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(CNN) - Notre-Dame, in Paris, France, one of the most famous cathedrals in the world, was threatened by a fire.
At the Bears Ears National Monument in the United States, supporters say the threats came from a federal government plan that reduced the size of sacred protected lands for Native Americans.
Bears Ears National Monument, in the United States.
The construction of a new airport in the Peruvian region of Cusco, near Machu Picchu, threatens the preservation of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
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Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru
The World Monuments Fund added 25 sites of cultural importance to its list of World Heritage Monuments of 2020 with historical importance. The list is updated every two years.
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"We often take our most precious heritage sites for granted," said Bénédicte de Montlaur, chief executive of the fund. "Sometimes it is not until they are put at risk that we realize the importance they have in building our identities as individuals, communities or citizens of a country."
The 25 sites, which were chosen from a list of more than 250 nominations, join a list of 836 vigilant members recognized since 1996. Their supporters will compete for a total of one million dollars in conservation funds provided by American Express, sponsor and founder.
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They may also qualify to receive money from the World Monuments Fund and other sources. Since 1996, the fund has awarded more than $ 110 million to Watch sites, while other donors have donated nearly $ 300 million.
Threats to a Woolworth building
Other monuments on the 2020 watch list include the Mam Rashan Shrine in Iraq, a Yazidi shrine destroyed during a genocidal campaign; threats to major rock carvings on Easter Island in Rapa Nui National Park, in Chile, and the San Antonio Woolworth Building, in the United States, an important site of the African-American Civil Rights Movement in Texas, which is being threatened by A reconstruction plan
Mam Rashan Shrine in Iraq
"The San Antonio Woolworth building, for example, was one of the first places to peacefully integrate its lunch counter during the Civil Rights Movement, but today that memory has vanished," de Montlaur said.
Almost 500 million dollars for preservation
Founded in 1965, the World Monuments Fund has sponsored more than 600 projects in 90 countries. World Monuments Watch was launched in 1995, the 30th anniversary of the fund, to identify and support important sites threatened by natural disasters, violent conflicts, political turmoil or urbanization.
The fund is part of a global community of organizations working to save, preserve and restore man-made and natural sites of cultural and historical importance, including the annual List of Unesco World Heritage in Danger and the list of 11 places most threatened historical records of the National Trust for Historic Preservation based in the United States.
2020 World Monuments Watch List (in alphabetical order by country)
1. Koutammakou, Land of Batammariba, Benin and Togo
2. Ontario Place, Canada
3. Rapa Nui National Park, Chile
4. Alexan Palace, Egypt
5. Notre-Dame de Paris, France
6. Tusheti National Park, Georgia
7. Gingerbread House Neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
8. Historic water systems of the Deccan Plateau, India
9. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, India
10. Mam Rashan Shrine, Iraq
11. Inari-yu Bathhouse, Japan
12. Iwamatsu District, Japan
13. National Channel, Mexico
14. Choijin Lama Temple, Mongolia
15. Traditional Burmese teak farmhouses, Myanmar
16. Chivas and Chaityas of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
17. Anarkali Bazaar, Pakistan
18. Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru
19. Kindler Chapel, Pabianice Evangelical Cemetery, Poland
20. Houses with patio in Axerquía, Spain
21 Bennerley Viaduct, United Kingdom
22. Bears Ears National Monument, United States
23. Central Historic District of Aguirre, United States
24. San Antonio Woolworth Building, United States
25. Traditional houses in the ancient Jewish Mahalla of Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Visit wmf.org/2020watch for more information.
CuscoNotre DamePatrimony of Humanity