the town would gain World Heritage status.

St. George's should know today whether or not it has been recognised as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.

The submission was initiated by the St. George's Foundation and put together by a partnership of it, the Corporation of St. George's, the Bermuda National Trust, the Bermuda Maritime Museum, the Forts Division of the Bermuda Parks Department and the Planning Department.

Meanwhile three sites were added Tuesday to the United Nations' list of endangered natural and cultural sites.

A terraced garden in Pakistan, a Senegalese bird sanctuary and a historic city in Yemen were added to the list during the United Nations' annual World Heritage Committee meeting.

The committee, a branch of the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), began discussions in Cairns, Australia, on Monday.

St. George's has applied to become a World Heritage site and join more than 600 sites in some 100 countries which enjoy the status already.

The committee seeks to protect the world's most precious natural and cultural sites. The job has become harder due to rapid development associated to more modern and global demands which creates conflict with conservation efforts.

The Historic City of Zabid, a former capital of Yemen, was one of the new additions to the committee's list. Zabid, renowned because of its Islamic university, is "in decline and in a very poor state of conservation'', the group reported.

Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary in Senegal, a wetland that is home to 1.5 million birds such as the purple heron and great egret, is threatened by the spread of a destructive water weed, Salvinia molesta, the group continued.

And the Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore, Pakistan, is known for its Mogul palaces, marble mosques and its terraces, waterfalls and ponds. Its fountains were destroyed last year, and the walls of its perimeter are deteriorating.

The committee's list of endangered places now includes 30 sites throughout the world, including Yellowstone Park and the Everglades in the United States.