Guidebook publishes list of world's 500 endangered sites

London, Oct 27 : A new guidebook has published a list of 500 endangered sites across the world that are most at risk from developers and climate change.

According to a report in Telegraph, the guidebook is titled "Frommer's 500 Places To See Before They Disappear".

The book will look at places to visit that feature endangered landscapes, ecosystems, buildings, cultural spots and animal species.

"The devastation wrought by climate change and direct man-made interference is familiar to all of us," said o-author Holly Hughes, a former executive editor of Fodor's Travel Publications.

"But, this book is a carefully chosen list of last-chance destinations that eco-conscious travelers can enjoy - if they move sharpish - for possibly the last time," she added.

UK sites include the Tower of London and Greenwich Maritime Museum, which are both at risk from rising ocean levels, which could lead the Thames to flood its banks.

The Holderness coast, in East Yorkshire, is also on the list, losing nearly 6ft a year due to rising sea levels caused by climate change and man-made interference.

Another London landmark, Battersea power station, becomes more derelict every day as government, developers and local community boards wrangle over its future.

Global sites, which make the list, include the pyramids of Giza. Unrestricted development and urban sprawl from nearby Cairo threaten the ancient pyramids and the Great Sphinx.

The Everglades in southern Florida also make the list. Filled with rare species, this ecosystem is degenerating with alarming rapidity. Already half has been lost to agricultural and urban development. Dwindling water levels and pollution have severely compromised what remains.

The Dead Sea may only survive for three decades more, according to Hughes. She said that by then "it could be completely dry, thanks to the diverting of the rivers that feed it".

Marine life around the Falkland Islands is also under severe threat from dumping by sanitation companies and ships.

The Nazca lines in Peru, one of the world's most intriguing ancient sites, face destruction as roads are built and global warming and deforestation cause floods and mudslides.

Also under threat is New York's Little Italy.

"Though a vestige of the area, celebrated in films from The Godfather to Mean Streets, has been preserved, it is being gradually squeezed by the burgeoning Chinatown and SoHo districts," said Hughes.

ANI