Pilot Project on the Grenadine Islands Group

Objectives

The general term “Upstream process” covers all the actions undertaken to improve the processes and practices related to the preparation of a nomination to the World Heritage List. The objective was to explore creative approaches and new forms of guidance that might be provided to States Parties when considering nomination projects prior to the preparation of a dossier, in order to assess their feasibility, as well as in relation to the nomination process itself. It did not imply that a site going through the “upstream process” would ultimately be inscribed on the World Heritage List, but it would reduce the number of properties experiencing significant problems during the nomination process.

Launched in 2011, the “upstream process” started, on an experimental basis, with ten pilot projects (one per UNESCO electoral group). The “Grenadine Islands” was one of the pilot projects, selected upon proposal by the UNESCO Latin American and Caribbean group. The Grenadine Islands are a group of 35 small islands located between Grenada and St. Vincent in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. They were included on Grenada’s Tentative List in 2004. This Caribbean Pilot Project was set out as a trans-boundary proposal Grenada/Saint Vincent and the Grenadines under natural criteria only. However, there was an interest from the States Parties to investigate potential cultural aspects for a possible mixed property.

The specific objectives of this project were to determine the feasibility of establishing a World Heritage Site in the Grenadine Islands Group, to identify the potential natural and cultural components of a serial site and to dialogue with stakeholders to set up a participatory methodology for conservation and management processes.

Results

An expert mission took place in June 2012. It included sites visits and various meetings held with public and private sector officials, Ministers, NGO organizations and community-based organizations, as well as research teams from universities.

The mission established that some aspects of cultural heritage appeared to have the potential to demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value for a possible ‘cultural landscape’ nomination. However as various types of sites have been considered, decisions will need to be made on what could be worked on further and suggested as a nomination.

On the natural side, a case might be made for nomination under criterion (vii), but this was not certain and needed further analysis. For other natural criteria, more detailed comparative work would need to be done on geological and biodiversity values. Even if such work did not lead to support for the natural criteria, it would be important anyway as part of the work to be done to support the possible case for a nomination as a cultural landscape.

More generally, the mission identified the need for basic capacity building in the field of research and inventory, as well as protection and management, and the availability of sustainable and adequate resources.

In 2013, Grenada submitted a revised version of the entry "Grenadines Island Group" of its Tentative List.
Based on the results of the mission and following research, a project funded by the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust has been implemented in 2017 to build national capacities in the fundamental field of inventories.