Archaeological Site of Carthage

Land development and infrastructures within the property

Total amount provided to the property: International Safeguarding Campaign, 1973-1989

Following the recommendations of the 2012 World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission, the State Party submitted a report dated 25 December 2013 outlining the history of procedures for protection of the property, decrees applicable to it and its urban development and, on 6 February 2014, a Protection and Enhancement Plan (PPMV).  The implementation status of the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee is as follows:

• Revision and implementation of the PPMV:  Its implementation has begun and should ensure better management of the land development and infrastructures within the property.
• Elaboration of a Presentation Plan and a Tourism Management Plan:  No relevant information has been transmitted to the World Heritage Centre.
• Establishment of an archaeological and conservation strategy: The archaeological and conservation strategy remains to be established. The mission recommended that priority developments should be undertaken on the areas of the circus, the Borj Boukhris, the park of Roman villas and the Maalga cisterns. However, houses occupying the eastern part of the circus are declared "unauthorized but tolerated" by the PPMV, and no priority development has been envisaged in the areas of Borj Boukhris, the park of Roman villas and the Maalga cisterns.
• Coordination of tools and stakeholders involved in the management and preservation of the property: No information on the coordination of the property’s preservation and management tools and stakeholders has been provided by the State Party.
• Modification of the boundaries of the inscribed property and establishment of a buffer zone: The recommendation of the mission to revise the boundaries of the inscribed property and to establish a buffer zone is still relevant, as no revised boundary change proposal has been sent to the World Heritage Centre since the Committee’s 2012 Decision which had requested the State Party to provide more information on the criteria used to define this buffer zone, the existing measures and regulations which govern it and which will ensure the protection of the property, and the measures taken to manage it .

The State Party has implemented numerous actions to meet the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee, and should continue its land management policy prioritizing heritage over private interests in order to preserve the integrity of the property.

The adoption of the PPMV must result in its effective implementation, based on the involvement of all stakeholders and local communities, and on the application of the zoning plan and proposed regulations to maintain the integrity the property. Given the complexity of the institutional framework of the property, the numerous management tools and the variety of stakeholders involved in its conservation and management, the establishment of coordination mechanisms and a clear definition of roles and responsibilities are of the utmost importance.

An archaeological and conservation strategy must be developed and implemented in order to preserve the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) for which the property was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and the elaboration of a presentation plan and a Tourism Management Plan is required for the development of the property and its sustainable management.

The modification of the boundaries of the inscribed property and the establishment of a buffer zone would contribute significantly to reinforcing the OUV of the property and to the preservation of its integrity. In addition, the alignment of the boundaries of the World Heritage property with those fixed at national level will facilitate the understanding of the protected area by the inhabitants of the city and the private sector operators, and may help to improve the protection and management of the property.