The Impact of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, and of Its Related Monitoring Mechanisms, on the Sustainable Management of Sites: The Venice Case

In recent years, the case of Venice has widely been regarded as the epitome of the limited effectiveness of the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Since 2012, UNESCO bodies have brought attention to a number of problems threatening the outstanding universal value of the property, in particular the navigation of large cruise ships (‘floating skyscrapers’) through the Lagoon and the historic centre of Venice and other issues connected with mass tourism. After years of hesitation, in 2021 and 2022 Italy adopted two legislative acts which provide for an immediate prohibition on the navigation of large ships through the Giudecca and San Marco canals and which envisage, in the medium term, the construction of mooring points for these ships outside the Lagoon. These legislative measures were declaredly issued in order to avoid the inscription of Venice and its Lagoon on the List of the World Heritage in Danger; subsequently at its 44th session the Committee decided not to proceed with its inscription, contrary to recommendations of the Advisory bodies. This Chapter analyzes the practice of the Italian authorities and UNESCO bodies on the Venice case, in order to assess the real impact of the 1972 Convention on the conservation and sustainable use of cultural and natural sites. It also discusses the issue of whether a territorial State’s consent is required when inscribing a property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.