UNESCO Removes Galapagos Islands From Endangered List

A UN panel has selected to withdraw the Galapagos Islands from the World Heritage in Danger list, authorities said on Wednesday.

The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) took the verdict at a meeting in Brazil's capital Brasilia.

The archipelago of volcanic islands off the Pacific coast of Ecuador had been on the catalog of endangered world heritage sites since 2007. A growing local population, fishing, and tourism had put demands on natural resources there.

But the committee voted 15 to 4 in favour of Brazil's recommendation to withdraw the islands from the list, saying Ecuador had made development in recent years.
"It's important to recognize the effort made by the Ecuadorean government to conserve this heritage," said Luiz Fernando de Almeida, head of the Brazilian delegation.

Charles Darwin considered species on the islands during the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s. That work contributed to Darwin's theory of evolution by usual selection.
The committee also determined to add the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi in Uganda to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
A fire deficiently damaged the main structure of the site in March, UNESCO said in a statement.

"The property, an outstanding example of an architectural style urbanized by the Buganda Kingdom since the 13th century, will be reconstructed," the statement said.
The whole and amended list of World Heritage Sites is expected to be published on Thursday.