Butrint
Factors affecting the property in 2005*
- Illegal activities
- Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
- Management systems/ management plan
- Other Threats:
a) Lack of adequate protection and conservation of the site; b) Poor state of conservation of the property ; c) Insufficient implementation of the recommendations of the joint missions
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
Looting; lack of adequate protection, management, and conservation of the site; Lack of management mechanisms and tourism pressure; poor state of conservation of the property and insufficient implementation of the recommendations of the joint missions.
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2005
Total amount approved : 106,000 USD
| 1997 | Butrint (Approved) | 100,000 USD |
| 1996 | Technical assistance for the restoration of Butrint (Approved) | 6,000 USD |
Missions to the property until 2005**
UNESCO/ICOMOS missions in 1997, 2001, 2003 and UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM mission in March 2005.
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2005
The World Heritage Centre received a report on the property, dated 8 February 2005 by the site management authority.
The joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM mission, as requested by the Committee visited Butrint in March 2005. The Round Table concerning the preparation of a management plan took place from 28 to 29 March. The full report of the mission is available at whc.unesco.org/.
The mission visited the property to assess the current state of conservation and to evaluate the extent to which the recommendations of the two UNESCO/ICOMOS missions of 2001 and 2003 and the respective Committee decisions have been followed up. The members of the mission met with the Minister of Culture and had a series of meetings with the site manager, relevant authorities and concerned stakeholders. The mission obtained information from the Butrint Foundation and the representatives of institutions and other stakeholders concerned with the site.
The property was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger following the civil unrest and the instable situation at the property of spring 1997. At that time the site museum was looted and equipment was stolen from the property. When the property was put on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the property had no management authority, no management plan and no adequate protection system. These issues were among the reasons for retaining Butrint on the List of World Heritage in Danger, though some of the original reasons for this listing no longer exist: the looting stopped at the end of the 1990s; the site has a manager, dedicated staff and a management plan that is being updated; legislation and management regime are in place, and both have considerably improved since the property’s inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger List. As a result of all those positive changes, and considering that the conditions that have justified the danger listing of the property no longer prevail today, the mission recommends its removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger, in accordance with paragraph 191 (b) of the Operational Guidelines (2005). The competent authorities of the State Party have expressed no objection to that proposal.
The mission specifically noted that a management plan for Butrint (2000-2005) has been prepared by the Butrint Foundation in cooperation with the Butrint Office. The Plan was based on extensive consultation and involvement of all stakeholders, local, national and international, with a series of workshops in Saranda on various aspects of the management of the site. This plan has not been officially adopted and cannot be considered either as a practical and efficient working tool. An update version is currently under preparation taking also into account the RAMSAR Management Plan. The mission underlined that legislation and management regime are all in place, and both improved considerably since the inscription of the property.
The site manager intends to have the current management plan (2000-2005) undergo an update process as part of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) funded Coastal Zone Management and Cleanup Project in Albania, as from September 2005. This update process will address all issues relevant to the conservation and management of the site and also the issues that prevented official adoption of the current management plan.
Furthermore, the mission underlined the need for the State Party to continue its efforts towards the improvement of the general situation of the site while finalising the overall Management Plan and ensure its adoption. The State Party should make every effort towards the creation of conditions that are conducive to obtaining synergy between the various institutions involved in the site in the preparation of the Management Plan and also to ensure rigorous control of the site management and to prevent any illegal development in the property.
While the members of the mission agree on the principle of recommending deletion form the List of World Heritage in Danger, there is no unanimity on the timing and the modalities of this action: whereas some members propose a deletion with immediate effect, other (including the mission leader) hold the view that it should be considered for removal by the Committee in 2006 only, on the basis of a further assessment report to be prepared prior to the 30th session of the World heritage Committee in 2006.
Therefore, two options for a Draft Decision are submitted to the World Heritage Committee:
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2005
29 COM 7A.27
Butrint (Albania)
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-05/29.COM/7A,
2. Recalling its Decision 28 COM 15A.28, adopted at its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004),
3. Thanks the State Party of Albania for the submission of the progress report and for the organization of the Round Table as requested;
4. Acknowledges the considerable efforts by the State Party to contribute to the improvements in the state of conservation of the property, its gradual return to normality and its legal protection;
5. Endorses the recommendations made by the joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM mission of March 2005, and calls upon the State Party to give appropriate attention to their timely implementation;
6. Requests the State Party to:
a) ensure that the management and conservation plan of the property be finalized, if necessary with the assistance of the World Heritage Centre, taking into consideration the recommendations of the 2005 Round Table, as well as be approved by the relevant authorities of the State Party and submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
b) take all necessary measures to prevent any illegal development or inappropriate construction in the property;
c) ensure that strict control is exerted on the site management and that the relevant legal provisions of the 2003 Law on Cultural Heritage are applied; and
d) consider inviting a joint mission of UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM in 2007 to assess the implementation of the Committee’s decisions and submit a report on its findings;
7. Further requests the State Party to provide a detailed implementation report on the issues above as well as a copy of the updated management plan by 1 February 2006 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006);
8. Decides to remove Butrint (Albania) from the List of World Heritage in Danger.29 COM 8C.3
Withdrawals from the List of World Heritage in Danger
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Following examination of state of conservation reports of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC-05/29.COM/7A and WHC-05/29.COM/7A.Add),
2. Decides to remove the following properties from the List of World Heritage in Danger:
- Butrint (Albania) (Decision 29 COM 7A.27)
- Sangay National Park (Ecuador) (Decision 29 COM 7A.11)
- Timbuktu (Mali) (Decision 29 COM 7A. 14)
Draft Decision: 29 COM 7A.27
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-05/29.COM/7A,
2. Recalling its Decision 28 COM 15A.28, adopted at its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004),
3. Thanks the State Party for the submission of the up-date report and for the organization of the Round Table as requested;
4. Acknowledges the considerable efforts by the State Party to contribute to the improvements of the state of conservation of the site, its gradual return to normal and its legal protection;
5. Endorses the recommendations made by the UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM mission of March 2005 and calls upon the State Party to give appropriate attention to their timely implementation;
6. Requests the State Party to:
a) to ensure that the Management and Conservation Plan of the property be finalised, if necessary with the assistance of the World Heritage Centre, taking into consideration the recommendations of the Round Table 2005, approved by the relevant authorities of the State Party and be submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
b) take all necessary measures to prevent any illegal development or inappropriate construction in the property;
c) ensure that strict control is exerted on the site management and that the relevant legal provisions of the 2003 Law on Cultural Heritage are applied;
d) consider inviting a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM mission in 2007 to assess the implementation of the Committee’s decisions and submit a report on its finding;
Option 1:
7. Further requests the State Party to provide a detailed implementation report on the issues above as well as a copy of the updated Management Plan by 1 February 2006, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 30th session in 2006, in order to review the possible deletion from the List of the World Heritage in Danger;
8. Decides to retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Option 2:
7. Further requests the State Party to provide a detailed implementation report on the issues above as well as a copy of the updated Management Plan by 1 February 2006 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 30th session in 2006;
8. Decides to remove the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
AlbaniaExports
* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).
** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.
