The Persian Qanat

• Management activities (Need to collect data related to each qanat and make it accessible to members of the local communities; Lack of permanent marking of the boundaries of property components and buffer zones on the ground)
• Management systems / Management Plans (Need to extend the management strategy and plans to include a risk preparedness strategy and a comprehensive tourism strategy for all property components; Need to extend the monitoring system to identify the responsible authority for each key indicator)

On 2 December 2019, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1506/documents/. The report presents the State Party’s progress with a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions as follows:

• Completion of a Risk Management Plan for the World Heritage property and identification of short- , mid- and long-term goals;
• Continued enrichment of both the central documentation centre, established in 2018, and the local documentation centres. This material is made available through publications and online;
• Extension of the management monitoring system by identifying the national and local authorities responsible for each key indicator; signing appropriate management agreements; conducting regular monitoring visits; and sharing outcomes through correspondences and meetings;
• Progress towards the completion of the permanent marking of the boundaries of the property;
• Monthly management meetings to review the overall progress of the management of the 11 component parts of the property;
• Development of guidelines concerning the management of the property and distribution to the relevant stakeholders for each component site.

The State Party’s report demonstrates that considerable progress is being made with the management of this complex serial property, which clearly presents many challenges due both to the nature of this human-made, underground irrigation system and to the 23 national and local authorities that are identified as having a direct interest in its management.

The new Risk Management Plan is to be welcomed. The plan has as its goal the conservation and protection of the traditional management systems of the property and its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). The plan classifies physical, natural and human risk factors to the property, such as the construction of new wells, a lack of dredging in the tunnels, the collapse of the vertical access shafts, water contamination, loss of knowledge of the traditional maintenance systems, and natural hazards such as droughts, floods and earthquakes. The Risk Management Plan has analysed the effects of these current and predicted risks on both the physical structure of the property and its OUV and proposes practical solutions. It identifies 22 specific pre-crisis preventative measures that must be taken now, 5 measures to be taken during an actual crisis, and 7 post-crisis measures, as well as mid-term and long-term measures. The key to the success of this approach will be the development of identified monitoring mechanisms and measures. The approach to risk is sensible and pragmatic but will depend on the coordination and commitment of the many stakeholders involved. The suggestion that new materials, such as cement and cement coils, should be introduced to support Qanat tunnels instead of traditional ‘mud-made’ ones will need to be considered carefully, if the authenticity of the property is not to be impaired.

The Risk Management Plan states as one of its goals the presentation of the property, and both the plan and the State Party in its report more generally refer, on a number of occasions, to tourism issues and initiatives, such as the design of a tourism complex around Qasem Abad Qanat and the design of brochures for the 11 Qanats. However, there is still no overarching sustainable tourism plan with clear objectives related to the OUV of the property, nor any accompanying indicators to measure the success of such a strategy, as previously urged by the World Heritage Committee. The property clearly still needs a unified approach to presentation. The State Party also recognizes that potential long-term lifestyle changes and development could lead to a destructive environment for the Qanat, but there is no specific mention on measures to monitor and address this potential impact in the Plan. Progress has been made on some of the other recommendations made by the Committee at the time of inscription, including the continuous enrichment of the central and local documentation centres, the identification of institutional roles and responsibilities, and provision for regular monitoring. The permanent marking of the boundaries of the property still requires completion.