Archaeological monuments: damage

Related goal

Annual losses of cultural monuments, sites and environments as a result of demolition, damage and decay will be minimised, and by 2020 will not exceed 0.5% of the total.

Damage to archaeological monuments and sites, 2005-2009

Are we moving in the right direction?

Monitoring programmes show that the damage to archaeological monuments and sites is most frequently caused by agricultural operations, including cultivation of areas for the first time. The construction of new buildings, expansion of housing and holiday cabins and construction of infrastructure is also becoming a threat, particularly in urban areas.

Once a monument or site has been seriously damaged, there is a tendency for damage to continue, often leading to complete loss of the monument.

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