral cover in the last 27 years. The damage to corals is caused by climate change, storms and the increasing population of crown of thorns starfish. Reducing the number of this starfish species is the key factor to restore coral cover based on the study.

Crown of thorns starfish threatens the corals of the Great Barrier Reef Image Credit: Australian Geographic