Mediterranean World Heritage Sites threatened
The Study’s Warning
According to the study led by Lena Reimann, Venice and its Lagoon, Ferrara and the Po Delta, and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia are the sites most at risk flooding in the region (2018). Looking at Figure 1 of the study, the inlet of the Northern Adriatic Sea where these three prominent sites lie is marked in red, as the highest danger to flood-causing storms.
Storm surges have and continue to be a concern for these three sites, and Venice in particular, which was founded on marshland and whose buildings are sinking at the same time as waters are rising (UNESCO 2016). Similarly, the mosaic-covered Basilica of Aquileia was built on marshland less than 10km from the Marano Lagoon and the Renaissance city of Ferrara was built along the Po Delta river, which may serve as a vessel for flooding to cities that reside on its banks.
Other highly important sites identified as threatened in the study (Reimann et al. 2018) were: Pompei, Italy; Leaning tower of Pisa, Italy; the White City of Tel-Aviv, Israel; Gorham’s Cave Complex, Gibraltar; Istanbul, Turkey; Carthage Archaeological Site, Tunisia; and the Medieval City of Rhodes, Greece (Gabbatiss 2018). These all exemplify very different time periods dating back to Neanderthals 100,000 thousand years ago and demonstrating architectural excellence throughout the medieval, renaissance, and gothic periods. They also embody the cultural, religious and political movements that have flowed through the area for millennia.
The Reimann et al.’s study draws attention to the importance of taking immediate action to both see these sites and to preserve them. Since Venice is such an extremely popular tourist destination and important site for renaissance and gothic art and architecture, there is little pushback from proposals to create high budgets to implement counter-flooding and -erosion measures. The so-called MOSE project (Modulo Sperimental Elettromeccanico), which has been in construction since the late 1980s, has set about constructing flood gates and has already cost the government approximately 6 billion Euros. But, will these efforts be enough to maintain the culturally-significant site indefinitely? Moreover, will the government have enough resources to preserve all 14 other Italian sites that are in danger. Will other governments such as Croatia, Greece, and Tunisia, who also have multiple sites at risk along the Mediterranean, be able to do the same?
The exact moment that these sites will be damaged by severe weather is uncertain, which is why we must act fast to see these beautiful and important sites and commit to countering climate change so that they may never be lost.