Nine beautiful places that are about to disappear

Both nature and humankind have made some truly astounding achievements - but not all of them last forever, here are nine places that are either gone or on the verge of disappearing.

Chucaltaya Glacier, Bolivia
The South American site was once popular among skiers and for some time it even boasted the world's highest ski lift but after decades of decline the mass vanished in 2005.

Boeung Kak Lake, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
It was once the country's largest wetland located in an urban area. It was leased to a developer in 2007 and within three years that company had filled 90% of the area with sand.

Pont des Arts 'Love Locks', Paris
Over the years millions have inscribed their names on a padlock and attached it to the bridge railings and then tossed the keys into the River Seine. But as the weight of the locks was causing safety concerns the practice is no longer allowed.

The Firefall, Yosemite National Park, California
In 1872 workers at a Glacier Point Hotel began creating a 3,000ft cascade of embers by pushing burning material over a cliff's edge and although the spectacle was stopped in 1968 a re-enactment was performed in 2012.

Mount Humboldt, Venezuela
Another once popular attraction for skiers, the upper part of the more than 15,000ft high glacier began to succumb to climate change in the 1980s and now opportunities to speed down its slopes are rare at best.

Lascaux Cave Paintings, France
Tourists once flocked to the locale to take a look at the works of art, some of which date back as far as 17,300 years. That contact as well as some measures intended for preservation caused damage. Since 1963 the cave paintings are no longer accessible.

Venice, Italy
The marshy islands which serve as support to many buildings are wearing down, in part due to human industrial endeavours and the city is now sinking. Measures to slow the process were introduced in the 1970s but flooding has nonetheless become an ever-increasing problem.

The Nazca Lines, Nazca Desert, Peru
Created between 500BC and 500AD, the geoglyphs spent most of their existence largely undisturbed. Tourism, area mining and infrastructure expansions are now compromising the durability of the site.

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The underwater string of thousands of smaller reefs and around 900 islands has been debilitated. Coral bleaching is one of the largest problems and climate change is at the top of the list of damaging agents.

Which loss do you think will be the most devastating? Let us know in the comments below.