The designation of World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

 is a highly prestigious affair. Such a designation bestows not only honor but also has economic implications as it enhances tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

. World Heritage sites may lose their designation when the UNESCO World Heritage Committee

World Heritage Committee

The World Heritage Committee establishes the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties...

 determines that the designated site is not properly managed or protected. First, however, the committee would place a site it is concerned about on its list of World Heritage in Danger of losing their designation and attempt to negotiate with the local authorities to remedy the situation. If remediation fails, the committee has revoked its designation.

Oman, 2007

In 2007, Oman's Arabian Oryx Sanctuary

Arabian Oryx Sanctuary

The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary in the Omani Central Desert and Coastal Hills. Within its boundaries are found rare fauna, including a free-ranging herd of Arabian oryx, the first since the species' extinction in the wild in 1972, and subsequent reintroduction in 1982 at this...

 was the first site to be removed from UNESCO's World Heritage list. The sanctuary had become a World Heritage Site in 1994. Poaching and habitat degradation had nearly wiped out the Oryx

Oryx

Oryx is one of four large antelope species of the genus Oryx. Three of the species are native to arid parts of Africa, with a fourth native to the Arabian Peninsula. Their pelage is pale with contrasing dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight...

 population. The delisting was done in accordance with the wishes of the government that reduced the sanctuary by 90 percent after oil had been found at the site. Only four breeding pairs of oryx were counted at the time of the removal of the designation.

Germany, 2009

On June 25, 2009 the committee of the UNESCO voted to remove the status of World Heritage Site of the Dresden Elbe Valley

Dresden Elbe Valley

The Dresden Elbe Valley is a former World Heritage Site in Dresden, Germany. The valley, extending for some 20 kilometres and passingthrough the Dresden Basin and the city of Dresden, is one of two cultural landscapes along the Central European river Elbe...

 on the basis of the Waldschlösschen Bridge

Waldschlösschen Bridge

The Waldschlösschen Bridge is a bridge under construction across the river Elbe in Dresden. The bridge is intended to remedy inner-city traffic congestion...

 that is under construction since 2007 and will bisect the valley. The 20km long site had been selected as a World Heritage Site in 2004. The delisting was preceded by a long and protracted struggle between local Dresden

Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....

 authorities in favor of the bridge and their opponents. A referendum had been conducted in 2005 about building the bridge without informing the voters that the UNESCO designation was at stake. In 2006 the site was placed on the endangered list until 2008, at which time a one-year extension was granted. With construction of the bridge ongoing it was declined to grant a second extension, and at its 2009 meeting in Seville

Seville

Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...

the committee voted 14 to 5 to delist the site. This represents only the second delisting of a World Heritage Site. While a majority of local residents polled indicated that Dresden can do without the UNESCO title, the delisting removes supporting funding and has been termed an "embarrassment".