Pompeii and Herculaneum are located south of Naples on the west coast of Italy. These are two of the most stunning historic sites in the world, attracting around 2.6 million tourists a year. However, with all this attention, many destructive problems have arisen, including tourism. “Sites are struggling to manage the balance between research and tourism needs, conservation and the demands of tourism, which is the main form of income”, theft/destroying of the site and the effects of natural causes” The excavated sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum are still vast open-air museums, exposed to the forces of decay such as wind and water, which erode old cities” - 1996 Andrew Wallace. Additionally, in modern times, many conservation methods have been used to counter this destruction, but some of these destructive problems remain. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Tourism had a destructive effect on Pompeii and Herculaneum, leading to damage. Furthermore, over the years of exposure, the tourist levels of Pompeii and Herculaneum have increased considerably: 2 million tourists per year in 1998, 2.2 million in 2001, 2.5 million in 2005, Herculaneum receives 500,000. Moreover, with the constant increase in the number of tourists, many destructive complications began to arise. In addition, there are no viewing or walking platforms, which leads to damage to the paths and stepping stones (an example is the Pompeian Forum and Via dell Abudanzza). Another problem affecting Pompeii and Herculaneum is the lack of facilities such as: toilets, food and waste disposal. Additionally, tourists who do not have access to a trash can may choose to dispose of them within the grounds of Pompeii or Herculaneum. Over time, this pollution builds up and begins to impact the ancient site by corroding and wearing it away. Furthermore, the management of Pompeii itself is problematic in that unsuitable areas are not taken into account. “They identified emergencies that had nothing to do with the real problems of Pompeii” Circo Marino (union leader/depositary). While the bad areas were dealt with, other problems were revealed including no visitor screening, lack of guards, tourists could walk freely, bend over and take flash photos. “Ordinary maintenance and scheduled conservation are not carried out at Pompeii. That’s the problem” -Guzzo. Additionally, if no visitor monitoring takes place, the number of people on the site will be unknown. This could potentially cause people to hide/stay in view and damage/steal the view. Additionally, the lack of guards (only 150) leaves some areas of the sites unguarded, leading to vandalism/theft of ancient sites. Additionally, tourists have too much freedom, allowing them to touch, lean and take flash photos of the ancient site. These factors slowly but surely wear down the ancient site and destroy it over time. “Sites struggle to manage the balance between tourism research and conservation needs and tourism demands” Andrew Wallace. The destruction/theft had a destructive effect on Pompeii and Herculaneum, resulting in damage. Additionally, over the many years that Pompeii and Herculaneum have been on display, various parts of the site have been stolen, vandalized, and even destroyed. People innocently think that removing small pieces of tiles, mosaics and rocks from the sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum has no effect.However, in doing so, the originality and authenticity of the site is destroyed. Additionally, between 1975 and 2000, around 600 objects were stolen from Herculaneum and Pompeii. In addition, Pompeii and Herculaneum have also been vandalized by people writing modern graffiti on walls and stealing frescoes—"It was recently reported that a fresco was stolen from Pompeii"—conservation. This destroys the uniqueness and reliability of the site, as some modern writing will be unreadable and difficult to interact with. Additionally, parts of Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed, unfortunately leaving gaps in the site (House of the Chaste Lovers). Additionally, the Mafia (Camorra) has access to many areas of Pompeii/Herculaneum such as guards, conservation and preservation. An example of this is when two frescoes were cut out of the wall of the House of Chaste Lovers. Territorial Cohesion Minister Fabrizio Barca said Pompeii's problems stemmed from its status as "one of the largest and most important sites in the world and its location in one of the areas with the most high concentration of organized crime across Europe. unknown. To prevent people from destroying/stealing parts of Pompeii and Herculaneum, new metal fences have been erected along the main streets of the site to keep tourists/people out. This minimizes the risk of people stealing or damaging property at both sites. Natural causes had a destructive effect on Pompeii and Herculaneum, resulting in damage. Moreover, over the years of exhibition, “the excavated sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum are still vast open-air museums, exposed to the forces of degradation such as wind and water, which erode old cities. » -Andrew Wallace. Additionally, natural causes such as vegetation became a major problem in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Ivy, fennel, fig and valerian naturally spread throughout the site, causing cracks in the roofs, walls, cracks in the mosaic floors and foundations of the buildings (this is visible in the Villa of the papyrus). Additionally, animals are another source of natural damage in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Hundreds of wild dogs live in Pompeii and Herculaneum, causing damage to roads and walls. In addition, multiple procedures have been put in place to combat the natural causes that threaten Pompeii and Herculaneum. A program called Adopt a Dog was introduced in 2009 by Maria Rosaria Salvatore and is starting to have a positive effect as it decreases the number of stray dogs in Pompeii and Herculaneum, thereby minimizing the amount of damage caused. In addition, around 400 pigeons nest in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. These pigeons seriously impact both sites because their droppings are very acidic, which leads to the destruction of the frescoes. Two Harris hawks were also released in 2005 in an attempt to prevent pigeons from nesting, thereby reducing the number of murals destroyed. Additionally, over the years, weather conditions had enormous consequences on the condition of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Beginning in 1738, heavy rains (floods) and strong winds caused many buildings to collapse and walls to fall. “Pompeii has always been an emergency situation since the first excavations in 1748,” said the current archaeological director of the site. The most recent crisis phase began in November 2010, when the so-called Schola Armaturarum, which housed an ancient military order, collapsed into the street after a period of torrential rain” - Grete Stefani. Additionally, frequent earthquakes are a common problem in Pompeii and Herculaneum, as they cause cracks in monuments and”-