The ancient city of Dresden, a delicate baroque confection lovingly reconstructed after the Second World War, has thrilled visitors with its skyline, best viewed from the banks of the River Elbe. Not for much longer. To the outrage of conservationists, work is underway on a new bridge to carry a four-lane highway across the valley, marring the vista forever. In a gesture of protest, UNESCO recently stripped the city of its status as a World Heritage site.

Some might consider that a harsh penalty. After all, the World Heritage ranking placed Dresden alongside the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal as a monument of “outstanding universal value”. But to the locals, ridding the city of choking traffic was more important than any accolade. In two referendums, they supported the bridge plan.

World Heritage status sure isn’t what it used to be. Plenty of countries still strive to earn a place on UNESCO’s list and reap the benefits of the tourism boom that normally follows, but some are beginning to question the honour’s long-term value. In the developed world, there’s sometimes resentment at outside interference; elsewhere there’s deepening concern that the scheme, intended to preserve the world’s greatest treasures, may actually be contributing to their demise. Underfunded and armed with little more than moral authority, UNESCO can’t do much to help the swelling number of sites—the tally now approaches 900—it singles out for distinction.

For national governments and local traders, a World Heritage listing represents a marketing tool that can turn obscure sites into must-see destinations. The repercussions are hard to prevent. In the ancient western Chinese city of Lijiang, the number of annual visitors climbed from 1.7 million to 4.6 million in the 10 years since it was listed in 1997. In the words of a UNESCO mission last year, “Commercial interests have driven measures to facilitate large numbers of tourists, compromising the authentic heritage values which attracted visitors to the property in the first place.”

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