The World Monuments Fund has released a list of 93 cultural heritage sites in 47 countries that it says are threatened by human neglect, vandalism or natural disasters.
The list released Tuesday by the New York-based non-profit includes the ancient city of Machu Picchu, Peru; the Phajoding monastery in Bhutan; desert castles of ancient Khorezm, Uzbekistan; traditional townhouses in Kyoto, Japan; gingerbread Houses in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and the Merritt Parkway, a scenic highway in the eastern U.S. state of Connecticut.
In a statement, the organization says it has designated monuments both ancient and relatively modern, found in both urban and remote locations. The foundation's president, Bonnie Burnham, called on all sectors of society to help preserve the sites and create a balance between heritage and community concerns.
The World Monuments Fund is an independent organization established in 1965 and dedicated to saving architectural and cultural heritage sites. It created the Watch List in 1996, releasing it every two years.
The full list can be found at: www.wmf.org.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.