UNESCO supports the Network of National Geoparks and now has a total of 87 geopark listings from 27 countries with 9 new sites added in September 2011. These include several in Europe including the Sierra Norte de Sevilla in Spain, Bauges in France and Burren and the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. All well worth a visit for nature lovers and walkers.

The famous Wadi Rum Protected Area in Jordan joins Petra as a UNESCO World Heritage site of “outstanding natural and cultural heritage. Wadi Rum cover 720 sq km of desert in the south of Jordon, with large mountains cut with narrow canyons and  amazing rock formations and over 25k rock carvings and inscriptions. Already a popular site for tourists in Jordan, the UNESCO listing highlights the importance and value of the area.

The 11 March tsunami off the coast of Japan caused a high tide surge of 1,7 metres over the normal high tide, flooding coastal buildings on the Galapagos Islands and causing some damage to visitor sites on the islands. The visitor facilities on the SW of San Cristobel Island have been probably the most affected, as well as the iguanas that are in the nesting season.

Though some of Egypt’s Heritage sites have been affected by recent unrest, measures have been taken to protect valuable cultural treasures. Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s Director General has received assurances from Egypt’s well-known new Minister for Antiquities, Zawi Hawass that everything possible is being done to protect sites of cultural heritage. Though there has been a break in at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, the 70 objects that were broken will be able to be repaired, and of the objects stolen from the storage magazine at Qantara, Sinai, 288 have been returned.

There is a proposal to build a new tarmac highway across the northern wilderness area of the Serengheti National Park, as part of Tanznia’s Transport Sector Improvement Program as a transit route between Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern Congo. The World Heritage Committee has asked for less environmentally damaging alternatives.

The toxic substances, including heavy metals leaching into the Danube water system could have a considerable impact on a number of World Heritage sites. Sites in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia could potentially be under threat.

Marina is known for the holiday home of rich Egyptians, along the coast from Alexandria, and near to the battleground at El Alamein, but used to be a prosperous Greco-Roman city called Leukaspis or Antiphrae, but this ancient city has almost disappeared under a modern resort.

Heavy rains and downpours in Mexico over the past few weeks has caused flooding which is affecting the Tlacotalpan World Heritage site, according to reports by the Secretary of Civil Defense. There are serious concerns of severe flood damage in the Historic Monuments Zone, with over 500 buildings already affected.

At the latest meeting in Brasilia the UNESCO World Heritage Committee agreed 21 new World Heritage sites – 15 of them cultural, 5 are natural and 1 a mixed site. The new sites include Bikini Atoll- the infamous Nuclear Test site in the Marshall Islands and 11 Convict sites in Australia.