The Persian Qanat

Factors identified at the time of inscription in 2016:

• 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 4 December 2017, 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:

• The improvement and development of documentation centres accessible to the local public, along with a database centre supporting international access to the information, remains underway and is included in management plans as both a short- and long-term priority;
• Extending the management strategy and plans to include a risk preparedness strategy and a comprehensive tourism strategy for all property components remains unrealized. Related short-, mid- and long-term goals identified in a proposed update of the Management Plan include installing “risk facilities” such as oxygen masks, signing Memoranda of Understanding for police and emergency services, monitoring earthquake stability, improving signboards and visitor paths, and producing and encouraging promotional and educational materials, programmes and events, tour packages and tourism facilities;
• Several meetings have been held regarding management approaches and monitoring systems, and a number of key monitoring indicators proposed by different stakeholders are currently under discussion;
• The boundaries of the property and the Buffer Zone are being marked by permanent steel rods placed within the most visited areas where this is physically possible. The marking has not yet been completed because of the large areas to be covered;
• The inner surfaces of the qanat galleries are being dredged periodically to enhance water flow.

The State Party reports that many efforts have been made since the inscription of this still-active serial property to engage the stakeholders and local communities and encourage them to implement an integrated management system. The State Party specifically highlights an addition to the plans proposed within the 2016 Management Plan to include references to sustainable tourism management and risk management, though limited progress has been reported concerning this important recommendation made by the Committee at the time of inscription. Recalling the fundamental value of an overarching integrated management system and of appropriate control mechanisms for the property, it is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to include, as a matter of priority, risk management and sustainable tourism management sections in the integrated management system. Moreover, these sections should be strategic in character, with clear objectives that are related to sustaining the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including authenticity and integrity, of the property, and with indicators to measure the success of each strategy.

While some progress has been made regarding the other recommendations made by the Committee at the time of inscription, actions such as improving the collection and accessibility of data, improving the monitoring system and permanently marking the boundaries of the property and its buffer zones have yet to be fully realized. It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its previous recommendations concerning these important activities and request information on the expected timeframe(s) for their completion.