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Venice and its Lagoon

Italy
Factors affecting the property in 2019*
  • Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure
  • Erosion and siltation/ deposition
  • Governance
  • Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
  • Legal framework
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Marine transport infrastructure
  • Other climate change impacts
  • Water infrastructure
  • Other Threats:

    Climate change and severe weather events / Climate Change impacts on the lagoon ecology and built fabric

Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Concern over the announcement of a universal exhibition in Venice (issue resolved)
  • Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure
  • Inadequate planning tools
  • Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation, including damage to building fabric and cultural context, through conversion of residences for tourist accommodation or commercial use
  • Proposals for large infrastructure, navigation and construction projects (including new off-shore platform, new terminals, tourist port and large leisure facilities) in the Lagoon and its immediate setting
  • Potential negative environmental impacts triggered by motor boats, cruise ships and oil tankers
  • Management and institutional factors / Governance / Challenges in co-ordination between the multiple government and non-government institutions involved in conservation, tourism, management and regulation
  • Climate change and severe weather events / Climate Change impacts on the lagoon ecology and built fabric
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2019

Programme for the Safeguarding of Venice: since 1966 more than 1,500 projects worth over 50 million euros (mainly conservation and restoration projects)

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2019
Requests approved: 0
Total amount approved : 0 USD
Missions to the property until 2019**

October 2015: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/RAMSAR Reactive Monitoring mission

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2019

On 14 December 2018, the State Party submitted a report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/394/documents/, including multiple annexes, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of Decision 41 COM 7B.48, and which outlines the State Party’s progress as follows:

  • Recommendations of the 2015 mission have been addressed, and detailed reporting is provided on the implementation of recommendations of Decision 40 COM 7B.52. Specific reporting is provided on the ‘Climate Action Plan’, climate change adaptation strategies, and the ‘Water Plan for the City of Venice’;
  • The ‘Pact for the Development of the City of Venice’, between the Italian Government and the City of Venice, is reported being implemented, inter institutional collaboration is also reported, and the role of the responsible bodies for the site management in the fields of cultural heritage conservation, technical support, and surveillance have been strengthened;
  • The ‘Project of Territorial Governance of Tourism in Venice’ is being implemented, with progress reported regarding visitor counts, water traffic control, revision of urban planning rules and other interventions to support residency, instigation of revision of tourist rental regulations, changes to waste management, and an international awareness campaign about sustainable tourism;
  • An alternative navigation path has been identified for large ships, so that passage of big ships through San Marco may cease. Landing of ships with a gross tonnage of over 40,000 tons will be relocated to Marghera. The Venetian cruise industry is being supported by construction of a new terminal in Marghera that can be reached through the Malamocco port entry;
  • The ‘Environmental and Morphological Plan for the Lagoon of Venice’ is being updated with completion expected by mid-2019;
  • A preliminary analysis of the development plans and large-scale/infrastructure projects currently being implemented and planned within the property and surrounding areas has commenced, with a view to identifying requirements for Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) and/or notifications to the Secretariat in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
  • Progress is being reported with the MOSE high tide defence system works, including near completion of the movable barriers. It is expected that these barriers may be activated by mid-2019, and operational from 2020, with full completion due in 2021;
  • The updated Management Plan and revised governance system, including management of the proposed buffer zone, is foreseen to be in place by the end of 2019. The State Party submitted a Minor Boundary Modification relating to the buffer zone that will be examined by the World Heritage Committee under item 8 of the Agenda (Document WHC/19/43.COM/8B);
  • The State Party report includes a ‘road map’ in graphic form, which analyses the main threats to the property, and sets out actions, the responsible entities, timeframes and benchmark indicators.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2019

The reported coordinated effort to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property by the State Party (and all agencies involved) is welcome. The submitted report includes detailed response to Committee Decisions, and substantive progress is reported in implementing the recommendations of the 2015 mission. Nevertheless, concerns should be raised about the lack of active communication related to the property from the State Party outside the state of conservation reporting, as the Secretariat has not received any other means of information since the last Committee Decision. Such regular communication should be maintained, considering the number and importance of issues at stake.

New measures are being deployed within the framework of the ‘Pact for the Development of the City of Venice’ to allow large ships to reach the Venice Maritime station without passing through the San Marco Basin and the Giudecca Canal. Initial initiatives have been pursued, but the detailed timeframe and overall plan for the project, including impact assessments, are yet to be provided.

The ‘Project of Territorial Governance of Tourism in Venice’ is welcomed, as is the incorporation of relevant policy tools, such as the Sustainable Tourism Programme and the ‘Policy for the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective in the World Heritage Convention’. Interventions to support residency and related revisions to tourist rental regulations are intended to address significant threats to the authenticity of the property, and it would be relevant to seek further information on the outcomes achieved by these initiatives.

Clarification is needed about the role and content of the outlined preliminary analysis conducted in relation to development plans and large-scale/infrastructure projects within the property and surrounding areas. It is recommended that the Committee recall the obligation of the State Party to submit, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, details of each proposed development which might have a potential impact on the OUV of the property, together with HIAs and/or Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) addressing also potential cumulative impacts on the OUV of the property, before irreversible decisions are made or projects are implemented.

The pending completion of the MOSE defence system is acknowledged, as is the updated information on this project. The ‘Climate Action Plan’ and ‘Water Plan for the City of Venice’, could be important management tools as well, and following a technical review by the Advisory Bodies, it may be appropriate to publicise the actions taken at the property. The ‘Environmental and Morphological Plan for the Lagoon of Venice’ is an important initiative that should assist in managing erosion and identifying actions needed to sustain the lagoon ecosystem. This document should also be submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, prior to its finalization and implementation.

The Management Plan is an essential tool for sustaining the OUV of the property, and its landscape and seascape setting. Therefore, the initiative to update the document is acknowledged; nevertheless, the State Party should be requested to incorporate the detailed road map and measurable benchmarks within the updated Management Plan, as well as a management strategy for the buffer zone of the property. The draft updated Management Plan should be submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, prior to its finalization and adoption. The State Party should also be encouraged to strengthen its monitoring system for vulnerability of heritage areas to climate change and disaster risk, and continue developing and implementing mitigation measure to reduce their risk to the OUV of the property.

In spite of the considerable documentation included in the report of the State Party, and the reported achievements towards the implementation of Committee decisions and mission recommendations, the level of progress still needs to be clarified. With regard primarily to the issue of tourism pressure and the negative impacts of climate change, the property remains subject to the cumulative impact of ascertained and potential threats. Sufficient improvement in the state of conservation and further progress with mitigation are therefore, still needed, in order to maintain the authenticity and integrity of the property and to protect its OUV to a level that will prevent the property to be considered for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2019
43 COM 7B.86
Venice and its Lagoon (Italy) (C 394)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 40 COM 7B.52 and 41 COM 7B.48, adopted at its 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) and 41st (Krakow, 2017) sessions respectively,
  3. Notes the efforts of the State Party and all the institutions involved to work collaboratively to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and that progress has been achieved towards the implementation of the recommendations put forward in Decisions 40 COM 7B.52 and 41 COM 7B.48, and those of the 2015 mission;
  4. Acknowledges the preparation of the ‘Climate Action Plan’, the ‘Water Plan for the City of Venice’ and the ‘Environmental and Morphological Plan for the Lagoon of Venice’, and requests that these important documents be formally submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, prior to finalization and implementation, and encourages the State Party and its relevant agencies to liaise with the World Heritage Centre regarding the potential for the ‘Climate Action Plan’ to be shared and promoted in a manner that highlights monitoring and adaptation processes;
  5. Also acknowledges the ‘Project of Territorial Governance of Tourism in Venice’, which incorporates relevant policy tools, including the Sustainable Tourism Programme and the ‘Policy for the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective in the World Heritage Convention’, and also requests the State Party to report back to the Committee on the short term outcomes achieved by these initiatives, and the level of mitigating the negative impacts of tourism pressure;
  6. Welcomes the alternative navigation path that has been identified for the relocation of ships with a gross tonnage of over 40,000 tons to Marghera, and the support for the Venetian cruise industry through construction of a new terminal in Marghera, and further requests the State Party to submit detailed plans and the timeframe for the implementation of the proposed plans that will allow large ships to reach the Venice Maritime station without passing through the San Marco Basin and the Giudecca Canal;
  7. Also notes the pending completion of the MOSE defence system and the updated information on this project, and requests furthermore the State Party to provide regular updated information on this project, including its management and maintenance systems, and report on the medium- and long-term prospect of this project to fulfil the objective to avoid the negative impacts of climate change, especially temporary flooding and rising sea level;
  8. Further acknowledges the initiative of the State Party for updating the Management Plan of the property, which is an essential tool for sustaining its OUV, and its landscape and seascape setting, and requests moreover the State Party to incorporate the detailed road map and its measurable benchmarks within the updated Management Plan, additionally to supplement the document with a planned management strategy for the potential buffer zone of the property, and to submit the draft updated Management Plan for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, prior to its finalization and adoption;
  9. Also encourages the State Party to strengthen its monitoring system for vulnerability of heritage areas to climate change and disaster risk, and continue developing and implementing mitigation measure to reduce their risk to the OUV of the property;
  10. Notes with concern the lack of regular communication of the State Party with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and reiterates its previous requests to the State Party to submit, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, details of any newly proposed projects, together with all relevant Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA), in due time prior to irreversible decisions and implementation, including a specific section focusing on their potential impact on the OUV of the property, and addressing potential cumulative impacts;
  11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020, with a view to considering the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger if the implemented mitigation measures and the adapted management system does not result in significant and measurable progress in the state of conservation of the property.
43 COM 8B.46
Venice and its Lagoon (Italy)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Documents WHC/19/43.COM/8B.Add and WHC/19/43.COM/INF.8B1.Add,
  2. Refers the proposed buffer zone for Venice and its Lagoon, Italy, back to the State Party in order to allow it to:
    1. Provide clarification as to why one of the water bodies has been excluded from the proposed buffer zone and reconsider the exclusion of this part of the southern coastal strip from the proposed buffer zone,
    2. Sign a Programme Agreement in order to put in place officially the governance system for the coordinated management, enhancement and sustainable development of the proposed buffer zone.
43 COM 8D
Clarifications of property boundaries and areas by States Parties

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/8D,
  2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 8D, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
  3. Acknowledges the excellent work accomplished by States Parties in the clarification of the boundaries of their World Heritage properties and commends them for their efforts to improve the credibility of the World Heritage List;
  4. Recalls that the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies are not able to examine proposals for minor or significant modifications to boundaries of World Heritage properties whenever the delimitations of such properties as inscribed remain unclear;
  5. Takes note of the clarifications of property boundaries and areas provided by the States Parties as presented in the Annex of Document WHC/19/43.COM/8D:

    ARAB STATES

    • Jordan, Quseir Amra

    ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

    • Kazakhstan, Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

    EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

    • Germany, Maulbronn Monastery Complex
    • Italy, Venice and its Lagoon
    • Russian Federation, Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent
    LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
    • Bolivia, City of Potosí
    • Ecuador, City of Quito

  6. Requests the States Parties which have not yet answered the questions raised in the framework of the Retrospective Inventory to provide all clarifications and documentation as soon as possible, and by 1 December 2019 at the latest, for their subsequent examination, if the technical requirements are met, by the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2020.
Draft Decision: 43 COM 7B.86

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 40 COM 7B.52 and 41 COM 7B.48, adopted at its 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) and 41st (Krakow, 2017) sessions respectively,
  3. Notes the efforts of the State Party and all the institutions involved to work collaboratively to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and that progress has been achieved towards the implementation of the recommendations put forward in Decisions 40 COM 7B.52 and 41 COM 7B.48, and those of the 2015 mission;
  4. Acknowledges the preparation of the ‘Climate Action Plan’, the ‘Water Plan for the City of Venice’ and the ‘Environmental and Morphological Plan for the Lagoon of Venice’, and requests that these important documents be formally submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, prior to finalization and implementation, and encourages the State Party and its relevant agencies to liaise with the World Heritage Centre regarding the potential for the ‘Climate Action Plan’ to be shared and promoted in a manner that highlights monitoring and adaptation processes;
  5. Also acknowledges the ‘Project of Territorial Governance of Tourism in Venice’, which incorporates relevant policy tools, including the Sustainable Tourism Programme and the ‘Policy for the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective in the World Heritage Convention’, and also requests the State Party to report back to the Committee on the short term outcomes achieved by these initiatives, and the level of mitigating the negative impacts of tourism pressure;
  6. Welcomes the alternative navigation path that has been identified for the relocation of ships with a gross tonnage of over 40,000 tons to Marghera, and the support for the Venetian cruise industry through construction of a new terminal in Marghera, and further requests the State Party to submit detailed plans and the timeframe for the implementation of the proposed plans that will allow large ships to reach the Venice Maritime station without passing through the San Marco Basin and the Giudecca Canal;
  7. Also notes the pending completion of the MOSE defence system and the updated information on this project, and requests furthermore the State Party to provide regular updated information on this project, including its management and maintenance systems, and report on the medium- and long-term prospect of this project to fulfil the objective to avoid the negative impacts of climate change, especially temporary flooding and rising sea level;
  8. Further acknowledges the initiative of the State Party for updating the Management Plan of the property, which is an essential tool for sustaining its OUV, and its landscape and seascape setting, and requests moreover the State Party to incorporate the detailed road map and its measurable benchmarks within the updated Management Plan, additionally to supplement the document with a planned management strategy for the potential buffer zone of the property, and to submit the draft updated Management Plan for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, prior to its finalization and adoption;
  9. Also encourages the State Party to strengthen its monitoring system for vulnerability of heritage areas to climate change and disaster risk, and continue developing and implementing mitigation measure to reduce their risk to the OUV of the property;
  10. Notes with concern the lack of regular communication of the State Party with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and reiterates its previous requests to the State Party to submit, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, details of any newly proposed projects, together with all relevant Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA), in due time prior to irreversible decisions and implementation, including a specific section focusing on their potential impact on the OUV of the property, and addressing potential cumulative impacts;
  11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020, with a view to considering the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger if the implemented mitigation measures and the adapted management system does not result in significant and measurable progress in the state of conservation of the property.
Report year: 2019
Italy
Date of Inscription: 1987
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)
Documents examined by the Committee
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2018) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 43COM (2019)
Exports

* : 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.


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