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1.
Table of Contents
In Focus
World Heritage: cooperation, communication and capacity buildingThe inscription of a site can result in specific preservation challenges, making skilled and sustainable management practices crucial to protect its Outstanding Universal Value.
Jiuzhaigou ValleyFrom isolation to ‘smart park’Jiuzhaigou Valley has completed the perfect transition from ...
2.
The World Heritage Convention arose from the need to identify and protect outstanding natural and cultural sites for future generations. Over time, the effectiveness of the Convention has led to an increasing number of sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, resulting in not only a List including a great variety and number of places around the world, but an awareness ...
3.
What are the benefits of World Heritage List inscription When it brings higher visibility and increased tourism to a site, how can the site still be protected
Issue 58 of our quarterly magazine explores these questions with a lead article by Jonathan B. Tourtellot, National Geographic Fellow, Geotourism Editor at National Geographic Traveler and World Heritage advocate. ...
4.
Spain, with its long, complex history and the global character of its territorial and cultural extension, remains marked by a striking diversity of historical influences and regional differences, and it justifiably prides itself on the forty Spanish sites currently inscribed on the World Heritage List. Together, they represent a broad range of categories: religious, ...
5.
The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee is taking place in Istanbul from 10 to 20 July 2016, and we are extremely grateful to Turkey for generously hosting this session.
Turkey is a country at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, with a diverse heritage of civilizations that have been a cultural and historical influence worldwide. It is home to fifteen World ...
6.
From 1 to 10 September 2016, thousands of leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, indigenous peoples, business and academia will gather together in Honolulu (Hawaii) to share ideas on how to improve the ways we manage the natural environment for human, social and economic development. Held every four years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) ...
7.
I am particularly pleased that the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. We are very grateful to our generous hosts for organizing this session in a World Heritage city.
Baku has always been at the crossroads of cultures. Situated along the western shore of the Caspian Sea, it is part of ancient trade routes from the Central Asian ...
8.
Special issue on World Heritage sites in New Zealand, at the occasion of the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee held from 23 June to 2 July in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Special Issue
Message from UNESCO Director-General Mr Koichiro Matsuura (p.4)
An Interview with Mr Tumu te Heuheu, Paramount Chief of the Ngati Tuwharetoa Māori Tribe and Chair of the 31st ...
9.
This edition of World Heritage is devoted to the enduring relationship between a number of World Heritage sites and the indigenous peoples that inhabit them.
For historical, cultural and practical reasons this is a complex and sensitive matter, but the very fact that it has become a focus of attention holds great promise for the future. Forty years ago, framers of the ...
10.
This year, for its 42nd session, the World Heritage Committee is hosted by Bahrain in its capital city of Manama. Bahrain has long dedicated its support to the World Heritage Convention, and already chaired the Committee for its 35th session in 2011, at UNESCO Headquarters.
Bahrain is also home to the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, a Category 2 Centre working ...
11.
Modern heritage – the architecture, town planning and landscape design of the modern era, or the last two hundred years or so – is still underrepresented on the World Heritage List. And yet it is an integral part of many urban ensembles, which represent a majority of sites on the List. Raising awareness of the significance of this heritage, and addressing issues on its ...
12.
Table of Contents
In Focus
Revising the approach to urban conservation The capacity of historic cities to accommodate and benefit from the radical and rapid changes that accompany urban growth while maintaining heritage values is becoming a critical issue.
Towards social inclusion in urban settings More than half of the Earth’s population now lives in urban areas ...
13.
The 14 World Heritage sites of Canada presented in this issue offer a fascinating pattern. Indeed, they reflect key aspects of the evolution of the very concept of World Heritage over the past 32 years.
The sites predictably include historic cities like Old Québec and Lunenburg, great natural sites like Nahanni National Park, Wood Buffalo National Park, the Canadian ...
14.
In this issue we are pleased to focus on the heritage of Africa and its sustainable development. The diversity and wealth of African heritage is extraordinary, from its large-scale ecosystems to modern architecture; from the memory of slavery and colonial heritage to cultural landscapes and sacred sites.
Preserving this heritage is an ambitious and challenging task. Once ...
15.
Initially protected by the broadest expanses of virtually impenetrable tropical rainforest on Earth, Brazil still takes prides in a stunning variety of species found nowhere else. With giant snakes such as the anaconda, minuscule hummingbirds, iridescent blue butterflies, voracious piranhas, the fauna of Brazil seems to haunt the imagination of humanity quite as much as it ...
16.
The IUCN World Parks Congress meets every ten years, and its November 2014 meeting may prove to be a turning point for protected areas in offering and implementing solutions for the challenges faced by the planet.
Taken together, the national parks, reserves and designated protected areas of every kind (including the World Heritage natural and mixed natural/cultural ...
17.
Table of contents
In focus
Fostering resilience: Towards reducing disaster risks to World Heritage, p. 4World Heritage sites are exposed to a wide variety of natural and human-induced hazards, such as earthquakes, cyclones or fires, which can have devastating effects on their value as well as on the lives and assets of the communities concerned.
Post-disaster ...
18.
Observing heritage sites from space for the sake of preservation has a long history. In the early 1920s, scientists were already using aerial photographs to map archaeological sites and to help detect changes not visible from the ground, such as buried roads and other remains.
In 1972, the World Heritage Convention was adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference, and that same ...
19.
While conflicts continue to inflict damage – much of it intentional – on heritage sites, reconstruction becomes a critical topic for discussion. The recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged sites are complex. They involve questions that go beyond authenticity and integrity. As the architect Jad Tabet says in his introductory article to this issue of World ...
20.
We are pleased to bring you this issue on biodiversity and World Heritage sites, focusing on some of the properties most vital to the future of our planet.
These articles were prepared in anticipation of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) originally planned for October 2020 in Kunming, China, and the designation of a “biodiversity super year”. Many far-reaching ...
21.
New World Heritage Sites
CITY OF BATH, A Masterpiece of Town Planning
THE KII MOUNTAINS, Harmony between Spirit and Nature
LEPTIS MAGNA, Imperial City in Africa
PURNULULU NATIONAL PARK, A Geological Wonder
22.
The network of World Heritage properties was inter alia intended to ensure the proper preservation of the natural and cultural values of sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. Today, as the planet finds itself confronted with the impact of climate change, the existence of this network is proving to be of the highest importance in monitoring changing conditions and ...
23.
Historic urban walls were once used for division and protection, and remain a legacy of the complex relations between people and their environment. Today, they represent a fascinating aspect of cultural heritage management. They attract visitors and can be considered part of the attempt to balance sustainable social and economic development and the conservation of ...
24.
This special issue of World Heritage is about interlinkages between nature and culture.
One of the defining characteristics of the World Heritage Convention is that the governance of both natural and cultural values of Outstanding Universal Value falls under one international instrument, but we have still to harness the full potential it offers to recognize and build on ...
25.
Wetlands are an essential, but often overlooked, aspect of our natural environment. They are vital sources of biodiversity and take many different forms – from lakes, rivers and swamps, to deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and coral reefs. Wetlands are found nearly everywhere, are essential to the survival of countless species of plants and animals, and are therefore ...
26.
The 1972 World Heritage Convention is truly unique. It is the only legal instrument conceived to protect both cultural and natural heritage, based on the principle of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) – the value of a site that is irreplaceable and must be protected for the future.
Each year, during its annual session, the World Heritage Committee adds new sites to the ...
27.
World Heritage sites require an enormous number of resources for their protection. Conservation needs are met in different ways by governments, vibrant communities, or donors of many types. But increasingly the private sector is taking action with a powerful impact on conservation and management.
Natural sites especially are impacted by industrial activities, and ‘no-go’ ...
28.
The year 2020 began with an unprecedented health crisis that has affected each one of us, and we still cannot predict its long-term effects. Not only have we been touched in our personal lives. Lockdown has perturbed our work, our communities and our industries, at times with devastating consequences. And this crisis is not yet over.
Inevitably, our World Heritage sites ...
29.
The World Heritage Convention is a legal tool. In adhering to it, countries commit to protect heritage within their borders and to refrain from any deliberate measures that might damage directly or indirectly the cultural and natural heritage of the territory of other States Parties to this Convention.
The true measure of the Convention is the effectiveness of its ...
30.
Cities are among the most quickly evolving environments on the planet. Over half of the world’s population lives in cities today, and knowing how to manage these urban areas as they grow, so that we can both cherish our history and yet help them to flourish socially, culturally and economically while they meet our needs, is a complex and monumental task. We examine these ...
31.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are islands of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The UNESCO World Heritage Programme for Small Island Developing States coordinates and develops activities in these areas, providing support for the preparation of new nominations to the World Heritage List, and conservation and management assistance for ...
32.
The World Heritage Convention was created in 1972 – nearly half a century ago – as a legal instrument to protect our most outstanding cultural and natural sites around the world. It has been adopted since by 194 countries, nearing universality. Concretely, the World Heritage Convention is implemented in myriad ways, big and small, by people around the world.
In this issue, ...
33.
Water: its role in human evolution. World Heritage sites offer a wide spectrum of water elements, from glorious water gardens to spectacular aqueducts, grand transport canals to ingenious water mills.
This display of human creativity and ingenuity reveals the brilliance of our common heritage and the potential for future technological advances. By gaining a deeper ...
34.
Traditions, ancestral knowledge and ways of life of local communities are essential elements of World Heritage. In the quest to continue safeguarding and promoting cultural and natural treasures of our humanity, UNESCO recognizes the importance of their active participation in World Heritage preservation and management, ensuring their integrity and authenticity.
In this ...
35.
The 37th session of the World Heritage Committee will be held from 16 to 27 June 2013 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
This issue explores in the depth the sites of Angkor, one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia, and the Temple of Preah Vihear, dedicated to Lord Shiva and dating back to the first half of the 11th century AD. Discover also the Royal ...
36.
In Focus
New World Heritage sites 2007 Twenty-two sites were added to the World Heritage List during the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee held in Christchurch, New Zealand, bringing the total of inscribed sites to 851 (p.4)
uKhahlamba/Drakensberg Park, South Africa (p.20)
Vegaøyan, Norway (P.26)
Quebrada de Humahuaca, Argentina (p. 29)
...
37.
This year, the World Heritage Committee will meet for its 41st session in the World Heritage site of the Historic Centre of Krakow. We are very pleased to be hosted by Poland, an early supporter of the World Heritage Convention whose experts even participated in the drafting of the Convention itself. Poland’s heritage sites represent many aspects of World Heritage: a ...
38.
At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed that the conservation of biodiversity was one of the cornerstones of sustainable development.
They acknowledged that the world was facing an unprecedented wave of species extinction and the rapid destruction of ecosystems and decided that it was urgent to halt the global loss of biodiversity in order to ...
39.
Each issue of the World Heritage magazine goes beyond a visual account of cultural and natural sites: it invites readers to understand their significance and their uniqueness and to take action for their long-term protection. Through its articles, images and testimonies, the magazine embodies UNESCO’s commitment to making World Heritage a lever for resilience, ...
40.
The annual session of the World Heritage Committee is a crucial period for the Convention, and we are grateful to Germany for hosting us this year.
The 39th session of the Committee is taking place as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of UNESCO, marking its accomplishments thus far and defining the way forward in the years to come. At the 39th session, the first annual ...
41.
The reconstruction of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, following the fire of 2019, illustrates the enduring relevance of World Heritage – a precious legacy that transcends time, unites people and reflects our collective commitment to preserving these treasures for future generations. The immediate mobilisation that followed this painful event revealed the depth of ...
42.
Climate change is the defining issue of our time, and among the greatest threats facing cultural and natural heritage today. One in three natural sites and one in six cultural heritage sites are currently threatened by climate change.
In recent months and years, we have seen cultural and natural heritage sites, including many World Heritage sites, threatened by wildfires, ...
43.
UNESCO's World Heritage is much more than a List of remarkable sites. It represents the common heritage of humanity – a collection of cultural and natural treasures that transcend borders and generations. These sites tell the story of our world, illustrating our diversity, creativity and resilience through the ages.
India, a land of millennia of history, is a living ...
44.
Table of contents
Scenic natural beauty
How can it be judged
The sites inscribed under criterion vii, known commonly as having the “wow” effect, are more than just stunning landscapes, and we take a close look at their unique qualities and conservation challenges.
Stories behind superlative scenery
The concept of aesthetics is no easier to deal with, being additionally ...
45.
There was a time when the world appeared boundless and inexhaustible. We are just beginning to realize that it is both limited and surprisingly vulnerable. It follows that if we are to survive at all as a species, we shall have to learn to see the world in a different light. Warnings have been sounded. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, opened the international ...
46.
The issues of World Heritage published during 2012 have largely been devoted to commemorating the adoption of the World Heritage Convention forty years ago, in 1972. This has not been a self-congratulatory exercise but rather an analytical survey, which offers some fascinating insights into the unique contribution that the Convention has made and is still making to global ...
47.
Agricultural landscapes are a testimony to humanity’s long interaction with the land, often unique examples of people and nature coexisting and influencing each other. They demonstrate a rich cultural and landscape diversity, sustainable land-use systems and in some cases people’s daily struggle for survival under extreme climatic and environmental conditions.
The ...
48.
This special issue is devoted entirely to World Heritage sites belonging to members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. It thus offers a unique opportunity to discover the rich cultural and natural heritage of a region that embraces Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia (all three of which already have sites inscribed on the World Heritage List), as well ...
49.
This year we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention: a unique legal instrument that protects both both cultural and natural heritage. Because of this, the World Heritage List includes the most spectacular sites across the globe, and continues to grow.
The World Heritage Committee, made up of 21 elected countries, meets each year to assess the ...
50.
This issue of World Heritage is devoted to a number of truly extraordinary World Heritage sites that allow a better understanding of the history of the Earth and the formation of landscape. It is no surprise that UNESCO has acknowledged this diversity as the basis of the International Year of Planet Earth, a celebration that concludes in 2009. Representatives of two of the ...
51.
Forests, like mountains and oceans, play a critical role in the balance of world climate (as well as in vital carbon capture and retention) and thus in the survival of our species, hence the United Nations’ decision to designate 2011 as the International Year of Forests. This event in fact coincides with the tenth anniversary of the World Heritage Forest Programme and ...