Urban sprawl, storms, drought, air pollution, earthquakes, erosion and out of control tourists are just a few of the problems facing some of the world’s lesser-known wonders. Frommer’s 500 Places to See Before They Disappear by Holly Hughes and Larry West, catalogues the top places to see on the planet before they vanish or are damaged beyond repair.
Although not all directly threatened from climate change, many of the places in the travel guidebook are experiencing the impact of weather extremes, war, encroaching development and the effects of simply too many tourists.
“I have been haunted by the fact that, between the time this book was being written and the time it would appear in stores…any of these threatened destinations could have radically changed,” explains author Holly Hughes in the foreword. “But when all is said and done, this book is, above all, meant to be a travel guide, not a scientific treatise or an eco-sermon.”
“Although originally conceived as a handbook for eco-tourists, it soon become clear that we couldn’t separate natural and man-made attractions,” explains Hughes. “The destruction of an entire city like New Orleans is as much a natural disaster as the destruction of an entire biosphere like the Amazonian rainforest; the same concerns affect the Acropolis as the giant redwoods.”
The resulting guide, although dealing with vulnerable places where future survival may be precarious, is upbeat and will be a source of enjoyment for all travelers.
Spanning almost a 100 countries, Frommer’s writers have combed the planet to find the most interesting and vulnerable places on earth. Although, at times this guidebook does seem a bit heavily geared towards the USA, with more than triple the entries for American vulnerable spots than any other country, Frommer’s 500 Places to See Before They Disappear will appeal to everyone from the eco-tourist to the armchair traveler.
Whether it is the Veracruz River of Raptors in Veracruz, Mexico, Komodo National Park in Indonesia or Sherwood Forest in Nottingham, England, some of the world’s lesser-known wonders are definitely under threat. Each of the 500 entries includes information about the specific location, why it is under threat, and often, what can be done to help preserve the special places. Whether you are going to visit some of the 500 Places or just like reading about them, Frommer’s 500 Places to See Before They Disappear is a fascinating guide to the state of our planet in the 21st century.
Consider that the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, India contain the earliest record of human life in India, but since Bhopal’s Union Carbide deadly gas leak in 1984, tourism has pretty much disappeared from the region. However, it is the severe loss of native trees in the area that has exposed the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka to the harsh elements. A conservation project is currently underway.
Did you know that 75% of all U.S. species that have become extinct are Hawaiian, including half of the island’s native bird species. The Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii is the place to still see three types of honeycreepers and the endangered buff and brown hawk.
Animals around the globe are facing extinction due to the double threat of habitat loss and hunting. Orangutans are the most engendered species in Malaysia, found only in Borneo and Sumatra, the orangutans’ survival is constantly threatened by habitat loss — due to logging, burning, agriculture and from illegal hunting. However, the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center in Sandakan, Malaysia rescues orphaned young orangutans and teaches them the skills they need be reintroduced into the wild.
Even historical monuments are under threat. A frenzy of development in Berlin is undoing the remnants of the historically significant Berlin Wall. Lines of cobblestones, brass markers, and green parks delineating where the Berlin Wall once stood are gradually disappearing due to development and political disorganization about how to memorialize the Berlin Wall.
Frommer’s 500 Places to See Before They Disappear by Holly Hughes and Larry West, is a fascinating, but at times poignant, guide to the state of the planet in the 21st century.
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Publisher: Frommer's
472 Pages
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