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World Heritage 2002 Shared Legacy, Common Responsibility

ABSTRACT BOOKLET

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES: THE CHALLENGES OF CONSERVATION

FERRARA, from 11 to 12 November 2002

International Workshop On the occasion of the 3(f anniversary of the World Heritage Convention

Hosted by the Province of Ferrara and the City of Ferrara

Organized by the University of Ferrara and UNESCO's World Heritage Centre

In collaboration with I C C R O M , I C O M O S and I U C N

With the support of the Nordic World Heritage Foundation (NWHF)

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9

Prof. Carmen A N O N FELIU ICOMOS

49-51, m e de la Fédération erto Santa Maria 49

Madrid 28043 SPAIN

Tel. : 34 91 388 39 57 Fax : 34 91 300 34 27

E-mail : citerea@arrakis.es

Session on 11 November 2002 - 12:00- 12:30

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES: EVALUATING T H E INTERACTION B E T W E E N PEOPLE A N D N A T U R E

Landscape is the vehicle of our relation with Nature. Landscape is also a means of communication between m a n and nature, nature transformed in an aesthetic object or a 'temple of memories' that is possible by itself. Landscape is the direct consequence of the interaction between geography and m a n , w h o modelled it within a variety of cultural processes. W h e n a community with a specific culture shares the same values concerning landscape, the idea of it becomes a social construction. M a n presents landscape as a cultural symbol when it gets an ethic, aesthetic or historic sense through observation and understanding of the laws of nature. The continuous lecture and interpretation of the landscape gives the community the essential components of its identity.

After presenting the basic values of landscape, I will go into the analysis of the current situation. The quick identity transformations w e are undergoing today are due to the influence on us of different cultures and market demands, not to the -harmonious- relation with the landscape. In this sense, two theories can be distinguished: (1) our understanding of landscape is conditioned by our cultural and intellectual background; (2) there could be an ancestral feeling that relates us with the landscape that is independent from our personal education.

I would like to point out that our aesthetic and cultural feelings for Nature are quite a recent interpretation of it. In ancient times, place, nature and culture were all one. Today, when four fifths of humanity is living in city agglomerations, an unbalanced relation between m a n and nature is being configured through the creation of a n e w and unusual ecosystem. The 'development of nature' justifies the attempts to find a relation between the organization of social structures and physical infrastructures. The fast development of transport means and regional economic specialization has drastically transformed landscape as changes have been introduced to make land more profitable.

T o understand the cultural heritage of landscapes there is a need to study and interpret the symbols and transformations of it. There is a n e w consciousness surging about this, resulting from an identity crisis and the need to recover a local memory . Interest for the landscape is increasing at the same pace that the harmonious relation with it has been destroyed in modern times. A n e w dialogue between m a n and nature is needed to recover the landscape that was lost and to appreciate the landscape that is still there. In fact, landscape and nature are the same thing, and have always been there. H u m a n creativity has given it a name, and therefore it's fundamental to understand that Nature/Landscape cannot be separated from Culture.

A change of mentality is needed to recover the harmonious relation with the landscape. Far from designing landscapes, or bringing all concepts together under the term 'environment', margins of flexibility should be introduced that allow a certain degree of a spontaneous development of the landscape. Landscape cannot be seen as a m u s e u m . A s being an image of life, landscape continuously changes and is therefore unpredictable.

Prof. Mariolina B E S I O Università degli Studi di Genova

Dipartimento P O L I S Stradone S. Agostino 37

16123 Genova Fax: 010 209 58 22 besio(5),arch.unige.it

Session 11 November 2002

15:00-17:00 Round Table: Europe: a model region?

REMARKS ON THE PLANNING AND CONSERVATION OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, FROM THE CASE OF CINQUE TERRE

This paper discusses those cultural landscapes which are proof not only of a long-lasting and harmonious relationship between m a n and nature but also rural traditions going back centuries, both of which can today still play an important social and economic role in the life of local communities.

For those landscapes which satisfy these conditions some proposals have been made for their management and conservation. The case of the Cinque Terre is used as a starting point.

In order to understand a phenomenon which has roots in responses to practical problems solved by spontaneously-generated knowledge and abilities, this paper analyses the c o m m o n denominator linking the visible landscape to the invisible world of natural conditions, and knowledge in the area of building and construction techniques.

The c o m m o n denominator highlights the complex structure which associates the perspectives - nature, history, territory, landscape, economy, material culture, static structures - of various sciences and establishes relations between the general conformation, of the landscape viewed from a distance, and details of specific handmade articles.

Landscapes are observed using a metaphor that considers them as the result of a collective construction process, one which developed over centuries with the participation of the local community. The process has provided a c o m m o n identity both to the landscapes and to their inhabitants, which has modified both into a symbolic image. Economic factors have maintained the life of the community and its specific life style. Culture has determined the evaluation and the ways of using the environmental resources. Landscape forms and the behaviour of communities were in the past linked by means of a symbiotic process, the vitality of which guaranteed its survival.

Implicit projects are hidden within landscape images: the project of nature domestication (water and soil), and the project of the response of traditional daily culture to economic necessity.

The problem of conservation and the present management of these landscapes is approached in terms of h o w to respect the continuity of the implicit and hidden project. Consequently, any intervention must reconcile the future needs of the community with the conservation of its continuity with the past.

Management policies will aim at maintaining the vital relationship of symbiotic identity between landscape and community by putting into place projects which seek to establish new links, different from the traditional agricultural ties of the past, between m a n and the territory in which he lives.

Ms. Susan B U G G E Y University of Montreal

470 Laurier Avenue West, Suite/1002 Ottawa O N KIR 7 W 9

Canada Tel: 1-613-230-9144 Fax:1-613-230-8661

E-mail: susan.buggey@sympatico.ca

Session on 12 November 2002 15:00-15:45 Europe and North-America

PRESENTATION ON "CULTURAL LANDSCAPE M A N A G E M E N T CHALLENGES AND PROMISING N E W DIRECTIONS IN THE US AND CANADA"

Prepared by Nora Mitchell and Susan Buggey

Nora Mitchell, Conservation Study Institute 54 E l m Street, Woodstock,, Vermont 05091 U S A

Phone: 802 457-3368 x 17 Fax 802 457-3405 Email: Nora_Mitchell@nps.gov

Over the last decade, recognition of the heritage value of cultural landscapes has grown in the U . S . and Canada, as it has in m a n y other countries throughout the world1. While this concept dates to cultural geography in the 1920s, only recently have there been significant contributions from the fields of historic preservation, environmental history, conservation biology, and social science to the concept of cultural landscapes11. The contributions from these disciplines and the management experience of the last ten years have extended the range of this concept into n e w areas and created the opportunity for the development of some promising n e w directions in conservation.

Cultural landscape conservation in the U S and Canada covers the entire spectrum of the World Heritage Convention typology. This paper, however, focuses primarily on continuing and associative cultural landscapes and illustrates management challenges these types of landscapes present. These landscapes are often large in scale and involve multiple ownerships and traditional management systems. A s such, they require conservation strategies that are locally based and work across boundaries, respect cultural and religious traditions and historic roots, as well as ecological systems, and focus on sustainable economies.

Through case studies, this presentation will examine three key management challenges and describe some promising n e w initiatives in response to these challenges. (1) Integrating cultural diversity and intangible heritage: A case study from the eastern Arctic demonstrates that through cooperation of the inland Inuit with Parks Canada, the cultural meaning of this landscape was used to guide development of safeguards for the integrity of their traditional relationship to the land. (2) Engaging local people and communities in landscape stewardship that crosses political boundaries: The Blackstone National Heritage Corridor has successfully engaged local residents, 24 communities, and two states in developing a vision for the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of this nationally significant industrial landscape. (3) Protecting biological diversity and economic sustainability: The Nature Conservancy is working with ranchers to protect biological diversity and experiment with using the W e b to market "Conservation B e e f from conserved ranches in Colorado's Y a m p a Valley.

1 See, for example, National Park Service Advisory Board, National Parks for the 21s' Century (Washington, D . C . : National Geographic Society, 2001); Mechtild Rossler, "World Heritage Cultural Landscapes," The George Wright Forum vol. 17, no. 1 (2000): 27-34; Bernd von Droste, Harold Plachter, and Mechtild Rossler, eds, Cultural Landscapes of Universal Value: Components of a Global Strategy (Jena: Gustav Fischer Verlag,1995). u See, for example, Carl O . Sauer, "The Morphology of Landscape," in Land and Life: A Selection from the Writings of Carl Otwin Sauer, ed. John Leighly (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1963); Robert Melnick with Daniel Sponn and E m m a Jane Saxe, Cultural Landscapes: Rural Historic Districts in the National Park System (Washington, D . C . : U . S . Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1984); Cronon, William, ed. Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human

Place in Nature ( W . W . Norton & Co., N e w York and London, 1995); and Robert D . Putnam, Bowling Alone, the Collapse and Revival of American Community (New York: Simon& Schuster, 2000).

Mr. Graeme C A L M A Chairperson, Mutitjulu Community Council

Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park P. O . Box 53, Yulara

N O R T H E R N TERRITORY 0872 Tel:+61-8-8956-2034(Office)

Fax: +61-8-8956-3363(Office) Email: graeme.calma@ea.gov.au

Session 12 November 2002 11:30-12:15 Asia-Pacific

ASIA-PACIFIC LANDSCAPES WITH AN OUTLOOK ON INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION

Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park has been inscribed on the World Heritage List as a cultural landscape representing the combined works of nature and m a n and manifesting the interaction of humankind and its natural environment.

The landscape of Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park is largely the outcome of millennia of management using traditional Anangu methods governed by the Tjukurpa (the L a w ) . Anangu believe that country (including the Park landscape) was created at the beginning of time by ancestral beings (Tjukuritia), that Anangu are their direct descendants and that they have lived there ever since. Tjukurpa unites Anangu with each other and with the landscape. It embodies the principles of religion, philosophy and human behaviour that are to be observed in order to live harmoniously with one another and with the natural landscape.

All the people and organisations involved in looking after the National Park have obligations to consider Anangu and Piranpa (non-Aboriginal) L a w and interests. The Board of Management, which is made up by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members, sets policy directions for the Park. The responsibility of caring for the land is an essential part of Tjukurpa. Traditional owners have rights and responsibilities in relation to sites within the country, to other Anangu w h o are related to the land in the same way, and to ancestral beings with which the sites and tracks are associated. Caring for the land is also a responsibility with important obligations to current and future generations. This obligation is also shared by Parks Australia.

This presentation will consider h o w Anangu care for country and in so doing manage their land. It will consider the work of the indigenous Park staff that care for country as part of the work of the Cultural Heritage Unit. The presentation will also look at the Joint Management arrangement for the Park that is internationally recognised. Joint management demonstrates h o w Anangu and other Australians can work together, respect each other and achieve mutual goals. The presentation will also consider the changes that are being introduced in order to m a k e Joint Management even more effective within Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park.

Prof. Paolo CECCARELLI Facoltà di Archtettura Università di Ferrara

Tel. : 39 05 32 29 36 05 Fax : +39 05 32 29 36 55 E-mail: cec@dns.unife.it

Session 11 November 2002 10:00 Official Welcome, Representative of the University of Ferrara 10:30 Introduction to the workshop

Session 12 November 2002 10:30-11:15 Latin America/Caribbean

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION WITH LATIN AMERICA: THE CASE OF FERRARA UNIVERSITY

Since a few years the School of Architecture and Planning of Ferrara is involved in a program for improving university education in the field of conservation in Latin America. The program is specifically focussing on the conservation of cultural landscapes mostly made of clusters of small historic towns with their surrounding landscapes and of districts of historic and cultural values in bigger cities. The philosophy on which it is based emphasizes the relevance of heritage conservation in local development processes and the role it can play in sustainable development strategies. It implies major changes in the guidelines most of the curricula of the School of Architecture and Planning have.

The first project of this program led to the establishment of a 2-year postgraduate program centred on conservation in cooperation with the P U C of Parana, Curitiba. Participating students spend two terms in Brazil and two terms in Italy. The program is related with a research project on the conservation of small scale historic towns based on agriculture and fishing, and their related landscapes. The second project concerns the development of a Master in heritage management in Montevideo. The project that will be offered jointly with local universities is partially funded by the Italian cooperation. The Master is offered to civil servants in local governments of the Mercosur countries and Chile. The training program is related to a research project for the revitalization of the historic and cultural district of Montevideo. The third project is under development. It concerns postgraduate education in urban cultural landscapes conservation in Cuba. The education program is connected to a project for the conservation and rehabilitation of a large urban district in La Havana. Both the educational project and the conservation project will be partially funded by the Italian central government and regional governments.

Mr Munjeri DAWSON Deputy Permanent Delegate to U N E S C O

Embassy of Zimbabwe 12, rue Lord Byron

75008 Paris, F R A N C E Tel:+ 33-1-56881600 Fax: + 33-1-56881609

E-mail : ZIM.PARIS(ô>wanadoo.fr

Session on 12 November 2002 12:15-13:00 Africa

SMART PARTNERSHIPS: ISSUES OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPES IN AFRICA

The World Summit on Sustainable Development ( W S S D ) held in Johannesburg in August/September 2002 like its predecessor, the Rio de Janerio Summit of 1992 has placed the linkage between nature and humanity firmly in the context of "sustainable development". Invariably it is an issue of balancing an equation which on the one hand has humanity's material and spiritual needs ranging according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, from the basic physiological (food, shelter etc) to self actualization/egoistic needs. O n the other hand are the limitations of a planet whose resources (land, bio-diversity, climate etc) do not exist or operate on ad infinitum principles but on realities namely, they are not infinite. A s a consequence, in reality the level of human requirements from the earth's resources and the degree to which these can be met is inversely proportional to the quantum of the resources but this is a factor of the rate of extraction and utilization of those resources.

Cultural landscapes by their nature are an expression of the interactions between people and the natural environment, reflecting "specific techniques of sustainable land use considering the characteristics and limits of the natural environment" (1). They are by extension, a microcosm of the global picture that is presented via the Rio, Kyoto, Johannesburg summits etc. In both scenarios therefore there ought to be negotiated processes between humankind and nature as well as among humankind. For Africa at least that is a sine qua non. It is in Africa where "the principle of triple heritage operating in conditional relationships" is established. There is "the purely indigenous epoch of pantheism where there is no distinction between, creator, m a n and animals". They are equals because "the African belief systems did not assert monopoly of the soul to the human species alone" (2). A tree, a rock, a mountain, a water pool, a snake etc could have a respected in Africa cosmology.

The veracity of such an assertion is proved by the fact that to date all the African cultural landscapes on the U N E S C O World Heritage List viz: Sukur (Nigeria), Drakensburg/Ukhahlamba (South Africa), Tsodilo (Botswana), Kasubi T o m b s (Uganda) and the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga (Madagascar) have strong traditional and spiritual values [criterion (6) of cultural heritage, Operational Guidelines for implementation of the World Heritage Convention]. They have existed and continue to exist even in adverse conditions (urban pressures of Kampala in Uganda have failed to dent spiritual power of Kasubi). In living traditions and "ethno/eco-based societies" when that component is compromised, the whole cultural landscape disintegrates; because in cultural landscapes there can never be a sum of parts. The inscription of the Rice Terraces of the Philippines Cordilleras on the World Heritage in Danger List (2002) is testimony to that. The history of the Terraces has always been intertwined with that of its people, their culture, traditional practices entailing environmental management and agricultural systems that are in a smart partnership. The Hudhub chants of the Ifugao, the various gods, the family ties - all these sustained the cultural landscape for centuries. The gradual undermining of these values largely through foreign influences is reflected in the decline of the fabric of the cultural landscape thus fast tracking it into an orbit that m a y possibly lead it to oblivion.

Similarly, human relationships defined in hierarchical and lateral terms are quissential in the negotiated process. " T o w h o m it m a y concern", can never be equated with "it concerns them". In fact the nomenclature of " T H E M " and " W H O M " should never be part of such relationships because it establishes a deep chasm of T H E M / U S dichotomy which eventually transforms into anachronistic tensions that can undermine the cultural landscape.

Defined roles based on the traditional systems tend to sustain the cultural landscape more than foreign or imposed systems. The role of the Hidi (the symbolic wife of the cultural landscape) is the cornerstone of the survival of Sukur cultural landscape; similarly the clan system of the Ganda which articulates the role each clan plays in maintaining the Kasubi T o m b s is central to the survival of the Kasubi T o m b s cultural landscape.

Continuity of traditions and the systems that sustain them remains the key to African cultural landscapes, "there is nothing more timely today than the truth which is timeless, than the message that comes from tradition and is relevant to n o w because it has always been relevant. Such a message belongs to a n o w which has been, is and will ever be present" (3)

Lastly it is an issue of involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Primordially it begins with resident populations. The environment they operate in has to be conducive to meet the socio-cultural-economic needs. W h a t this entails is a partnership system founded on legislation, policies and practices that recognize that it is the resident populations that helped shape the cultural landscape and so, "the challenge is to blend a national perspective with the local and regional interest and political administrative structures" (4)

The 26 th session of the World Heritage Committee (June 2002) highlighted the importance of partnerships for the future of World Heritage; the Johannesburg Summit sees partnerships as central to sustainable development. The N e w Partnership for Development [ N E P A D ] the blue print for Africa's future says it all.

Cultural landscapes in Africa have evolved, have been and will continue to be sustained by a system of temporal and spiritual partnerships. For African cultural landscapes, the ad infinitum prospects exist.

Ms. Magueloime DÉJEANT-PONS Head of the Regional Planning and Technical Co-operation and Assistance

Division: Secretary of the European Landscape Convention D G I V - Council of Europe/ Conseil de l'Europe

F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex France Tel: 33 (0) 3 88 41 23 98 Fax: 33 (0)3 88 41 37 51

E-mail: E-mail: maguelonne.deieant-pons@coe.int

http://www.coe.fr http://www.nature.coe.int

Session on 11 November 2002 15:00-17:00 Round table: Europe: model region?

THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION

The main objectives of the Council of Europe are to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law and to seek c o m m o n solutions to the main problems facing European society today. The Organisation is active in environment protection and in promoting sustainable development in line with the Recommendation Rec (2002) 1 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to Members States on the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent, previously adopted by the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning ( C E M A T ) at Hanover on 8 September 2000. These seek to protect Europeans' quality of life and well-being taking into account landscape, cultural and natural values.

O n the basis of an initial draft prepared by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe ( C L R A E ) , the Committee of Ministers decided in 1999 to set up a select group of experts responsible for drafting a European Landscape Convention, under the aegis of the Cultural Heritage Committee and the Committee for the activities of the Council of Europe in the field of biological and landscape diversity. Pursuant to the work of this group of experts, in which the principal governmental and non-governmental international organisations participated, the Committee of Ministers adopted the final text of the Convention on 19 July 2000. The Convention was opened for signature in Florence, Italy on 20 October 2000 in the context of the Council of Europe Campaign "Europe, a c o m m o n heritage". A s at 7 November 2002, 24 States have signed it and five of them, Norway, Moldova, Ireland, Romania and Croatia has approved or ratified it. The Convention will come into force once it has been ratified by ten Signatory States.

The object of the Convention is to further the protection, management and planning of European landscapes, and to organise European co-operation for these purposes. Its scope is very extensive: the Convention applies to the entire territory of the Parties and relates to natural, urban and peri-urban areas, whether on land, water or sea. It therefore concerns not just remarkable landscapes but also ordinary everyday landscapes and blighted areas. Landscape is henceforth recognised irrespective of its exceptional value, since all forms of landscape are crucial to the quality of the citizens' environment and deserve to be considered in landscape policies. M a n y rural and urban fringe areas in particular are undergoing far-reaching transformations and must receive closer attention from the authorities and the public.

Given the breadth of scope, the active role of the citizens regarding perception and evaluation of landscapes is another essential point of the Convention. Awareness-raising is thus a key issue, in order that the citizens participate in the decision-making process, which affects the landscape dimension of the territory where they reside.

The Second Conference of Contracting and Signatories States will be organised on 28 and 29 November 2002 in Strasbourg.

Dr Joseph EBOREIME Deputy Director

Ministry of Culture and Tourism Plot 2018

Cotonou Crescent Wuse Zone 6

ABUJAPMB 171 Tel.: 00 234 9 52 308 23

Fax:00 234 52 382 54

Session 12 November 2002 12:15 -13:00 Africa

SUKUR CULTURAL LANDSCAPE (NIGERIA)

Situated in the Mandara Mountains, the site of Sukur is next to the frontier of Cameroon. It comprises a plateau dominating the hills which are characteristic of the Nigeriano-Camerooni area. Sukur was inhabited in ancient times and specialised in the production and dissemination of tools and firearms, in a continued manner, right up to 1960. At Sukur, craftsmen in iron work, rainmakers, and other inhabitants are associated in a pyramidal institution located in the granite palace of Hindi, the symbolic and collective w o m a n of the Sukur community. The construction of the Hindi Palace is attributed to giants assisted by shaman seers. Other than the palace, the site comprises conical stone enclosures for cattle, (to be fattened up for certain ceremonies), ovens for the production of iron, agricultural terraces forming a spectacular landscape including a number of spiritual elements (sacred trees, doors, tombs, etc.). The site unites a complex of elements of spiritual value such as the funeral monuments organised by caste (princes, blacksmiths, members of the 25 clans of Sukur) and dedicated to the periodic celebration of cycles of life and death, or the ceramic altars and chapels dedicated to the cult of guardian divinities of Sukur. The site of Sukur contains all the diversity and complexity of African cultural landscapes. This landscape unites associative, technological and agricultural characteristics which constitute the story of past and present day life of an entire community, over several centuries. The interest and the quality of this ensemble were the basis for the inscription on the World Heritage List by Nigeria in December 1999.

M r . F A I S A L Abu-Izzeddin P . O Box: 11-1024, Riad el Solh

Beirut, 11072070 Lebanon

Mobile: 9613 205 882 Tel/Fax: 9611 361662

E-mail: faisal consultant@hotmail.com

WADI QANNUBINE / LEBANON

Wadi Qannubine is foil of history and natural beauty where both humans and nature continue to take refuge. A visit to Qannubine is a religious pilgrimage and an outdoor experience that must be conserved and protected from any factor that threatens to spoil this uniquely Lebanese experience. Keep the valley quiet and clean. Keep cars away and stop the encroachment of ugly buildings on the mountain tops. Zone the area so visitors can enjoy then-day of hiking and provide simple picnic grounds with plenty of garbage containers. Even though these requirements are simple and very basic, yet very little is being done to save the valley from the impact of increased visitation.

Wadi Qannubine has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site and deserves more attention from the Lebanese Government and from the legal owners of the valley - the Maronite Church. A Steering Committee should be established to oversee the development of Wadi Qannubine that includes all the local municipalities surrounding the valley. There is a need for a management plan and an awareness campaign to highlight the importance of this unique cultural landscape.

Prof. Gaballa AU GABALLA Secretary-General

Supreme Council of Antiquities Ministry of Culture

2, Shagaret El Dur Street Cairo Egypt

Fax: +202 7950893 E-mail: gagaballa@hotmail.com

Session on 11 November 2002 (Chair) Session on 12 November 9:45-10:30:Arab region

INTRODUCTION TO THE ARAB REGION: DESERT LANDSCAPES IN THE ARAB REGION

The World Heritage Regional Thematic Expert Meeting on "Desert Landscapes and Oasis Systems in the Arab Region' organized by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the U N E S C O Cairo Office and the U N E S C O World Heritage Centre in 2001.

The Kharga meeting underlined that deserts comprise one fifth of the earth's surface, and contain important natural resources and are since millennia a source of spiritual wealth to humanity. Deserts play a role in the origins of the three monotheistic religious belief systems, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The Kharga meeting confirmed the relevance of the cultural landscape concept in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and highlighted the potential of desert landscapes for World Heritage listing. The participants noted that the category of organically evolved landscape is relevant for desert landscapes and oases. However, it was particularly pointed out that the fossil or relic landscape category has a great importance in the Sahara desert. Recent archaeological findings and excavations have indicated that civilizations originated in the deserts and not only in the productive river valleys.

Prof. Pietro L A U R E A N O Via Gradoni D u o m o 9/11

75100 Matera, Italy Tel.: 00 39 0835 331851

E-mail: ipogea(o),ipogea.org www.laureano.it

Session 12 November 2002 9:45-10:30 Arab region

OASES A N D O T H E R F O R M S OF LIVING CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

The main, defining environmental features of arid or desertified areas can be summarized as a lack or absence of meteoric and surface water, scares vegetation and lack of soil. In deserts, rocky surfaces look bare without the soil which has been dehydrated by the sun and crushed by thermal expansion and blown away by the wind because there are no trees to offer shelter. Plant cover is the result and the prior condition for the existence oftopsoil. Seeds can put down roots in the soil

and derive sustenance from it. For their part, plants protect the humus and ensure that it is constantly regenerated thanks to dry cast-off plants. Desert surfaces which are bare of vegetation are exposed to the harsh atmospheric agents, to the brutality of erosion which crushes the rocks and produces sand. All of this in turn reinforces the erosion factors and worsens the drought in that hard silicon particles are blown away by the wind, thereby becoming an abrasive force which can destroy even the hardest of rocks. Sand contributes to the disappearance of running surface water by settling in and filling up river beds, thus forcing the water to change its course and to become stagnant over vast surface areas where the water can evaporate or seep below ground. Where there is no shade, exposure to the sun can create high temperatures which act like a pump and suction up the moisture from underground strata. The outcoming water carries a salt load and when it evaporates it leaches salt into the soil, sterlizing it and killing vegetation. It is a closed circuit: soil, water and vegetation are interconnected in such a close way that the absence of any one factor can cause the absence of another factor with a multiplying effect. Once the cycle of desertification has begun it continues speeding up.

These general trends can be interrupted in given specific situations which create environmental niches and microenvironments which run counter to the overall cycle. A shallow depression collects moisture, a rock casts a shadow, a seed thrives. In this way , positive feedback begins: the plant generates its o w n protection against the sun rays, it concentrates water vapour, attracts insects which will produce biological material, it creates the soil which will then nourish it. Thus, a biological system is produced which uses other organisms making their o w n contribution. A symbiosis is set up, a microcosmos is created as the result of co-existence.

The peoples inhabiting the Sahara use these processes to create the cultural landscape of the oases. Often, the origin of an oasis was a simple palm tree planted in a shallow depression in the soil and surrounded by dead branches protecting it from the sand. Over time, vast cultivated stretches grew along terraced canyons or else green archipelagos rose up from the sand dunes thanks to diversified and complex water production techniques, land organization and the creation of a microclimate. Though on entirely different scales, the same principle, the oasis effect applies: a virtuous cycle is established which can run itself and regenerate itself.

These techniques are typical of settlements in the deserts of the Sahara and Arabia and are widespread throughout the Near East and on Mediterranean islands and peninsulas and in a number of geographical areas. The features they share are fragmentation and geomorphological harshness, arid climates and unusual humidity conditions. Thus, what w e have is an enormous and quite varied reality of oasis systems which are autopoietic and self-sustaining in a gamut of conditions: adobe oasis cities such as those along the dry river beds in Y e m e n which use the inhabitants' organic waste to fertilize the sterile sand and render the sand suitable for use in bold architectural designs; stone oases which from prehistorical times onwards have been dug out of the tufa stone of the Sassi of Matera and in the Gravine and L a m e of Apulia where the water necessary for survival is condensed in the caves and on the adobe constructions; religious oases carved out of the erosion valleys in Cappadocia, in Palestine, in Thebaid and in Ethiopia organized in the form of hermitages and walled gardens irrigated by drainage tunnels, cisterns and ditches; sea oases spread throughout the arid islands of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and supplied by air-borne sources of water; and even oases of humid forests where due to the special karst environments no surface water courses can form, which makes the settlements completely dependent upon meteoric water collection and conservation, such as the chultun in Yucutan, Mexico.

Thus a wider oasis model takes shape. It includes those types of h u m a n settlements which are able to create conditions hospitable to life in adverse situations, thanks to appropriate use of local resources and strong community links. They are cultural systems in which all elements are tightly connected and in particular, technique, symbolism and aesthetics cannot be separated.

The relationship between the individual and the world sets up a pact between culture and nature; the symbol and the tradition are witnesses and guardians of this pact which ensures the maintenance of universal harmony. It is in this solid relationship, that m a n can find consolation to his precarious existence, and the environment becomes holy which is necessary for its safeguard and protection. The strict link between actions and nature's harmony imposes a set of forbiddances, bonds and prescriptions since even the simplest actions can contribute to the maintenance of universal balance. Therefore, in the oasis the constant relationship between microcosm and macrocosm is not a metaphysical idea but it is an ethical principle based on specific material needs.

Mrs. Jane L E N N O N Adjunct Professor

Cultural Heritage Studies Centre Deakin University

11 Joynt Street, Hamilton 4007 Queensland, A U S T R A L I A

Tel: + 61-7-3862 4284 Fax: + 61-7-3262 7470

E-mail: jlennon@petrie.starway.net.au

Session on 2 November 2002 11:30-12:15 Asia-Pacific

M a n a g e m e n t of World Heritage Cultural Landscapes

In the last 10 years, 33 cultural landscapes have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. These cover designed landscapes like the gardens of Villa d'Esté, relict landscapes like Blaenavon, associative landscapes like Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Tongariro, and continuing landscapes which cover the most number of inscribed landscapes, especially those involved with agriculture, viticulture, forestry, pastoralism and their associated settlements.

The primary responsibility in management is to conserve and protect the outstanding universal values for which the landscape was inscribed. But the key management issue is h o w to sustain these landscapes while allowing continuing use to local communities w h o are dependent on them for a livelihood.

Wha t are the limits of acceptable change in these landscapes? A n d , h o w can that change be managed?

A management plan should detail the outstanding universal values as well as other values in the inscribed landscape and the policies chosen to conserve those values. The plan should also contain a framework for defining the management priorities, developing management strategies, implementing these and monitoring their impact.

However, some issues stand out as particularly important in managing cultural landscapes and require specific policies for retention of heritage values derived from understanding their significance. The following issues can be expected to occur in the management of m a n y World Heritage landscapes, though they will vary in detail and application depending on the category of cultural landscape and the social and economic environment of the place:. 1. Lack of awareness of and general education about World Heritage values in cultural landscapes and their

value to society. 2 . Need for site specific training for those working in World Heritage cultural landscapes to ensure that all the values of the places are managed sensitively. 3. Using farming and forestry policies to define what changes can be permitted in the landscape while still

maintaining their outstanding universal values, and what techniques can be used to ensure this. 4. Managing tourism to ensure continuing visitor access to and appreciation of the landscape. 5. Finding the resources, including 'user pays' concepts and other external income, to ensure economic viability

of operations to maintain the values of the cultural landscape. 6. Developing landscape conservation treatments and new techniques for managing essential components in the

designated landscape and allowing the insertion of new built elements. 7. Coping with impacts caused by threatening processes and events or developments external to the site

affecting or threatening the integrity of the designated cultural landscape. 8. Supporting communities which maintain heritage values within the cultural landscape especially where the

associative values of the landscape reside with those communities.

These issues recur in landscape development and change, in identifying threatened, valued landscapes, in determining acceptable levels of intervention, and managing old landscapes and making n e w ones. They occur world wide as recent phenomena and must be addressed by World Heritage cultural landscape managers.

Mrs . Katri LISITZIN ICCROM

Via di Michèle 13 1-00153 Rome,

ITALY Tel: 39 06 58 55 31

Fax: 39 06 58 55 33 49 Katri.Lisitzin(aUpul.slu.se

Session 11 November 2002 11:40 Territorial management

INTEGRATED CONSERVATION OF TERRITORIES & LANDSCAPES OF HERITAGE VALUE

Landscapes are complex and dynamic systems and an arena where human activities are in constant change. The aim of conservation is to manage the cultural values. H o w are the values linked to other concerns, to intervention strategies, to social changes? Cultural meaning concerns the feeling of belonging and recognition in relation to the place. Successful integration of heritage in decision-making and its implementation in practice requires both reliable arguments to m a k e the cultural values relevant and legitimate, as well as innovative forms of communication in order to gain interest and understanding among other stakeholders involved in the process. This is an area which is subject to a multiplicity of meanings and which is frequently contested. These values are not static, they are identified and consolidated during the each process of change and in a dialogue with the community. Without this process of interpretation the heritage is without a message.

I C C R O M is an international intergovernmental organisation created during the 1956 General Conference of U N E S C O to provide leadership in developing training for the then n e w field of cultural heritage conservation. While initially meeting training needs through a number of pioneering basic training courses offered in R o m e , I C C R O M ' s broad capacity building objectives are n o w addressed through a range of strategically developed research, training and information exchange programmes at both international and regional levels. I C C R O M also works closely with the World Heritage Committee, having been named in the Convention as a one of the two Advisory Bodies for cultural heritage; this status has allowed I C C R O M to remain closely involved with the cultural landscapes framework developed by the Committee over the last 10 years.

While a concern for the management of historic centres and landscapes has been a component of I C C R O M courses going back to the 60s, I C C R O M ' s I T U C (Integrated Territorial and Urban Conservation) Programme was created in 1995 to focus specifically on the improvement of the integration of concern for cultural heritage in the sustainable planning, management and development of both urban and rural settlements. The territorial component of the Programme addresses a wide range of issues, among them the interaction between cities and their territory, strategies in the development of living landscapes, and site management in designed and fossil landscapes. The focus is on sustainable management of heritage values in landscapes in the context of the diversity of cultures and traditional practices present in the world.

I C C R O M is addressing efforts to improve management in this area through a number of complementary research and training activities. O n N o v . 18, 2002, in R o m e , I C C R O M will begin a month long training course for 18 international experts in the field, the first such training activity organised by I C C R O M exclusively devoted to cultural landscapes. I C C R O M hopes to m a k e available the curriculum development lessons gained in that course after testing and refinement to all interested training institutions and agencies. The issues to be addressed in the course include the

• relationship of people and place over time, with traditional land uses • recognition of the changes in the perception of landscape values • the interaction of nature and culture taking specific notice of the conceptual differences in these

relations in different cultures and contexts • involvement of m a n y disciplines in integrating various management systems • connection with supporting society's needs • complexity of ownership and multiple jurisdictions

I C C R O M is looking for opportunities with its m a n y international, regional and national partners to continue to strengthen efforts to test landscape management curriculum materials and to m o v e proven approaches toward greater understanding, acceptance and fruitful application world round.

Dr. Carla M A U R A N O Director

International Centre for Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes Via Selva 7

A G R O P O L I 84043 Italy

E-mail: cmaurano@tiscalinet.it

Session 12 November 2002 9:45-10:30 Arab Reion

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

During the past years, the Southern Mediterranean has witnessed a process of ever growing cooperation between important aspects of its life. This cooperation is not based simply on help given from the richer countries to the poorer ones, but on the aggregation of projects, the elaboration of methodologies, on proposals for bettering the building capacity in the management sector, the collaboration of experts, etc. which has stirred the c o m m o n interest both of the experts in the field of conservation, management and development, and of the more illuminated sectors of the political administration. W e could call it a convergence of interests among people w h o claim a c o m m o n Mediterranean identity, but w h o have, at the same time, a need to establish their cultural differences and to maintain their individual rapport with their environment while safeguarding their traditional bond with the natural resources (water, earth, etc), with the urbanized areas and with their verbal and intangible heritage.

This latter aspect takes on a particular interest, considering the fact that only populations w h o are aware of the value of their culture and their tangible and intangible heritage can hope to escape the risks of globalization and be capable of imposing compatible and lasting changes in their development through a dynamic preservation of the models used for centuries in the management of their territory.

It would be useless to deny that w e are faced with a great challenge which goes against the imposing models of the great dams, intensive farming and the homologation of the models of development, an ancient and different reality. A n experimented reality, made up of ganhats and the creation of oases, of agricultural production derived from seeds selected in correspondence with the microclimate and the type of earth and not based on the genetic modifications of the multinationals; of thermal conditioning systems for homes obtained with the use of traditional materials and techniques (domes, ventilation towers) and not with the application of air conditioning units. A reality characterized by authentic forms of craftsmanship, artistic expression and traditional know-how. A reality in which the phenomenon of tourism, today one of the most disruptive elements of the local cultural aspects, of disconnection from the form of the landscape and of the unbalance in the traditional use of the resources, m a y be guided, channelled into a different direction, and considered not as an answer to poverty and underdevelopment, but as one of the many factors which can contribute to maintaining the cultural identity and enriching the landscape and its heritage.

O n 7 t h and 8 th November, immediately before the Ferrara meeting, there will be a Meeting in Paestum (Salerno, Italy) between experts from Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia on the question of integrated management of the tangible and intangible Heritage of the sites. Under discussion, obviously, will also be the new perspectives and the new job possibilities in some priority sectors such as training for the managers of cultural landscape sites, the setting up of new mechanisms to facilitate contacts and exchanges between specialized personnel from the Arabic countries and Italy, the creation of structures where the site managers can come into contact with the international tourist industry, etc.

The final results and the new proposals which emerge from the Paestum Meeting will be s u m m e d up for the participants of the Ferrara workshop, with a very short report on h o w much has been done by the Salerno Province to facilitate relations with the Arab States through the International Centre for Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes, and with a note on the recent agreements made by the Ministry of Environment with the North African realities which also include the landscape question.

Dr. Makoto M O T O N A K A Chief Senior Specialist for Cultural Properties

Monuments and Sites Division Cultural Properties Department

Agency for Cultural Affairs 3-3-2, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku

T O K Y O 100-0013 Tel: 00 81-3-3581-1726(Office) Fax: 0081-3-359 l-0293(Office) Email: motonaka^bunka.go.jp

Session on 12 November 2002

11:30-12:15 Asia-Pacific cultural landscapes

CONSERVATION OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPES IN ASIA A N D T H E PACIFIC REGION:

Introduction Terraced rice fields and sacred mountains are the two major landscape resources that represent the cultural landscapes in the Asia and Pacific Region. The former has been formed in close association with rice-growing agricultural practices prevalent in the region; the latter has been developed in close connection with religious practices unique to the region, including Buddhism, Shitoism and Taoism. This report summarizes the measures which are being implemented for the conservation of these cultural landscapes in Japan.

1. Conservation of Terraced Rice Fields Rice has been the staple food since ancient times in most places in Asia. Agricultural practices for rice growing have been playing a significant role in the formation of cultural landscapes in the area and rice fields have always been the central element of the unique landscapes. The typical examples of such landscapes can be seen in mountain areas, where terraced rice fields have been developed impressively on steep slopes. In 1995, Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras was inscribed on the World Heritage List as the first cultural landscape associated with rice agriculture. The Government of Philippine proposed a combination of measures for conservation and utilization so that the cultural traditions inherited from the ancient generations would be passed on to future generations while at the same time local economy could be stimulated through tourism activities. However, those measures were not effective enough to stop steady and gradual changes in environment from degrading the cultural value of the property to the extent that the site had to be included in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2001.

2. Conservation of Sacred Mountains In the Asia and Pacific Region, there are many sites of cultural landscapes that have been formed in close association with indigenous religions or beliefs such as Buddhism, Taoism and Shintoism. It should be noted that mountains play a significant role in those landscapes as the subject of prayer or reverence. For instance, in China, M t . Taishan, M t . Huangshan, M t . Emei , and M t . W u y i were inscribed as mixed sites and M t . Lushan was inscribed as a cultural landscape; Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia and Tongariro National Park in N e w Zealand were inscribed both as mixed sites and cultural landscapes. This kind of cultural landscape characterized by its association with sacred mountains is unique to the Asia and Pacific Region and covers a wide range of elements overlapping both cultural and natural properties or tangible and intangible factors. It was in light of this complexity that the Government of Japan and the U N E S C O ' s World Heritage Centre jointly organized an expert meeting at Wakayama City, Japan in 2001 and worked out definition of such cultural landscapes, criteria for evaluation and guidelines for adequate conservation and utilization.

3. Conservation Measures for Cultural Landscapes in Japan The Government of Japan has been implementing conservation of cultural landscapes in two directions. The one is the designation of the relevant land, landscape or its components as one of the several types of cultural property under the domestic law. To be specific, sacred mountains with historic or academic values are to be designated as Historic Sites; mountains or terraced rice fields with artistic or scenic values are to be designated as

Places of Scenic Beauty; and if the mountain in question is not only a subject of prayer but also h o m e to animals, plants or geologic specimens of high academic value, those animals etc. can be designated as Natural Monuments. O n the other hand, buildings and other human-made structures such as shrines or temples in the sacred mountains and works of craftsmanship of high historic/artistic value such as statues of Buddha are to be protected as Tangible Cultural Properties whereas various forms of local customs or folk art that have been inherited for ages can be protected as Tangible or Intangible Fork-Cultural Properties, as appropriate, as essential source of information as to the development of relevant agricultural or religious lifestyles and practices. The conservation of cultural values of sacred mountains or rice field landscapes is the responsibility of the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japanese Government and local government organizations (Board of Education). The other approach to the conservation of cultural landscapes is through legal instruments originally developed for the protection of the natural environment. For instance, some cultural landscapes are under protection as part of natural parks (national parks etc.) with the aims of protecting mountains as outstanding places of scenic beauty and enhancing the use of the area for health and recreation purposes. Similarly some cultural landscapes are protected in Natural Environment Conservation Areas under the Nature Conservation L a w or in Reserved Forests under the Forest L a w , which aims to control forestry activities in an adequate manner. These measures for natural environment protection are the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, and the local governments concerned.

4. Japanese Cultural Landscapes Inscribed on the W o r l d Heritage List All of the Japanese cultural landscapes that have been inscribed on the World Heritage List as cultural sites have relevance with sacred mountains. T o be specific, Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (inscribed in 1996), Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Forest, which was part of the Historic M o n u m e n t s of Ancient Nara (inscribed in 1998), the Shrines and Temples of Nikko (inscribed in 1999), and Sefa Utaki, included in the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the K i n g d o m of R y u k y u (inscribed in 2000) are the four Japanese Cultural World Heritage sites containing cultural landscapes. In addition, Yakushima, which is a Japanese Natural World Heritage site inscribed in 1993, also contains an element of sacred mountains, which is exhibited inter alia by the ancient forest of Japanese cedars.

O n the other hand, two landscapes characterized by terraced rice fields are protected under the national law as Places of Scenic Beauty, although they have not yet been nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List. O n e of them is called "Obasute " (also known as "Tagoto no Tsuki "); images of the m o o n reflected on the terraced rice fields have been influencing and inspiring m a n y a poet for generations. The other is "Shiroyone no Semmaida ", which is famous for its exceptional scenic beauty exhibited by small patches of terraced rice fields extending along the seashore. In 2000, discussion started about the appropriate ways to conserve and utilize the cultural landscapes related to agricultural activities, forestry or fishery activities. It was these two sites of terraced rice fields that were chosen for the initiation of the discussion.

Mr. Elias J MUJICA Deputy Coordinator

Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecorregion ( C O N D E S A N ) &

Deputy Director

Andean Institute for Archaeological Research ( I N D E A ) A v . La Universidad 795, La Molina

P . O . Box 1558, Lima 12, P E R U Tel: 00 511 349 60 17 Fax: 00 511 349 56 38

E-mail : e.mujica@cgiar.org

Session 12 November 2002 10:30-11:15 Latin America/Caribbean

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES AND THE CHALLENGES OF CONSERVATION IN SOUTH AMERICA

Although some South American World Heritage Sites as Machu Picchu comprises significant cultural landscapes, and others as the Nasca Lines can be considered as "the most dramatic relict cultural landscape of all on the World Heritage List", according to Henry Cleere (Expert workshop "Management Guidelines for Cultural Landscapes", Banska Stiavnica, the Solovak Republik, 1 to 4 June 1999), until today South American cultural landscapes are not represented in the World Heritage List.

In the first part of m y presentation potential cases, identified in the "Regional Thematic Meeting on Cultural Landscapes in the Andes " (Arequipa/Chivay, Peru, M a y 1998) will be presented.

In the second part, key issues related to cultural landscapes and the challenge of conservation from a South American perspective, will be underline. In terms of the categories of cultural landscapes, issues as W h e n does a natural landscape become a cultural landscape? and the transformation of a relict landscape into one dynamic, and vice versa; will be address.

In terms of cultural landscapes and sustainable development, three main issues will be discuss: a) Sustainability of the cultural landscape, b) Cultural landscapes and conservation of the biodiversity, and c) Cultural landscapes, technologies, and productivity.

The subject of the integrity / authenticity is considered of transcendental importance in the context of the Global Strategy. With regard to this, the following points will be discussed: the Vision of the space and the scale; Authenticity and values; and the interdisciplinary perspective of the cultural landscapes.

Given the innate characteristics of the cultural landscapes, and their evident fragility being nonrenewable and easily eroded resources, the issue of the management is of first order. The following issues will be highlighted: a) Cultural landscapes and identity; b) Comprehensive management of the cultural landscapes: the role of the governments at their different levels; c) Cultural landscapes and community participation; and d) tourism and cultural landscapes.

In most of the South American countries, the interrelationship between m a n and nature has remained printed in physical evidence, either as relict landscapes of this historical process or continuing landscapes with an active role in the current society. More over, many of the cultural landscapes of the region, as those that evidence soil and water management and whose adequate recovery implies a current solution to the limitations of the productivity, represent not only achievements of the past but also real possibilities for the sustainable development of the indigenous communities of today. Others, as those associative landscapes that conserve intangible values of profound roots, permit the survival of the identity of many peoples.

Dr. Albert M U M M A Faculty of L a w

University of Nairobi KENYA

Tel: 00 254 (2) 25 37 10 Fax: 00 254 (2) 21 1192

E-mail: amumma@arcc.or .ke

Session on 12 November 2002 16:00-17:00 A dialogue on legal protection of cultural landscapes

LEGAL PROVISIONS FOR CULTURAL LANDSCAPES PROTECTION

The protection of cultural landscapes poses challenges to the legal system of any country. Cultural landscapes are a manifestation of the interface between natural and cultural phenomena. The protection of cultural landscapes, of necessity, is an interactive and dynamic process, combining as it does the imperative to preserve natural phenomena of significance in its "natura?' state, and the equally compelling, and apparently contradictory imperative to alter natural phenomena in response to the aspirations and needs of the communities living in the cultural landscapes in question. Since the Rio Conference of Environment and Development, resort has been had to the theory of sustainable development as the philosophical underpinning of an environmental management model capable of reconciling the development and landscapes protection imperatives.

Legal mechanisms for cultural landscapes protection encompass traditional and present day protective mechanisms. Setting the stage are laws relating to physical planning. These provide the basis for anticipating and controlling the nature and pace of development activity. To highlight issues of significance, meriting special protection, environmental impact assessment has been adopted in most jurisdictions. Traditionally focusing only on physical phenomena, EIA has in more recent times been expanded to take into account cultural, and other phenomena.

M a n y countries have also developed specific legislation for the management of biological diversity, specifically wildlife (both animals and plants). Prior to the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992, these laws tended to dwell on the creation of protected areas: protected, that is, from the local communities. Essentially the laws created and reinforced a dichotomy between nature and culture, and misunderstood the vital protective role of culture in landscapes management. Recent trends however have been towards a reintegration of nature and culture, of communities and landscapes, calling into question m a n y decades of protected areas legislation.

Cultural landscapes has led to a re-evaluation of the relationship between nature and culture. It is appreciated increasingly that the protection of cultural landscapes requires dealing with fundamental issues of governance, development, and cultural integrity. A sustainable management of cultural landscapes calls for a re-evaluation of the relationship between communities and local laws, on the one hand, and the state and state laws, on the other. It calls for a re-examination of the ownership of natural resources, including cultural landscapes; the definition of community; community leadership; community perceptions of the future, and community evolution and change in present day times. This paper will argue that only a legally pluralistic system of law can meet the imperative of cultural landscapes protection.

Mrs. Katarina N O V A K O V A Head of Sectorial Aid Coordinator

Ministry of Environment Namestie L . Stura 1

812 35 Bratislava Slovakia

E-mail: novakova.katarina@enviro.gov sk

Session 11 November 2002 15:00-17:00 Round Table: Europe: a model region?

Ms. Meryl OLIVER Heritage Consultant

16ViaFCasini/4 00153 R o m a , Italy

Tel: 39-06-5810493 E-mail : mj.oliver@tin.it

Session on 12 November 2002 15:00-15:45 Europe and North-America

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION EXPERIENCES IN CANADA

This paper will reflect on the development of cultural landscape conservation in Canada over the last decade. Essentially it will focus on three areas:

1. A review of the issues raised during a meeting held in Montreal Canada in M a y 1993. Participants came from both the public and private sector in North America and around the world. They brought with them a range of issues, from the landscape conservation of a 5th century Sri-Lankan archaeological site, to a call for an inventory system of heritage landscapes in rural south-western Ontario, Canada. These issues resulted in the adoption of the Montreal Declaration that summarized professional concerns at that time.

2 . A discussion of selected Canadian initiatives in cultural landscape including the Heritage Regions programme of the Heritage Canada Foundation.

3. A discussion of the key results emerging from a mid-1990s cultural landscape study of Canada's Rideau Canal Corridor. The 200-kilometre corridor is a cultural landscape considered to have potential value as a World Heritage nomination. The study exposed several interesting issues including the need for a methodology to develop a shared vision among the Corridor's multiple stakeholders (a variety of private and public owners). A second issue emerging from the study was the need for an assessment system designed to identify and describe the qualities of the cultural landscape that could be understood by both property owners and administrators.

Prof. Adrian P H I L L I P S Senior Advisor on World Heritage

IUCN 2 The Old Rectory

Dumbleton Nr. Evesham Gloucestershire W R 1 1 6TG

UNITED K I N G D O M Tel/fax: 00 44 1 386 88 20 94

E-Mail: adrianp@wcpa.demon.co.uk

Session on 11 November 2002 - 12:30 -13:00

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES - AND IUCN'S CHANGING VISION OF PROTECTED AREAS

Background: I U C N played an important role in the development of the principles of Cultural Landscapes under the World Heritage Convention, and has been closely involved as a partner with I C O M O S in the realisation of this type of World Heritage site since 1992. Though the Convention as a whole is 30 years old, Cultural Landscapes have only been around for 10, so experience is as yet rather limited. Nonetheless, it is clear already that there are a number of close links between I U C N ' s developing thinking on protected areas and the way that the World Heritage Convention has embraced the idea of Cultural Landscapes.

Changing vision of protected areas: The concept of protected areas as promoted by I U C N has changed over the years. The traditional appeal was to the protection of scenery and wildlife against human impacts, primarily achieved through the familiar model of natural or near natural areas "set aside" from human exploitation (other than for regulated visitation), and owned and managed by the State. But in recent years, a new paradigm for protected area has emerged. The aims of protected areas have broadened out, and the means by which they are achieved have become much more diverse. Although the need for strict protection of certain areas is greater than ever, many long-established views about protected areas have been stood on their head. The 1994 Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories, and other I U C N initiatives, all suggest a much broader vision for protected areas - a vision that is likely to be confirmed at the next World Parks Congress, in Durban, South Africa, September 2003. The relevance of this to Cultural Landscapes is most marked under two of the three categories: organically evolved landscapes and associative landscapes.

Organically Evolving Cultural landscapes and Protected Landscapes: One element of this new vision is the growing interest within I U C N in a multi-purpose category of protected area: Protected Landscapes (or Category V in the I U C N system). These are lived-in, working landscapes with high natural and cultural values. This trend has developed in parallel - and has much in c o m m o n - with the interest taken by the World Heritage Committee in Cultural Landscapes. I U C N is about to publish Guidelines on the Management of Protected Landscapes, which is based on experience from many countries. The guidelines will set out the principles for the management of such areas, emphasising the links between social, economic and environmental objectives, and containing much practical advice based on experience. The relationship between I U C N ' s Protected Landscape category of protected area and Cultural Landscapes under the World Heritage Convention is close, but they represent rather different ideas. It is important that those responsible for World Heritage Cultural Landscapes and Protected Landscapes learn from each other's experience.

Associative Cultural Landscapes and Protected Areas: Another element in the new I U C N vision of protected areas is a better-informed appreciation of the important cultural and non-tangible values that are associated with many places around the world, including some which are essentially natural or near-natural. Here there is a close convergence with Associative Cultural Landscapes. Several former natural World Heritage sites have been re­classified as Cultural Landscapes of this kind. Again there would be mutual benefit if experience were exchanged between the managers of Cultural Landscapes and Protected Areas.

Implications for the Future: In terms of the Convention itself, the central importance of Cultural Landscapes is that they provide a bridge between the cultural and natural elements of the Convention. But they can play a wider role in future: as models of h o w to integrate natural and cultural considerations in site planning and management for replication in other protected areas, and indeed in the broader countryside beyond.

Prof. Michel PRIEUR Professor of environmental law,

University of Limoges ( C R I D E A U - C N R S - I N R A )

President of the International Center of Environmental Comparative L a w

Université de Limoge 32, rue Turgot

F-87000 Limoges E-mail : prieur@unilim. fr

Session 12 November 2002 16:00-17:00 A dialogue on legal protection of cultural landscapes.

THE LEGAL PROTECTION OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

- Cultural and material landscape and the law in Europe.

- The output of the European landscape convention (Firenze 20.10.2000) : the landscape contributes to

the formation of local cultures and that is a basic component of the European natural and cultural

heritage, contributing to h u m a n well-being and consolidation of the European identity.

1) The legal concept of cultural landscape

A - In international law

- UNESCO -IUCN - Council of Europe

B - In national law

C - In the European landscape convention

Art. 1-a "landscape means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action

and interaction of natural and/or h u m a n factors".

The convention covers natural, urban and peri-urban areas.

Each Party undertakes to recognize landscape in law as an essential component of people's

surroundings, an expression of the diversity of their fhared cultural and natural heritage.

2) T h e legal regime of cultural landscape

A - Identification and assessment T o analyse their characteristics and the forces and pressures transforming them, with the active

participation of the interested parties.

B - Instruments of protection and of m a n a g e m e n t

The function of the environmental impact assessment.

C - Instruments of information and participation Participation of the general public, local and regional authorities and experts.

Actions of training and education

Dr. Mechtüd RÖSSLER Chief, Europe &North America

U N E S C O World Heritage Centre 7, place de Fontenoy

75352 Paris 07 SP, France Tel: + 33-(0) 1 45 68 18 91 Fax: + 33 -(0) 1 45 68 55 70

e-mail: m.rossler@unesco.org

Session on 11 November 2002 10:45-11:00

"LINKING NATURE AND CULTURE"

The paper reviews the fundamental changes of the implementation of the World Heritage Convention between 1972 and 2002 from the origins of the Convention in the 1970s bringing together draft texts for the protection of the world's natural heritage and for cultural sites. This followed discussions for a "World Heritage Trust" to stimulate international cooperation to protect "the world's superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future of the entire world" and on cultural heritage by U N E S C O and I C O M O S drawing from the great international U N E S C O campaigns during the 1960s, namely to save A b u Simbel and Venice.

The Convention, adopted in 1972, integrated the "combined works of nature and m a n " in its Article 1. However, in 30 years of its implementation only 23 so-called mixed sites were inscribed on the U N E S C O World Heritage List. In 1992 the World Heritage Convention became the first international legal instrument to recognise and protect cultural landscapes. The World Heritage Committee at its 16th session adopted categories to guide their inclusion in the World Heritage List. The Committee acknowledged that cultural landscapes represent the "combined works of nature and of m a n " designated in Article 1 of the Convention. This decision was a milestone achievement in m a n y ways, as it embraces:

A recognition of the diversity of manifestations of the interaction between humankind and its natural environment; The introduction of the term "sustainability" into the Operational Guidelines via "specific techniques of sustainable land-use"; The acceptance of the living heritage of indigenous people The introduction of traditional management mechanisms into the Operational Guidelines The recognition of traditional forms of land-use The maintaining of biological diversity through cultural diversity A consideration of spiritual relationships to nature The opening of the Convention to other parts of the world (Caribbean, Pacific, Africa) Paved the way for the Global Strategy for a representative World Heritage List adopted in 1994

The presentation concludes with an outlook on the objectives of the workshop, namely to review the present situation of the cultural landscape concept, its application, its strength and weaknesses, as well as to guide the future implementation of the Convention at the interface between nature and culture.

Prof. D r . Onofre Alcántara S A U L Calle del Casco

N o . 20-401 Exhacienda de Enmedio Tlalnepantla,

Estado de México 54172 México

Fax : 00 52 5 382 43 32 E-mail : salu@prodigy.net.mx

Session on 2 November 2002 10:30-11:15 Latin America/Caribbean

THE M O R E C O M M O N MISTAKES IN THE USE AND M A N A G E M E N T OF THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPES IN MEXICO.

In Mexico there has been destruction of its cultural landscapes and its historical gardens, which has been done mistakenly, due to the lack evaluation of their historical, artistic and ecological values, despite the recent cultural growth on these subjects at international level.

In Mexico there are many mistakes in maintenance, management, use and other functions of landscapes and historical gardens; generally the trusteeship and conservation problems are caused by the lack of specific knowledge. The c o m m o n denominator is that in cultural landscapes and historical gardens organizational charts of management and maintenance do not exist; usually in charge is a person w h o claims to be a gardener and, according to their tastes, they upkeep the gardens, they replace and invigorates the historical vegetation. If the buildings have a min imum culture of the ordinary maintenance, in gardens its practically null.

The rehabilitation of a historical garden, by private initiative and some public institutions, has been reduced to a simple economic operation of the cloisters, orchards, and formal gardens; as events sponsored in historical sites.

The most c o m m o n and destructive cases, but luckily today less frequent; are where part of the land has been sold off the historical site as lots, that is to say, the deforestation or the destruction of the agricultural land annexed or of the part less conformed as architectonic, are used for the construction of homes, administrative or commercial centers, golf courses, sport center, between other.

Ms Lionella SCAZZOSI Architect and Professor of "Architectural Restoration" and "Landscape Architecture"

University Politécnico di Milano Corso Lodi, 78 20139 Milano

Tel: + 39 025692637 Fax: + 39 02 56 92 637

Mobile:+39 338 2597162 Politécnico Secretary: + 39 338 2597162

Lionella.scazzosi@tiscali.it

Observer's contribution

1) S o m e remarks on the concept of landscape The meaning of the term "landscape" is today broader and richer {European Landscape Convention,

2000; Krakow 2000 Charter, etc.) than that of a "view" or a "panorama", which has been characterizing many protection laws and national policies (Italy, France, etc.) until the mid-20 th century, and that of environment or nature, to which it has been often limited in some cultural areas (in particular Northern Europe areas) or in the recent years of environmentalist battles.

In the European countries' cultural policies and elaboration, there is a growing awareness (though with some contradictions) that landscape, environment, nature do no refer to different objects but to different concepts, that is different ways of reading, planning and governing (as if w e were using each time particular coloured spectacles) a single and broad object: the place where people live. A s a consequence, any place can be read for the cultural, natural and environmental significances and values it m a y always be conferred and for the particular problems it puts, although there m a y be differences from one place to another: that's w h y it doesn't m a k e sense, theoretically, to distinguish "culturaF landscapes (but also historic landscapes, anthropic landscapes, etc.) from "natural?'1 landscapes.

W h e n w e use the term landscape, w e stress the relation between the world and ourselves (as a window through which w e can look at the world with the eyes of our cultural tradition); at the same time, places reveal their physicality, as a large and complex manufact ("manu factus"), fruit of the indissoluble action of humans and nature, which has been built and transformed over the centuries; places appear to us as a document, full of the material and immaterial traces of history; a great archive opened to anyone willing and able to read it, to improve knowledge on humans ' culture, techniques and ways of live, but also on the nature, climate, vegetation, etc. of the past. They are a palimpsest, a single text weaving the evidences remaining from past eras in with those being left gradually by the present and which continually modify it; and not a mere stratification. They are an "open work", being continuously and inevitably transformed under the action of nature and humans w h o m a y act on it by adding, abandoning, erasing or even superimposing themselves but still always transforming (mainly through small, detailed but continuous actions), either physically or also finding merely a meaning to what has come to us. Not only are places a manufact (a term that stresses both materical and constructive aspects), they also are a work of architecture (a term that stresses the aspects of the formal and functional organisation of space).

The distinction between cultural landscapes and natural landscapes, introduced by culture, documents and practice, both at an international level ( U N E S C O , U I C N , etc.) and in the various Countries (natural parks, protected areas, protected landscapes, etc.), is the outcome of the protection policies on the quality of the places mainly committed to a "static" and selective defence of those parts of the territory whose characteristics are considered to be exceptional in comparison with the rest of it: although they are still valid for operational scopes, they are today under discussion in m a n y European Countries because of their limits (lack of efficiency in comparison with a "dynamic" type of protection that includes action programmes, incentives, supports, etc.) and because of the growing need to guarantee both a landscape quality and an environmental quality throughout the whole territory, including ordinary places. Frequently, in the so-called natural sites, traces left by human history are put aside or even willingly destroyed since they are considered to be in contrast with naturalistic values; vice versa, in the so-called cultural places, there is hardly no tolerance to naturalistic values that time m a y have set up and that stand as the most representative values of our present culture.

2) The knowledge as a key to protect, innovate and m a n a g e in a compatible w a y Today, elaborations and experimentations under w a y in most of the European Countries, either in

administrative or in research bodies, assess the inadequacy of theoretical and methodological instruments to

study, identify, describe and evaluate the landscape, in particular as to the historical/cultural and formal aspects, and their interaction with the naturalistic ones and the ecological/environmental problems (that enjoy reading and governance methodologies far more tested). It is agreed that the mere visual reading of places - still prevailing -should be surpassed and integrated with a historical knowledge: but the latter often just limit itself to read the events of great eras or definite geographic places; it hardly tries to find the traces, even the small ones, they left us. There are studies, although rare and not systematic, on the symbolic significances that m a y emerge from the cultural places of people, which are the sites of m e m o r y - true monumenta - even if they lack specific manufacts (places of battle, sites object of learned representations and descriptions, sites linked to religious significances, ceremonials, etc.). The method frequently used is that of the inventory, even detailed, of the historic manufacts laying on the territory (churches, castles, villas, settlements, gardens, ancient and industrial archaeology, etc.), updated with the latest enlargement of the notion of historical heritage (centuriations, historical trails, terracings, military manufacts, etc.), and sometimes taking into account even the context. Nevertheless, landscapes are not just a sum of objects, but are m a d e of what remain of the numerous spatial and functional systems: they aren't a set of points, areas (as to form a data bank), but a system of visual, symbolic, functional and other relations that link together the points, lines and areas and has to be understood and governed as a unity. The question of the unity of landscape has to be deepened and must surpass the conception that defines landscape as a puzzle of large homogeneous areas: these unities m a y sometimes be areas (for example, a rural settlement and its farms), some other times they m a y be networks of links between non contiguous elements (for example, systems of major and minor religious manufacts), or they m a y be a linear element (for example, historic streets and all their historic facilities manufacts); they m a y , from time to time, mingle or be superimposed, completely or partially, on a single territory.

There is a still growing demand for a minute work of knowledge and survey, in detail, of design, materials and building techniques for elements such as terracings, canalisations, rows and hedges, itineraries, etc. that use to structure entire landscapes: these are true historic archaeological manufacts, where need is to k n o w the traditional technical solutions (often not obsolete, but containing k n o w - h o w and valuable advice), and to re-use them together with the modern ones, adapting them to the present conditions of life and work, which greatly differ from the rural world, m a d e of h u m a n labour, that produced them but isn't thinkable anymore.

In m a n y parts of Europe, people are beginning to reflect upon a series of concepts such as conservation, restoration and specific landscape restoration; upon the difference between values such as a document (anything is a document) and a historic document (value for the collective m e m o r y ) ; upon the value of the permanency of the "antiquity" character of manufacts and sites (immediate legibility of the non contemporaneity of manufacts: historic material, historic substance, etc.); upon the values of wilderness and the naturalistic ones (biotops, geotops, etc.); upon terms such as authenticity, integrity, completeness, though knowing that landscapes are elements whose inevitable and continuous transformation is faster in comparison with a building or an urban centre. O n the contrary, the concepts of alteration, continuity, superposition, contrast/harmony, decontextualisation, compatibility, etc., refer to the problems of a fair relation between what is n e w and what already exists (either as to the formal architectural questions, or to those concerning the compatibility of the uses and re-uses, or even to those about enhancement), considered as fundamental in most of the contemporary international experimentations. The long and wide theoretical elaboration and the experimentation for the protection of historic urban centres and historic and monumental buildings stand as a significant reference.

In all landscapes, either "cultural" or "natural", either extraordinary, ordinary or decayed, either protected or non, w e need a global projectual approach able to recognize, respect and enhance all the traces inherited from the past through h u m a n works - be there naturalistic values or contemporary additions of quality - but w e also need to restore the decayed elements and add quality to all those parts that, such as the urban suburbs, haven't enjoyed any or, such as the areas of industrial agriculture, have lost it partially.

The presence of m a n y operators (farmers, technicians, companies, inhabitants, administrators, etc.) and the wideness of the issue require that the protection of its values and the governance of the changes should take place on a large scale, with equally wide awareness and consent either about the m a n y significances (historical, cultural, architectural, naturalistic, etc.) that people give to landscapes, or about their potential value as economic resource and as social and individual utility. The cognitive instruments not only aim at allowing governance decisions to be more aware, but also at communicating widely the values of the places and at educating people to respect them.

In regard to these issues, the landscapes protected by U N E S C O as "heritage of humanity", m a y represent today, in m a n y aspects and for m a n y Countries, substantial opportunities of theoretical and methodological elaboration and experimentation, although they are in an exceptional and privileged situation and stress the peculiarities and problems related to "great open m u s e u m s " as they are.

Prof. Arno Sighart S C H M I D IFLA Past President and Liaison Representative

THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS World Headquarters: IFLA, 4 rue Hardy,

RPno. 914, 78009 VERSAILLES C E D E X , France

E-mail : schmid-treiber-partner@t-online.de

Session 11 November 2002- 15 .00-17 .00 (Chair)

IFLA, THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

IFLA was founded in 1948 in Cambridge, England. IFLA is a democratic, non-profit, non-political, non­governmental organization representing landscape architects in more than 60 countries around the world.

IFLA is the umbrella organization of practically all nationally organized landscape architects around the world, and as such not only promotes the highest possible standards in the practice of landscape architecture, landscape planning and landscape management, including environmental planning, but also strives for better education in landscape architecture, through the international exchange of knowledge, skills and experience, especially in those countries where the profession is not well established as yet.

IFLA stands for a high quality in our built and natural environment, and by involving science, technology and the arts in a holistic approach, in co-operation with other planning and design professions, works towards a socially, culturally and environmentally sustainable development of our built-up areas, as well as a sound stewardship of our natural environment, paying respect to our planets diverse and vulnerable ecological systems.

IFLA is organized in three regions (East comprising Asia and Australia/New Zealand, Central representing Europe and Africa, and West including North, Central and South America), each with its o w n regional leadership, being led by a Vice President. O n the Global scale, the President (currently M s . Martha Fajardo of Bogotá, Colombia), Secretary-General (Dr. Diane Menzies of Christchurch, N e w Zealand) and Treasurer (Heiner Rodel of Lugano, Switzerland) are joined by Vice-Presidents of the three regions, James Hayter (Australia), Jeppe Anderson (Denmark) and Prof. James Taylor (Canada) to form the E X E C U T I V E C O M M I T T E E of IFLA. The highest legislative body of IFLA is the W O R L D C O U N C I L , in which each member has one vote.

Through its constitutional bodies, through international committees and task forces, IFLA has elaborated on m a n y important subjects, such as a professional code of ethics, regulations for the holding of international design and planning competitions, and relevant policy matters. B y holding conferences and seminars as well an annual World Congress, IFLA advances the exchange of scientific knowledge, technological expertise and cutting edge design around the world. O n e of the highlights and a powerful incentive for the young generation of landscape students is the IFLA / U N E S C O PRIZE IN L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E which is awarded annually in connection with the World Congress to the winner of a design competition open to all students of landscape architecture around the world.

Dr. Arno WEINMANN German Environmental Foudation

Deutsche Bundersstiftung Umwelt ( D B U ) Postfach 1705

49007 Osnabrück GERMANY

Tel: 0049 0541 96 33-0 Fax: 0049 541 9633 194

a.weinmann@dbu.de

Session on 12 November 2002 15:00-15:45: Europe and North-America

PROJECTS SAFEGUARDING THREATENED LANDSCAPES TN GERMANY AND EASTERN EUROPE

Management and preservation of the U N E S C O World Heritage Sites should be exemplary for the conservation of human cultural heritage altogether. The protection of cultural landscapes represents a special challenge because nature and culture, the growing and the static are interwoven. Cultural landscapes are not museum rooms - in a given frame they should be able to develop.

After a proposal from the Government the German Parliament decided to establish the D B U as a private legal foundation in 1990. Since its existence the D B U promotes projects that serve the conservation of cultural landscapes and that combine aspects of protecting both nature and cultural property. Although initially funds were only designated for support within Germany, for a few years projects in Eastern Europe have been possible to a limited extent. The focus of assistance has predominantly been on Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states.

As a private foundation the D B U also co-operates with N G O s and foundations abroad. International institutions like U N E S C O or World Bank as well as national bodies can be consulted. The following problems and tasks are considered as part of projects.

Training for craftsmen, restorers and conservators Example: In Fürst-Pückler-Park Muskau, which is partially on Polish, partially on German grounds, training courses will be offered to teach gardeners how to work in historic gardens and with original plants.

Protection of landscapes and tourism control Example: The project "Greenway Elbe" involves a Czech foundation and a German partner developing a concept to protect the greenbelt along the river Elbe, which includes measures such as building a cycle path.

Management Example: International courses, a concept was prepared with Giora Solar. Co-ordination of foundations in joint programmes Example: The Cultural Landscape Kuks in the Czech Republic.

Development of concepts to make old cultural landscapes visible Example: Cistercian monastery Heisterbach at the Rhine.

These projects should act as "best practice" examples to encourage imitation. They should also give

financial support w h e n no other w a y of funding is available. A n important aspect of all projects is

communication.

Prof. Adalberto V A L L E G A IGU - INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL UNION

University of Genoa Faculty of Architecture

Department Polis-Stradone 5 Agostino 37

16123 Genoa, Italy Tel.:+39 010 209 2828 Fax:+39 010 2095891

E-mail: a.valllega@iol.it http://www. igu-net. org

IGU, T H E INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL UNION

Role and objective The International Geographical Union, commonly referred to as I G U , is an international, non-governmental, non­profit scientific organization. It adheres to the International Council on Science (ICSU), and to the International Social Sciences Council (ISSC). Because of these affiliations it is included in the roster of the U N E S C O N G O s .

The purposes of the International Geographical Union are: • to promote the study of geographical problems; • to initiate and co-ordinate the geographical research requiring international co-operation and to promote its

scientific discussion and publication; • to provide for the participation of geographers in the work of relevant international organizations; • to facilitate the collection and diffusion of geographical data and documentation in and among all member

countries; • to promote meetings of the International Geographical Union, regional conferences between the International

Geographical Congresses, and other meetings in furtherance of the objectives of the Union; • to participate in any other appropriate form of international co-operation with the object of advancing the

study and application of geography; • to promote international standardization or compatibility of methods, nomenclature, and symbols employed

in geography.

The membership and organisation The membership of the I G U is formed by countries. At the present time 83 countries are affiliated to the I G U and their National Committees form the membership of the General Assembly. In addition to this full membership, there is a class of associate members, consisting of geographical national groups which have not yet acquired the prerogatives to be assumed as full members. Finally, in order to maximize the Union contacts with geographers throughout the world a class of corresponding members was established. These members m a y be either individuals or institutions.

The organisation of the I G U is based on the Executive Committee including 10 people (President, General Secretary and Treasurer, First Vice-president, Past-president, and 6 vice-presidents), and on research bodies.

The research bodies embrace 33 Commissions, appointed to the development of research on specific subject arena, embracing physical geography and human geography. A n increasing number of these bodies are involved in investigations integrating the physical and human perspectives.

Since the 1998, the I G U has been establishing also Task Forces, meant as bodies focusing on an issue of emerging scientific and social interest, which requires an extended collaboration to be established between the I G U and external non-governmental organisations, such as other unions of I C S U , or governmental organisations, such as U N organisations and programmes. The first Task Forces was "Oceans 21", established in 1988 in collaboration with the Intergovernmental Océanographie Commission of U N E S C O in the framework of the International Year of the Oceans with the aim of implementing inter-disciplinary investigations on integrated coastal management. The role ofthat Task Forces ended to the design of the "Oceans 21" programme, which is n o w in operation. At the present time, the Megacities and the Natural Disasters are in operation.

In 2002 a permanent structure of I G U , called H o m e of Geography, was established in R o m e , Villa Celimontana, to host the I G U archives, stages of geographers and scientific events. It serves as a sort of technical Secretariat of the I G U providing facilities and assistance.

The collaboration with U N E S C O The ability of bridging natural and social perspectives is one of the prerogatives marking the scientific identity of I G U in the framework of ICSU. It was also the main reason w h y , 1988, I G U started collaborating with the U N E S C O by convening the above-mentioned "Oceans 21" programme. Moving from that experience onwards, in 2002 a range of consultations took place with the individual branches of U N E S C O in order to explore where and h o w a collaboration could be established. This exploratory work has just led to the establishment of collaboration links with: i) the International Geological Correlation Programme; ii) the Network of Geoparks; iii) International Landslides Cooperation Program; iv) the Geoindicators; v) the Integrated Global Observing Strategy; vi) the M a n and Biosphere Programme, and vii) the Geological Heritage Programme.

Consultations were concerned also with the World Heritage Centre. In this respect, it was decided that the prospect of using the I G U scientific resources to collaborate with the subject areas dealt with by the W H C would have been evaluated on the basis of the discussions and outcomes arising from the Ferrara event on landscape, and on the Venice International Conference. It goes without saying that landscape is a key subject on which geographers have been involved since the Nineteenth century, and where they have built up conceptual and methodological backgrounds specifically targeted to integrated human and social perspectives, analytical and axiomatic approaches.

Mrs. Synnove VINSRYGG, Senior Advisor

Nordic World Heritage Foundation Dronningenstr 13 Dep.

P O Box 8196 DEP Oslo

N O R W A Y Fax: 47-22940581

E-mail: Synnove.vinsrygg@ra.no

Session on 12 November 2002 12:15-13:00 Africa

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES: IS THE WORLD BANK A RELEVANT FUNDING PARTNER?

Lessons learnt by the Nordic World Heritage Foundation ( N W H F ) in Africa South of the Sahara

Conservation of cultural landscapes requires funding. The question raised here will be: is the World Bank ( W B ) a relevant partner for future co-operation within this field, and on what conditions?

I will base m y points of view on outcomes and lesson learnt by the Nordic World Heritage Foundation after having served as a consultant to the W B recently. Our task was twofold: First to use Ghana as a test case for developing proposals for cultural heritage activities, based on the interests of the national authorities. Secondly w e were asked to participate as observers during a pan-African consultative workshop in Kimberley, South Africa in November 2001. Ten African countries were invited to present potentials and threats to their heritage along with needs for funding. N W H F ' s task has been to come up with proposals for follow-up activities.

Currently co-operation with the W B in this field is existing (Uganda, South Africa and others), but it is fairly n e w and limited. M o r e experience and analysis are needed in order to expand and develop co-operation on heritage, in this case with focus on cultural landscapes.

In brief, the lesson learnt from our experiences in Africa south of Sahara is: on the positive side : yes, on certain conditions the W B certainly is or could be an interesting co-operation partner on the negative side: as of to-day most African countries (and I believe also countries in other parts of the world) have not prepared the grounds for achieving a fruitful and long term co-operation with the W B .

Let m e try to explain these contentions. W h y and h o w could preservation of cultural landscapes be of interest to the World Bank? To carry out a good dialogue with the W B and to get funding for heritage projects, there is a need to understand W B ' s policy framework and strategies related to heritage, and h o w this fits into the wider policies and procedures of the W B . The challenge is also to avoid seeing heritage as something separate, something that comes in addition, The keyword is mainstreaming. This means that heritage work has to be integrated into the broader development goals and strategies of the country.

The W B relates to the national level in each country. Most often the Ministry of Finance will be the main dialogue partner. Currently the W B expects its co-operation countries to produce Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), where the national objectives and strategies are explained, structured and co-ordinated. Based on this document a comprehensive priority dialogue takes place between the parties, after which the W B will make its Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) . Whatever comes into the P R S P and the C A S has a chance to be financed. Whatever is left out is not likely to have a real chance.

During the last years the Bank has developed policies and framework for incorporating cultural heritage (including cultural landscapes) into their programmes and projects. Strategies relevant for natural heritage are older. A n explicit will to activate cultural heritage and exploit its economic and educational value to combat poverty has been expressed. W e all k n o w that the Director General, James Wolfenson is in favour of such priorities, whereas some members on the Board have been more reluctant.

To-day the W B can be seen as a more interesting co-operation partner for heritage authorities than it was some years ago because:

• the W B ' s n e w focus on poverty reduction sheds n e w light on natural and cultural capital

• the W B has developed framework and policies for activating heritage resources

• the W B is in a position to carry out policy dialogue with relevant national authorities in each country and thus promote heritage incorporation in overall development planning through its new tool P R S P (Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers)

» the W B has recently developed a n e w framework for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (EISA also called EIA) detailing measures for safeguarding physical cultural resources (PCR).

A s the U N organisation with defined responsibility and vast accumulated experience for heritage, U N E S C O has an important role to play in the co-operation with the W B . The W B has no similar expertise, nor should they have. However, U N E S C O ' s efforts in Africa, important as they are, are mainly sector oriented and not always easy to integrate in a wider development context. Arenas for better co-operation between U N E S C O and the W B are therefore needed.

T o shed light upon the W B ' s comparative advantage in this context, some main factors (beside have the funds) could be pointed out:

• The W B , through its m o d e of working with the national levels, has a comparative advantage when it comes to contributing to mainstreaming heritage work into overall national plans and development efforts. B y mainstreaming I mean that heritage work should be integrated into other activities and be part of broader development goals and strategies at the national level.

• Conservation of cultural landscapes could be integrated in broader development strategies as a resource to strengthen a number of sectors already supported by the W B , such as education, forestry, tourism, agricultural development, etc.

• The W B could support analyses of the economic values of cultural landscapes, both as a direct and an indirect resource to combat poverty.

The heritage authorities are, on their side, challenged to improve partnership relations and co-ordination of their priorities in their respective countries and at the national level. This in its turn requires clear objectives, policies and strategies for heritage development in each country. In the long run these requirements are likely to be of great importance to most future undertakings whether it is done to satisfy the W B or for other purposes.

If there is a wish and a will to get deeper engaged in a co-operation with the W B on this issue, it would be natural to request the W B to finance the process by which a good dialogue, relevant for all parties, could be developed or improved. The individual country and site would, no doubt, benefit from and be strengthened by regional co­operation in such a process. The way ahead is to create good arenas for dialogue, and to be able to show h o w ongoing projects provide good models.

Ms Carol WESTRIK Doctoral Student at the University of York, United Kingdom.

York, Y 0 1 0 500 UK

Fax: +44 1904432641 E-mail: cwestrik(a),hotmail.com

Observer's contribution

THE CONTESTED LANDSCAPE: FROM BUFFER ZONE TO PEACE TOOL, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CYPRUS

This thesis examines the role of landscape in conflict, the meaning of the contested landscape to the two main ethnic groups of Cyprus and h o w it can, and should, serve as a peace tool.

The importance of land for h u m a n existence is universally recognized. The link between land and war is obvious as most of the battles have been fought both on and over the contested land in question. However, it is not only this that makes a contested landscape: behind this phenomenon are the linkages between three less tangible aspects, namely culture, conflict and landscape. The present working definition of a contested landscape, as used by the author, is a landscape that is the subject of a dispute at a certain point in time. It is a controversial and dynamic landscape with different values imposed upon it by different parties. The reasons for the conflict can vary, and consequently can have different impacts, such as political, social, economical, religious or a combination of these. With the proliferation of violent conflicts in nearly every region of the world it becomes essential to look at these conflicts through the 'landscape eyes' of the local, regional, national and international contestants.

The contested landscape should not only be seen in the negative light that the connotation of the word 'contested' brings with it. Rather, contested landscape is not only the land that keeps communities apart, but is has a substantial potential to function as the connection between the fighting factions. It is this potential that should be used to its full extent, turning the contested landscape itself into a peace tool. The contested landscape of Cyprus will be used to illustrate this argument. In 1974 the dispute between the two major ethnic groups of Cyprus, the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, became a full-scale war. The fighting resulted in the territorial division of the island with three per cent of the island taken up by a buffer zone. This strip of land is only accessible with special permission from either governments and the United Nations, w h o administers the area. This landscape which was once the most fought on territory of the country is n o w the only place on the island where the two communities can officially meet.

H . Exe. M . Olabiyi Babalola Joseph Y A Ï Ambassadeur, Délégué permanent

Délégation permanente du Bénin auprès de l'UNESCO

M 4.04 1, rueMiollis

75732 Paris, Cedex 15 Tel: 01 45 68 30 63 Fax : 01 43 06 15 55

dl.permanente-benin@unesco.org

Session on 12 November 2002 - 9:30-17:00 (Chair)

Ambassador Yai chaired the International Expert Meeting on Authenticity and Integrity in the African Context held in Zimbabwe from 26-29 M a y 2000. The meeting followed the expert meeting on African cultural landscapes, held in Tiwi, Kenya, March 1999.