Website launched to tracks 'at- risk historic sites'
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March 17, 2011 - Los Angeles
Global Heritage Fund, a California-based nonprofit organization that focuses on historical preservation has launched a new Internet platform called Global Heritage Network (GHN), to rescue cultural heritage sites on the verge of being irreparably damaged.HN aims to serve as an early warning system for site conservation leaders, archaeologists, local communities, government officials, and volunteers of endangered sites in developing countries, where financial resources and expertise are limited.
It will be combining Google Earth, scientific mapping from Esri, satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe, and social networking sites to achieve its goal.
Jeff Morgan, executive director of Global Heritage Fund said: " Destruction of our global heritage is a 'silent crisis' happening far away in developing countries. GHN's combined satellite and ground reports clearly show the incredible losses we are facing in just the past 10 years."
The GHN database shows a collection of about 500 heritage sites in the developing world and each site is identified by a color, which determines the threats scale.
Destroyed sites are marked with black spots, "rescue needed" sites are signed in red, while at risk and stable sites are indicated with orange and green marks respectively.
Overall, more than 200 sites are considered to be "under threat" due to uncontrolled development, unsustainable tourism, insufficient management, looting, and war and conflict, Discovery News Reports.
Among the seriously endangered sites listed are the ancient city of Nineveh in Iraq, which was capital of the Assyrian empire from 705 to 612 B.C., Allianoi, a Turkish town which boasts the largest Roman baths in Asia Minor and the Durres amphitheater in Albania, the largest Roman amphitheatre in the Balkans, with a capacity of 20,000 people.
The Pachacamac archaeological complex in Peru, the ancient Khmer temple of Preah Vihear in Cambodia, the sacred city of Kandy, which was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka, the minaret of Jam in Afganistan and the Klasies River Caves in South Africa, also come under the "rescue needed" banner.
Threats are reported from the field from professional site monitors and international experts, but also local communities, volunteers and travelers.
Photographs and video footage to document negative impacts or successful preservation efforts are uploaded continuously to GHN groups.
If successful, the project could be extremely rewarding, from both a cultural and economical point of view.
ANI