scholarly journals Potential of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage for resolution of environmental problems of the world heritage site “Lake Baikal”

Author(s):  
Yaroslava Borisovna Ditsevich ◽  
Roman Yur'evich Kolobov

This article reflects certain results of the research conducted within the framework of implementation of the scientific project No.0-011-00168, supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, dedicated to comprehensive analysis of the international legal regimes for the protection of Lake Baikal. Emphasis is placed on the protection regime of the world heritage, realized on the basis of the cognominal convention. Recognition of the role played by the mechanisms for protection of the World Heritage in conservation of the unique ecosystem of Lake Baikal, the authors note that within the framework of Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage there are promising mechanisms that are currently did not receive due reflection with regards to protection of the lake. Such instruments include the list of world heritage sites that are under a threat; development of the plan for maintaining the world heritage site; strategic environmental assessment of planned activity that may negatively impact the site. The conclusion is made on the need for implementation of the following international legal mechanisms with regards to protection of Lake Baikal: inclusion of Lake Baikal into the list of world heritage sites that are under the threat, upon the initiative of the Russian Federation in case of construction of hydroengineering structures by Mongolia on the Selenga River without taking into account the priorities for preservation of the lake ecosystem; elaboration of the plan for protection of Lake Baikal as the world heritage site. The author also underlines the need to develop the plan that would become the means for harmonization of various legal regimes that ensure protection of the Lake Baikal. Attention given to the approaches towards assessing the impact upon the environment existing within the system of protection of world heritage. It is suggested to consider the recommendations of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources to conduct such assessment on World Heritage sites.

Author(s):  
Yaroslava Borisovna Ditsevich ◽  
Roman Yur'evich Kolobov

The subject of this research is the decisions adopted at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee on the conservation of the World Heritage Site “Lake Baikal” pertaining to such relevant questions as the construction of hydropower station on the Selenga River, as well as countering such phenomena as wild fires and illegal construction within the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory. The article provides characteristics to the content of documents approved at the recently held 44th session of the World Heritage Committee for the Conservation of the World Heritage Site “Lake Baikal”, within the framework of which the international community assess the actions of the Russian Federation on discharge of the obligations on conservation of the ecosystem of Lake Baikal. Analysis of the problems to be solved that are listed in documentation of the 44th session of committee, the author notes the potential of the world heritage protection mechanism in solution of the problem of constructing hydropower stations on the Selenga River. These include extension of the applicable scope of the “No-go” agreements to the sphere of financial and insurance services, consideration of positive experience of using such institution as the List of World Heritage in Danger, as well as interaction with the International Hydropower Association on elaboration of the universal approaches towards the problem of impact of hydropower stations upon the World Heritage Sites.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ali Mohamed Khalil ◽  
Eman Hanye Mohamed Nasr

PurposeThe study aims to analyze the development of Omani heritage legislation against the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (WHC), 1972 and WHC Operational Guidelines (WHC-OGs) to predict the possible effects of the recent developments on the management of the World Heritage Site in Oman.Design/methodology/approachThis study discusses the development of the heritage protection legislation in Sultanate of Oman since 1970; it analyses the Omani Cultural Heritage Law 35/2019 against the recommendations of the UNESCO WHC as well as the requirements of the World Heritage Operational Guidelines. Moreover, the research investigates the possible effects of the recent heritage legislation developments on the management of Bahla Fort and Oasis in Oman, which is the first Omani World Heritage Site and the only site with special management regulations.FindingsThe paper outlines the effects of both the Omani Cultural Heritage Law 35/2019 and the Special Management Regulations 81/2019 on the implementation of the Bahla Management Plan. Additionally, the research establishes how the customization of heritage legislation as a special heritage management regulation facilitates the implementation of national legislation to solve specific local problems.Originality/valueThe study establishes the significance of developing comprehensive legislation to protect and manage the rich Omani cultural heritage and World Heritage Sites in alignment with the WHC and the WHC-OGs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vithaya Arporn ◽  

This paper studied the management of three World Heritage sites in 3 countries of Southeast Asia : Malaysia, Laos, and Thailand. The results of this research show that a decentralized form of government in Southeast Asia provides opportunities for local communities to develop better participation in the World Heritage site management than the centralized forms of government. For local communities to contribute to the World Heritage philosophy, it is necessary to improve both the conceptual and practical aspects of the World Heritage Committee, Advisory organizations, and State Parties. They have to learn lessons and agree to work closely together. บทความนี้เลือกศึกษาการจัดการแหล่งมรดกโลกจำานวน 3 แหล่งในประเทศมาเลเซีย ลาว และไทย โดยใช้วิธีการ สำารวจเอกสาร ผลการศึกษาพบว่า รูปแบบของรัฐในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ที่กระจายอำานาจจะเปิดโอกาสให้ ชุมชนท้องถิ่นสามารถพัฒนาการมีส่วนร่วมในการจัดการแหล่งมรดกโลกได้ดีกว่ารูปแบบรัฐที่รวบอำานาจ การที่จะ ให้ชุมชนท้องถิ่นมีส่วนร่วมตามปรัชญาของมรดกโลกจึงจะต้องปรับปรุงทั้งในส่วนของกรอบคิดและการปฏิบัติทั้งใน ส่วนของคณะกรรมการมรดกโลก องค์กรที่ปรึกษา และรัฐภาคี โดยต้องสรุปบทเรียนและยอมรับร่วมกันอย่างใกล้ ชิด


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Williams Lawless ◽  
Kapila D. Silva

In the World Heritage Sites (WHS) designation, it is required to define the conditions that ‘authenticate’ the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of heritage sites. Initially, the notion of authenticity had been understood as an objective and measurable attribute inherent in the material fabric of sites. This perspective overlooked the fact that authenticity of a place is also culturally constructed, contextually variable and observer dependent. In 1994, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) introduced a set of attributes that facilitate a holistic understanding of authenticity of heritage sites which considers both tangible and intangible aspects of heritage together. To find out the extent to which this holistic understanding of authenticity is currently applied in the WHS designations, we analyzed nomination dossiers of 31 sites from the Asian context that were designated as World Heritage between 2005 and 2014. The findings point towards the continuing need to apply systematic, holistic and integrative perspectives of authenticity standards to heritage sites.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Costa Baciu

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) undertakes to recognize, list, and collectively present those places around the world that are of outstanding value to all mankind and that must be protected from threads such as armed conflict, deliberate destruction, economic pressure, natural disasters, and climate change. Through the listing of such “world heritage sites,” UNESCO intends to document and protect the diversity of cultures and natural phenomena around the globe, and to promote international dialog. The sites may be classified as cultural or natural, or both, although most sites are cultural. As part of its listing, the UNESCO also includes short descriptions of each site. These descriptions are a key element in the public-facing listing of the recognized world heritage sites. The texts reflect the listing in a more nuanced and elaborate form (UNESCO 2021). As a literary genre, the site descriptions may fall somewhere between encyclopedia entries and travel-guide site descriptions, as they are intended both for matters of overview and as information for travelers. The UNESCO world heritage list was met with much success and was welcomed by broad audiences around the globe. Given the importance of the mission to promote international dialog, we have studied the world heritage site descriptions through a new method of geographical mapping (Baciu 2019, 2020, 2021). We were interested in exploring whether, through this new method, we can detect an international dialog, as promoted by UNESCO through the world heritage list and site descriptions. In this present essay, we discuss the results. UNESCO does promote an international dialog that we are able to detect using our method. The geographical connections that we detect are very close to other known global activity. We discuss in particu-lar the similarity between our mapping results obtained from texts published by UNESCO and global movement as decoded from airplane condensation trails (contrails). Both, text and air travel, reveal similar connection pathways across the globe, which suggests that text and air travel have evolved together rather than independently.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
José Antonio González Zarandona

ABSTRACTThe destruction of rock art in the Burrup Peninsula, performed by several mammoth industries strategically located in the Peninsula since the 1960s, allows me to analyse the concept of heritage within a global history of art and find meaning in the difficult task of interpreting rock art. The Burrup Peninsula not only hosts the largest rock art site in the world, but also one of the largest deposits of natural gas, iron ore and salt. As a consequence, the land (sacred to the Indigenous people), becomes extremely important in order to sustain the booming economy of Australia. In this difficult negotiation between heritage and progress the rock art is embedded with new meanings and the heritage becomes ephemeral. Failing to include the site in the World Heritage Site list created by UNESCO, the roles of identity and memory are contested by the two groups represented on each side of the debate: on one hand, the Aboriginal Traditional owners and the archaeologists; on the other, the Australian government and the cultural establishment that denies the rock art an aesthetic significance by considering it "primitive" and "archaic". The debate becomes even more pertinent after realizing that the Australian government has flagged other buildings and natural parks as World Heritage Sites, while the rock art in the Burrup Peninsula is catalogued as national, but not World, Heritage. As a result, the concept of heritage can be defined on several levels: local, regional, national and international.RESUMENLa destrucción de arte rupestre en la península Burrup, llevada a cabo por varias industrias colosales, estratégicamente localizadas en la península desde la década de los años sesenta, me permite analizar el concepto de patrimonio y encontrar un significado en la difícil tarea de interpretar arte rupestre. La península Burrup no sólo alberga el sitio arqueológico de arte rupestre más grande del mundo, sino que también uno de los depósitos más grandes de gas, mineral de hierro y sal. Como consecuencia, la tierra (sagrada para la comunidad aborigen), se ha convertido en un punto álgido ya que sostiene la economía creciente de Australia. En esta difícil negociación entre patrimonio y progreso, el arte rupestre encuentra nuevos significados y el patrimonio se torna efímero. Al no estar el sitio incluido en la lista de Patrimonio Mundial auspiciada por la UNESCO, los roles de identidad y memoria son impugnados por los dos grupos que representan ambos lados del debate: por un lado, los dueños tradicionales aborígenes y los arqueólogos; por el otro, el gobierno australiano y el es-tablecimiento cultural que le niega al arte rupestre una significancia estética al considerarlo “primitivo” y “arcaico”. El debate se torna cada vez más pertinente al darnos cuenta de que el gobierno australiano ha propuesto otros sitios y parques naturales para su introducción en la lista de Patrimonio Mundial, mientras que el arte rupestre de la península Burrup está catalogado como patrimonio nacional, mas no mundial. Como resultado, el concepto de patrimonio se puede definir en diferentes niveles: local, nacional e internacional.


Heritage ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1874-1891
Author(s):  
Abdel Tawab

Influences exerted by cultural heritage properties on developments in architecture, town planning, or landscape design represent one of the criteria that are used to evaluate the Outstanding Universal Value of the properties nominated for listing as World Heritage Sites, which is criterion (ii). In 1996, the wording of criterion (ii) was revised to address the interchange of human values exhibited by cultural heritage properties. The main aim of this study was to discuss the changes that occurred to the application of criterion (ii) following the revision of its wording of 1996, particularly in relation to historic towns. The study also aimed at investigating the applicability of the revised version of criterion (ii) to the particularity of the cultural heritage of an Egyptian historic town and a potential World Heritage Site, which is “Historic quarters and monuments of Rosetta/Rachid”. To achieve these aims, a sample of World Heritage Sites, or potential ones, representing both the pre-1996 and the post-1996 historic towns whose Outstanding Universal Value was justified based on criterion (ii), was adopted for the analysis of the changes in the application of criterion (ii). Subsequently, a brief preview of the major features that represent the mutual influences experienced throughout Rosetta’s wider cultural context was carried out. The findings revealed that the prevalent trend in the post-1996 listings of historic towns is the emphasis on other cultures’ influences exerted on the concerned historic towns through interchanges of human values that take the form of exchanges of technical know-how, traditions and religious values. The findings also indicated the applicability of the revised version of criterion (ii) to the particularity of Rosetta’s cultural heritage. The study recommends inscribing Rosetta on the World Heritage List based on criterion (ii).


Author(s):  
R. Arif ◽  
K. Essa

Lahore is an ancient, culturally rich city amidst which are embedded two world heritage sites. The state of historic preservation in the country is impoverished with a dearth of training and poor documentation skills, thus these monuments are decaying and in dire need of attention. The Aga Khan Cultural Service - Pakistan is one of the first working in heritage conservation in the country. AKCSP is currently subjecting the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Mughal era Lahore Fort to an intensive and multi-faceted architectural documentation process. This is presented here as a case study to chart the evolution of documentation techniques and enunciate the spectrum of challenges faced in the documentation of an intricate Mughal heritage site for conservation in the Pakistani context.<br><br> 3D - laser scanning is used for the purpose of heritage conservation for the first time, and since has been utilised on heritage buildings and urban fabric in ongoing projects. These include Lahore Fort, Walled city of Lahore as well as the Baltit Fort, a project restored in the past, assisting in the maintenance of conserved buildings. The documentation team is currently discovering the full potential of this technology especially its use in heritage conservation simultaneously overcoming challenges faced. Moreover negotiating solutions to auto-generate 2D architectural drawings from the 3D pointcloud output. The historic architecture is juxtaposed with contemporary technology in a region where such a combination is rarely found. The goal is to continually develop the documentation methodologies whilst investigating other technologies in the future.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Hui Guo ◽  
Tian Guo ◽  
Kai-Miao Lin ◽  
Yu-Fai Leung ◽  
Qiu-Hua Chen

AbstractTourist congestion at hot spots has been a major management concern for UNESCO World Heritage Sites and other iconic protected areas. A growing number of heritage sites employ technologies, such as cameras and electronic ticket-checking systems, to monitor user levels, but data collected by these monitoring technologies are often under-utilize. In this study, we illustrated how to integrate data from hot spots by camera-captured monitoring and entrance counts to manage use levels at a World Heritage Site in southeastern China. 6,930 photos of a congestion hotspot (scenic outlook on a trail) were collected within the park at a 10-minute interval over 105 days from January to November 2017. The entrance counts were used to predict daily average and maximum use level at the hotspot Average use level at the congestion hotspot did not exceed the use limit mandated by the Chinese park administration agency. However, from 9:20 am to 12:00 pm, the use level at hotspots exceeded visitor preferred use level. Visitor use level was significantly higher at the hotspot during a major Chinese “golden week” holiday. The daily entrance counts significantly predicted the average and maximum use level at the hotspot. Based on our findings, we recommend that the number of visitors entering the gate on each day should be less than 28,764 for the hotspots to meet use level mandates, while less than 6,245 to meet visitor preference. The gap manifested the complexity in visitor capacity management at high-use World Heritage Sites and other protected areas and calls for innovative monitoring and management strategies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Abulhawa ◽  
Tricia Kummings ◽  
Selma Kassem

This Tabe’a III report addresses the status and trends in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in the Arab region during the period from 2015 to 2019. This review was conducted in the context of emerging global trends and priorities associated with the World Heritage Convention, as well as other related global natural heritage platforms and programmes. Tabe’a III documents progress made in the conservation of natural and mixed World Heritage sites in the Arab region, as well as providing an update on the state of conservation of natural sites. Additionally, special themes address key priorities which have emerged from heritage protection, conservation challenges and opportunities arising in the region. Finally, there is a summary update on the Arab States’ lists of possible candidate sites, known as Tentative Lists, with notes on their development since Tabe’a II.


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