WH_RM_MCWH-Cover-2014_WH 03/10/14 17:33 Page1

Wo rld Heritage Resource Manual

World Heritage R e s o u r c e M a n u a l
MANAGING
CULTURAL
WORLD HERITAGE

MANAGING CULTURAL WORLD HERITAGE

World
Heritage
Convention

For more information contact:

UNESCO World Heritage Centre

7, place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP France
Tel: 33 (0)1 45 68 24 96
Fax: 33 (0)1 45 68 55 70
E-mail: [email protected]
World
http://whc.unesco.org Heritage international council on monuments and sites
Convention
Published in 2013 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France

© UNESCO / ICCROM / ICOMOS / IUCN, 2013

ISBN 978-92-3-001223-6

This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO
(CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the
content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open
Access Repository (www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbyncsa-en).

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply
the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN
concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the
delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily
those of UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN and do not commit the Organization.

ICCROM
Via di San Michele 13
I-00153 Rome
Italy
Tel: +39 06 585-531
Fax: +39 06 585-53349
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.iccrom.org

ICOMOS
49-51, Rue de la Fédération
75015 Paris
France
Tel: +33 (0)1 45 67 67 70
Fax: +33 (0)1 45 66 06 22
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.icomos.org

IUCN
Rue Mauverney 28
1196 Gland
Switzerland
Tel: +41 (22) 999-0000
Fax: +41 (22) 999-0002
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.iucn.org

UNESCO World Heritage Centre

7, Place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP
France
Tel: +33 (0)1 45 68 24 96
Fax: +33 (0)1 45 68 55 70
E-mail: [email protected]
http://whc.unesco.org

The printing of this manual was supported by the Federal Office of Culture FOC, Swiss Confederation

Cover photo: Fatehpur Sikri, India © Jan Fritz

Graphic design, cover design and typeset: RectoVerso
WH_RM_MCWH-2014-Print_WH 03/10/14 17:39 Page1

World Heritage R e s o u r c e M a n u a l

About the World Heritage Resource Manual Series

Since the World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972, the World Heritage List has
continually evolved and is growing steadily. With this growth, a critical need has emerged
for guidance for States Parties on the implementation of the Convention. Various expert
meetings and results of Periodic Reporting have identified the need for more focused training
and capacity development in specific areas where States Parties and World Heritage site
managers require greater support. The development of a series of World Heritage Resource
Manuals is a response to this need.

The publication of the series is a joint undertaking by the three Advisory Bodies of the World
Heritage Convention (ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre
as the Secretariat of the Convention. The World Heritage Committee at its 30th session
(Vilnius, Lithuania, July 2006) supported this initiative and requested that the Advisory Bodies
and the World Heritage Centre proceed with the preparation and publication of a number
of thematic Resource Manuals. The 31st (2007) and 32nd (2008) sessions of the Committee
adopted the publication plan and determined a prioritized list of titles.

An Editorial Board consisting of members of all three Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage
Centre meets regularly to decide on different aspects of their preparation and publication.
For each manual, depending on the theme, one of the Advisory Bodies or the World Heritage
Centre functions as the lead agency responsible for coordination, while the final production
is ensured by the World Heritage Centre.

The Resource Manuals are intended to provide focused guidance on the implementation of
the Convention to States Parties, heritage protection authorities, local governments, site
managers and local communities linked to World Heritage sites, as well as other stakeholders
in the identification and preservation process. They aim to provide knowledge and assistance
in ensuring a representative and credible World Heritage List consisting of well-protected and
effectively managed properties.

The manuals are being developed as user-friendly tools for capacity-building and awareness-
raising on the World Heritage Convention. They can be used independently for self-guided learning
as well as material at training workshops, and should complement the basic provisions for under-
standing the text of the Convention itself and the Operational Guidelines for implementation.

The titles in this series are produced as PDF online documents which can be freely downloaded.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

List of titles:
Managing Disaster Risks for World Heritage (June 2010)
Preparing World Heritage Nominations (Second edition, November 2011)
Managing Natural World Heritage (June 2012)
Managing Cultural World Heritage (November 2013)

1
WH_RM_MCWH-2014-Print_WH 03/10/14 17:39 Page2

Acknowledgements

Lead authors
• Gamini Wijesuriya, ICCROM
• Jane Thompson, ICCROM Consultant
• Christopher Young, ICCROM Consultant

Reviewers and other contributors

• George Abungu, former Director, National Museums of Kenya
• Tim Badman, IUCN
• Giovanni Boccardi, World Heritage Centre
• Carolina Castellano, ICOMOS
• Joseph King, ICCROM
• Mechtild Rössler, World Heritage Centre
• Herb Stovel, ICOMOS
• Naomi Deegan, ICCROM Intern 2011, Ireland
• Giulia Cotta, ICCROM Intern 2012, Italy
• Rugile Balkaite, ICCROM Intern 2013, Lithuania
• Elena Incerti Medici, ICCROM (logistics support)

Participants in the ICCROM Course on Conservation of Built Heritage (CBH12)

UNESCO World Heritage Centre coordination

Vesna Vujicic-Lugassy
Laura Frank
Managing Cultural World Heritage

2
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Foreword
by Kishore Rao, Director, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

The celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, which
were held throughout 2012, provided an opportunity to reflect on some of the
pressing issues facing the properties included on the World Heritage List. The official
theme of the anniversary year, ‘World Heritage and sustainable development: the
role of local communities’, acknowledged, and placed emphasis on, what is perhaps
the most significant challenge for World Heritage in our times: maintaining its
values to society while accommodating the changes imposed on it by major global
phenomena such as rising inequalities, globalization, climate change and massive
urbanization.

The community of heritage practitioners has long recognized the need for new
approaches to conservation, which would reflect the increased complexity of their
work and facilitate a positive interaction with the larger environment in which their
properties exist, with particular attention paid to local communities. This is especially
important for cultural heritage properties, whose very meaning is often the subject
of contention among multiple stakeholders, in the face of rapid socio-cultural mutations.

I am therefore happy to introduce this new Resource Manual on Managing

Cultural World Heritage, developed under the leadership of ICCROM in consultation
with ICOMOS, IUCN and the World Heritage Centre, which builds on and comple-
ments a first Resource Manual on the management of natural World Heritage
(issued in June 2012).1 As was the case for its companion, this new manual does not
intend to replace the vast literature on this subject, but simply to provide guidance
on the specificity of managing cultural World Heritage properties while providing
useful references to existing approaches and examples.

The manual also introduces an innovative conceptual framework for understanding

management systems of cultural heritage, the result of a research project under-
taken by ICCROM since 2009, which hopefully will not only assist heritage practi-
tioners, but also policy-makers and communities, in better defining issues and
identifying possible solutions to the problems they face at their properties. This
framework represents the ‘minimum common denominator’ among the very wide
range of possible management systems that exist throughout the world for cultural
heritage properties as diverse as historic cities, cultural landscapes, individual
monuments or archaeological sites.

We hope that readers will find this manual relevant to their needs and look forward
to receiving comments and suggestions to improve and enrich it, particularly with
specific examples and case studies that would demonstrate best practice or provide
Managing Cultural World Heritage

lessons learned.

Kishore Rao

1. Accessible online at: http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-703-1.pdf

3
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Foreword
by Stefano De Caro, Director-General, ICCROM

This Resource Manual aims to further the achievements of the 1972 Convention
concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage by helping all
those involved in managing cultural World Heritage properties to protect cultural
values, and where possible, harness wider heritage benefits. It complements existing
guidance – in particular the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the
World Heritage Convention (2012) and the companion manual Managing Natural
World Heritage.

Inscription of a heritage property on the World Heritage List signifies that the World
Heritage Committee has deemed that the property has cultural or natural values that
can be considered of Outstanding Universal Value. This imposes additional manage-
ment demands on the State Party to secure high standards of protection, and to comply
with the requirements of the World Heritage processes.

The 1972 Convention identifies cultural heritage as falling into three broad groups –
monuments, sites and group of buildings. During the forty years of the Convention,
the List has grown to include increasingly complex types of property with correspond-
ingly more demanding management requirements. The prestige of World Heritage
status can attract greater public interest in a heritage property and States Parties tend
to use them as flagship sites to improve the management of cultural heritage in
general. The World Heritage system identifies the State Party as holding primary
responsibility for a property, and management success depends on the political, social,
institutional and economic context of the specific property. Indeed, the shift in the
heritage sector from simple physical protection to a more layered approach to man-
agement that takes into account social, economic and environmental concerns provides
a basis for giving the heritage a function in the life of the community, as embodied in
Article 5 of the Convention. This more holistic approach has made the management
of World Heritage properties all the more demanding.

It is in response to these demands that this manual pays particular attention to under-
standing heritage management systems. It acknowledges their complexity and diversity
but also draws out characteristics common to all management systems. It recommends
reviewing existing heritage management systems in the light of the demands that the
World Heritage system and modern-day needs place upon them, while also stressing
the need for participatory approaches.

The World Heritage system requires States Parties to engage in the management of
cultural properties in two different and significant stages which form a continuum.
1) A State Party must first demonstrate, as part of the inscription process, how it will man-
Managing Cultural World Heritage

age the Outstanding Universal Value of the property by responding to issues raised in
the nomination format and by demonstrating the existence of a management plan,
or other management system, that is adequate for protecting the property.
2) After inscription, a State Party must respect its commitment to safeguarding the
Outstanding Universal Value of the property through effective long-term man-
agement, and through a series of World Heritage procedures which allow this
protection to be verified.
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Foreword
by Stefano De Caro, Director-General, ICCROM

This Resource Manual aims to help States Parties fulfil these obligations by providing
a framework to review the existing heritage management system for a property, and
guidance to take necessary measures to ensure that the system is effective and
responds to the additional challenges imposed on it by being part of the World
Heritage system.

The main focus is World Heritage, but much of the guidance constitutes a reference
that can be used for capacity-building by anyone working for heritage conservation.
This manual draws upon ICCROM’s experience of capacity-building to help protect
World Heritage properties that began with the publication of the Management
Guidelines for World Cultural Heritage Sites in 1993 and has continued with specific
World Heritage international training and policy development activities.

The manual is an outcome of the collective effort by the Advisory Bodies (ICCROM,
ICOMOS, IUCN) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to help all those involved to
better manage and protect their World Heritage properties. It joins the other titles
listed in the bibliography which have had the same aim.

It constitutes a comprehensive analysis of management systems, something which is

rare in the heritage literature, but we hope that in the next few years we will see it
complemented and further refined.

Developing this manual was a stimulating but lengthy process, and ICCROM wishes
to express its gratitude to the lead authors, the reviewers, and those at the World
Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies who supported the work. ICCROM wishes to
express deep appreciation to Nicholas Stanley-Price who edited the final version of
the manual.

Stefano De Caro
Managing Cultural World Heritage

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Contents

Acknowledgements 2

Foreword by Kishore Rao, Director, UNESCO World Heritage Centre 3

Foreword by Stefano De Caro, Director-General, ICCROM 4

1 Introduction 7
1.1 Introduction to the Resource Manual
1.2 Essential guidance

2 Context: managing cultural heritage 12

2.1 What is heritage? Why manage it?
2.2 Placing heritage concerns in a broader framework
2.3 Heritage conservation and sustainable development
2.4 The need for heritage to be managed
2.5 Approaches to heritage conservation and management

3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context 29

3.1 What is World Heritage, the World Heritage system and its requirements ?
3.2 The 1972 World Heritage Convention: why and how to manage properties
and the need to comply
3.3 The Operational Guidelines: managing in order to protect Outstanding Universal Value
3.4 Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and integrity in the context of World Heritage
property management
3.5 World Heritage documentation and procedures to reinforce management
3.6 Strategic guidance adopted by the World Heritage Committee
3.7 Evolving knowledge and policies
3.8 The World Heritage Capacity Building Strategy

4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 53

4.1 Heritage management systems in general and in World Heritage
4.2 The three elements of a heritage management system
4.3 The three processes of a heritage management system
4.4 The three results of a heritage management system
4.5 Documenting and assessing a heritage management system

Appendix A 122
A framework for developing, implementing and monitoring a management plan
A.1 Introduction: management plans within management systems
A.2 The management planning process
Managing Cultural World Heritage

A.3 Contents of the management plan

Appendix B 146
Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit (IUCN)

Bibliography 148

Contact information 152

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1 Introduction

Part 1 outlines the purpose and aims of the manual and describes how it is organized
(Part 1.1). It also lists the fundamental UNESCO documents concerning the World
Heritage Convention and publications of the World Heritage Centre that this manual
complements (Part 1.2).

1.1 Introduction to the Resource Manual

The aim of this Resource Manual

The concept of ‘management’ emerged comparatively late in the forty-year history of the
World Heritage Convention. But the requirement to achieve the outputs and outcomes of
successful management – identification, protection, conservation, presentation and trans-
mission to future generations of heritage of Outstanding Universal Value – has been there
from the outset. Over the years, achieving these ends has become more complex because of
the increasing pressures of the modern world and also because of the widening range of
what can be inscribed on the World Heritage List, for example, rural cultural landscapes.

These new challenges, along with other factors, have led to some pressing needs, including:
• establishing common ground for defining, assessing and improving management systems
and, in turn, favouring exchange of good practice and the evolution of improved
approaches to management;
• delivering practical guidance and tools for everyday management practice that recognize
the increased number of parties involved and objectives to be achieved;
• increasing awareness of the diversity of the management problems faced by States Parties
but also their common ground, so promoting wider cooperation to overcome them.

It is in this light that the Resource Manual for Managing Cultural World Heritage has been
produced to help States Parties to manage and conserve their heritage effectively and protect
values, in particular the Outstanding Universal Value (hereafter ‘OUV’) of their World Heritage
cultural properties. In this regard, the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the
World Heritage Convention (hereafter ‘OG’) declare that each World Heritage property ‘must
have an adequate protection and management system to ensure its safeguarding’ (OG para
78). The OG go on to say that ‘The purpose of a management system is to ensure the effec-
tive protection of the nominated property for present and future generations’ and that ‘an
effective management system depends on the type, characteristics and needs of the nomi-
nated property and its cultural and natural context’ (OG paras 109, 110). This manual places
particular emphasis on understanding management systems and on ways to improve them
for effectively managing cultural properties.

The manual provides guidance for States Parties and all those involved in the care of World
Heritage cultural properties on how to comply with the requirements of the Convention. It
also aims to help States Parties to ensure that heritage has a dynamic role in society and
harnesses, but also delivers to others, the mutual benefits that such a role can create.

This Manual deals only with the management of cultural heritage sites. Natural World
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Heritage properties have many similar issues but they also have different problems. IUCN has
produced a companion Resource Manual on the management of natural properties.

Who is the Resource Manual for?

This manual is intended as a tool for capacity-building for the effective management of
heritage, and for World Heritage properties in particular. It is designed to help all practitioners:

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1 Introduction

• to strengthen the knowledge, abilities, skills and behaviour of people with direct responsi-
bilities for heritage conservation and management;
• to improve institutional structures and processes through empowering decision-makers and
policy-makers; and
• to introduce a dynamic relationship between heritage and its context that will lead to
greater reciprocal benefits through an inclusive approach, such that outputs and outcomes
follow on a sustainable basis.

The manual is designed to benefit all those individuals involved in decision-making for the
care and management of World Heritage cultural sites on behalf of States Parties, those to
whom they are responsible (policy-makers and administrators), and those with whom they
are or might be working in future.

These individuals represent the three broad areas where management capacities reside, as
defined by the World Heritage Strategy for Capacity Building:2
• Practitioners (including individuals and groups who directly intervene in the conservation
and management of heritage properties).
• Institutions (including State Party heritage organizations at both federal and national levels,
NGOs, the World Heritage Committee, Advisory Bodies and others institutions which have
a responsibility for enabling improved management and conservation).
• Communities and networks (including local communities owning or living on or near prop-
erties as well as larger networks with an interest in improving the management of cultural
heritage).3

Whether through self-guided learning or as part of structured capacity-building initiatives,

the manual is intended to:
• provide strategic and day-to-day guidance, and
• build on existing capacities or create new strengths – whether of practitioners, institutions
or communities and networks,
In both cases it is through people that positive changes to managing heritage can be achieved
(see Part 3.8).

The circumstances in which each management system operates vary extensively and the
relative isolation of many heritage practitioners prevents them from accessing the experience
of others to inform their own actions. We hope the manual will help to overcome these
difficulties.

How is the Resource Manual organized?

The main text of the Resource Manual explains what is involved in management for World
Heritage, its context, its philosophies and its mechanisms. A set of appendices then offers
guidance on how to put them into practice.

The main text is divided into four parts:

This section, Part 1, provides an introduction to the manual and a list of references to pub-
lications and documents that are relevant to managing World Heritage.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

2. Capacity is defined as the ‘the ability of individuals, organizations and societies to perform functions, solve problems,
and set and achieve objectives in a sustainable manner’
(http://www.undp.org/cpr/iasc/content/docs/UNDP_Capacity_Development.pdf
UNDP Capacity Development Practice Note, April 2006, p.3)
3. The World Heritage Strategy for Capacity Building, June 2011, whc11-35com-9Be
(http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-9Be.pdf)
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Introduction 1

Part 2 provides the context in which the management of cultural heritage is practised. It
summarizes the currently evolving thinking about conservation and management of sites,
placing emphasis on an integrated approach. It stresses the need to place heritage concerns
in a broad framework, to link heritage and sustainable development and to consider a
values-led approach as a useful tool for World Heritage management.

Part 3 describes the particular context for managing World Heritage properties and highlights
how World Heritage resources and processes can reinforce management approaches. There are
frequent references to the UNESCO Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World
Heritage Convention which aim to facilitate the implementation of the Convention. These are
revised periodically; references in this manual are to the 2012 edition. Part 3 also outlines the
importance of capacity-building for managing change to management systems and to properties.

Part 4 is the core of the manual and provides a common framework for understanding,
documenting and reviewing heritage management systems. This should prove helpful when
complying with the requirements of the World Heritage system, or for a general assessment
of how effective a given management system is for a cultural property, perhaps when devel-
oping or updating a management plan. The concluding section (4.5) proposes a framework
for documenting and assessing a management system – this can be usefully linked to section
5 of the World Heritage property nomination format (OG Annex 5).

The ‘how-to’ guidance is delivered in the following appendices:

Appendix A uses management planning as a framework for property-based management

practice. Management planning is perhaps the only tool that addresses the whole manage-
ment system. Its practical application therefore offers guidance which will be of interest even
to those involved in properties where management planning is not being used.

Appendix B introduces the Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit developed by IUCN.

1.2 Essential guidance

World Heritage
There is available extensive guidance material that explains the World Heritage system, much
of it directly relevant to management issues. The manual refers to this material where
applicable; but we strongly recommend consulting the resource pages of the World Heritage
Centre website, and this should be part of routine heritage management practice. This
website (http://whc.unesco.org) is an excellent reference source on many aspects of the
implementation of the World Heritage Convention. It is regularly updated with new material.
In addition to relevant general material, it has much referring to individual properties,
including decisions about them made by the World Heritage Committee. It is also worth
regularly checking the websites of the three Advisory Bodies (ICCROM, ICOMOS, IUCN) for
helpful advice.

The following documents are referred to in this manual, which is essentially a supplement
to them.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

• The World Heritage Convention and Operational Guidelines for its implementation:
- UNESCO. 1972. Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage. (World Heritage Convention).
http://whc.unesco.org/en/conventiontext (English web page)

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1 Introduction

- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2012. Operational Guidelines for the Implementation
of the World Heritage Convention.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines/ (English web page)

• UNESCO World Heritage Resource Manuals:

- UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2010. Managing Disaster Risks for World
Heritage. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual.)
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-630-1.pdf
(English web page)
- UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2011. Preparing World Heritage Nominations.
(Second edition). Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Resource
Manual.) http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/643/ (English web page)
- UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2012. Managing Natural World Heritage. Paris,
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual.)
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-703-1.pdf
(English web page)

• Relevant UNESCO World Heritage Papers:

- Stovel, H. (ed). 2004. Monitoring World Heritage, Paris, UNESCO World Heritage
Centre. (World Heritage Papers 10.) http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/10/
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2007. Climate Change and World Heritage. Paris,
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 22.)
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/22/
- Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J.
and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effective-
ness of Natural World Heritage sites. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World
Heritage Papers 23.) http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/23/
- Martin, O. and Piatti, G. (eds). 2009. World Heritage and Buffer Zones, International
Expert Meeting on World Heritage and Buffer Zones, Davos, Switzerland, 11–14 March
2008. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 25.)
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/ (English web page)
- Mitchell, N., Rössler, M. and Tricaud, P-M. (authors/eds). 2009. World Heritage Cultural
Landscapes: A handbook for conservation and management. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 26.) http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/26/
- van Oers, R. and Haraguchi, S. 2010. Managing Historic Cities. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 27.) http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/27/

• Relevant decisions of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee:

- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2007. Strategy for Reducing Risks from Disasters at
World Heritage properties. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
(Doc WHC-07/31.COM/7.2)
Managing Cultural World Heritage

http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2007/whc07-31com-72e.pdf
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2010. Reflection on the Trends of the State of
Conservation. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-10/34.COM/7C)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2010/whc10-34com-7Ce.pdf

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Introduction 1

- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2010. World Heritage Convention and Sustainable
Development. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-10/34.COM/5D)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2010/whc10-34com-5de.pdf
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. Presentation and adoption of the World
Heritage strategy for capacity building. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
(Doc WHC-11/35.COM/9B)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-9Be.pdf
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. World Heritage Convention and Sustainable
Development. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-11/35.COM/5E)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-5Ee.pdf
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2008. Policy Document on the Impacts of Climate
Change on World Heritage Properties. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-397-2.pdf

Further reading
There are many publications that address heritage management processes and tools to im-
prove management approaches, in particular management planning. Feilden and Jokilehto’s
Management Guidelines for World Cultural Heritage Sites (1993)4 is an early example and
others are included in the bibliography (see Appendices). In contrast, there is relatively little
literature which addresses heritage management systems and how they function. The bibli-
ography lists titles that are useful for World Heritage management.

There are also various resources and learning opportunities on themes related to the man-
agement of World Heritage properties provided through the World Heritage Advisory Bodies
(ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN) and through Category 2 Centres and universities with dedi-
cated research and courses. Readers are encouraged to refer to relevant web sites and
web-based resources.
CASE STUDY

Use of World Heritage Resource Manuals

The UNESCO Office in Hanoi initiated a project to develop Disaster Risk management plans for three
World Heritage properties in Viet Nam in April 2013. The World Heritage Resource Manuals on Managing
Disaster Risks for World Heritage was used as the basis for the initiative.
Source: ICCROM

Managing Cultural World Heritage

Complex of Hué Monuments (Viet Nam)

4. Feilden, B.M. and Jokilehto, J. 1993. Management Guidelines for World Cultural Heritage Sites. (First edition).
Rome, ICCROM.
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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

Part 2 defines heritage and the need to manage it. It attempts to set heritage
management in a broader context (Part 2.2), looking particularly at its relationship
to sustainable development (Part 2.3). It then considers the nature of heritage man-
agement systems, and describes what are the two most common approaches to the
conservation and management of heritage: what is termed here the ‘conventional’
approach and an alternative, values-led approach (Part 2.5).

2.1 What is heritage? Why manage it?

Broadening definitions of heritage

Heritage is of increasing significance to each society. Why this is so is not entirely clear but
probably it has to do with the increasing speed of modernization and the scale of change in
society. In such circumstances, evidence of past societies can provide a sense of belonging
and security to modern societies and be an anchor in a rapidly changing world. In many
societies, too, heritage can be an important definer of identity. Understanding the past can
also be of great help for managing the problems of the present and the future.

The range of what is regarded as heritage has broadened significantly over the last half-
century. Heritage properties tended to be individual monuments and buildings such as places
of worship or fortifications and were often regarded as standalone, with no particular rela-
tionship to their surrounding landscape. Today, there is general recognition that the whole
environment has been affected by its interaction with humanity and is therefore capable of
being recognized as heritage. It becomes even more necessary to make judgements about
what has significance and what does not.

Inevitably, this expansion of the concept of heritage has meant in turn an enormous expan-
sion in the range of types of structures and places treated as heritage. The World Heritage
Convention recognizes that heritage can be defined as ‘monuments, groups of buildings and
sites’. In practice, a broad set of typologies has developed that includes: urban centres,
archaeological sites, industrial heritage, cultural landscapes and heritage routes. This greatly
increases the range of places and landscapes that has to be managed by heritage managers
and thus widens the range of skills required. It also greatly increases the type and number of
threats that can have an adverse impact on heritage places. Apart from direct threats to the
fabric or components of the heritage place itself, it is much more common for places to be
threatened by adverse developments in their surroundings. In these circumstances, decisions
taken for wider economic or social benefits must be compatible with the well-being of the
heritage place.

The recognition that heritage places are not isolated has led to their surroundings being
addressed both as a physical setting and as a series of social, economic and environmental
threats and opportunities (see Part 2.4). What happens in those surroundings can have an
impact on the heritage place and its significance. This means that a heritage management
system and all those involved in it must have the capacity for influencing decisions about
what takes place there (see Part 2.5). Change in the surroundings is probably inevitable but
Managing Cultural World Heritage

it should not damage the values (in the case of a World Heritage property, the OUV) of the
heritage place. It can in fact be a catalyst that unlocks new forms of support, in turn affecting
significance.

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Context: managing cultural heritage 2

Defining physical boundaries – the property and the setting

Protecting and sharing heritage require management strategies that define and monitor
property boundaries but also address the setting in which the property is located. For World
Heritage properties, this could be a precisely identified and regulated buffer zone
(OG paras103-107) or it might extend to include a larger ‘area of influence’ (OG para104).5

The values of the property, and above all the OUV, are the primary parameters for defining
the physical area(s) that management strategies need to address and for defining the varying
levels of control necessary across those areas. Distant views from the property (for example,
the view of the volcano Vesuvius from Pompeii in Italy) or views of the property from certain
arrival routes (e.g. the Taj Mahal in India) could be important to maintaining values.

However, other parameters will influence the definition of the physical area(s), including:
• the type of threats and their relative timeframes (e.g. the impact of vandalism, uncontrolled
development of the built environment, climate change);
• the extent to which the management strategy involves local communities and other stake-
holders (a successful participatory approach can permit reduced levels of control);
• the extent to which the management system embraces sustainable management practice
(see Part 2.3).

This recognition that physical boundaries are no longer where the property boundary falls
but are in fact a series of layers undoubtedly favours protection, but it creates new manage-
ment challenges. It is also an acknowledgement that heritage places depend on their setting
(and vice versa).

2.2 Placing heritage concerns in a broader framework

The expanding concept of heritage and the increased importance given to how heritage
places relate to their surroundings mark an important shift in thinking. Heritage places
cannot be protected in isolation or as museum pieces, isolated from natural and man-made
disasters or from land-use planning considerations. Nor can they be separated from
development activities, isolated from social changes that are occurring, or separated from
the concerns of the communities.

Indeed, only fairly recently has the international community begun to appreciate the impor-
tance of conserving cultural heritage as places where social and cultural factors have been
and continue to be important in shaping them, rather than as a series of monuments offering
physical evidence of the past. As a result, international ‘good’ practice, often led by Western
management practice, has at times provided insufficient guidance and has risked eroding
rather than reinforcing good traditional heritage management systems, particularly those in
place for historic centres or other cultural sites which host ongoing multiple land and property
uses.

The wider scope of heritage nowadays has led to many more players or stakeholders being
involved in its management. When heritage places were primarily monuments or buildings
under public control, the property manager could have a relatively free hand within the site’s
Managing Cultural World Heritage

boundaries. This is no longer the case. Even if a heritage place is publicly owned and man-
aged, the site manager will still need to work with the stakeholders and authorities involved

5. Martin, O. and Piatti, G. (eds). 2009. World Heritage and Buffer Zones, International Expert Meeting on World Heritage
and Buffer Zones, Davos, Switzerland, 11–14 March 2008. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage
Papers 25).
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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

in the area around the site. For more diffuse heritage properties, ownership will be much
more widely spread. In a heritage city, for example, the bulk of the historic buildings will be
privately owned and many will be used for non-heritage purposes. Areas of large rural sites
will also be privately owned and may be farmed for crops or livestock. Local communities
may depend for their livelihood on such beneficial uses of heritage places. Heritage practi-
tioners will need to deal with a wide range of public authorities over issues such as spatial
planning and economic development policy.

This means that heritage practitioners cannot act independently and without reference to
other stakeholders. It is essential that the heritage bodies work with other stakeholders as
far as possible to develop and implement an agreed vision and policies for managing each
heritage place within its broader physical and social context. This places a high premium on
collaborative working and the full and transparent involvement of stakeholders that is
recommended in the OG. Any management system, including the development and imple-
mentation of a management plan, needs to provide for this.

HERITAGE

Diagram 1: The result of heritage management if viewed

solely as a question of custodianship and guardianship

The wider obligations of heritage management

Multiple objectives now characterize the management of most cultural properties. This means
that a wide array of institutional and organizational frameworks (and obstacles), social out-
looks, forms of knowledge, values (both for present and future generations, often conflicting)
and other factors need to be evaluated. These factors often work in a complex mesh and
Managing Cultural World Heritage

establishing and maintaining suitable management approaches is all the more difficult.
Overcoming this challenge is vital for the future of the cultural property being managed.

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Context: managing cultural heritage 2

Greater complexity Greater need for suitable

management approaches

Use

Human conflict
Cultural context

Diverse values Visitors

(intangible)
ecological,
sustainability

HERITAGE Natural disasters,

climate change
Meaning, identity,
relevance to daily life

Scientific data

Development

Principles, Ownership
theories

Global community
OUV, globalization $ Political
Resource
New institutions, constraints
decentralization

Diagram 2: Some examples of old and new issues in heritage management

An inclusive approach
Increased participation is necessary to address such multiple objectives: greater complexity
requires advances in management practice. It should not, however, be assumed that a top-
down approach is the only way to handle multiple issues. The term ‘management’ has been
used in a very broad way in the heritage sector: as issues become more complex, there is a
need to be more precise. Management approaches must accommodate the shift (which has
only emerged very recently in many parts of the world) to a wider, more inclusive approach
to heritage management and to a greater emphasis on community engagement.

Though prepared for natural sites, the ‘new paradigm for protected areas’ developed by
Adrian Phillips and re-presented in the IUCN Guidelines for Management Planning of
Protected Areas6 in 2003 highlights very effectively the increased importance placed in recent
Managing Cultural World Heritage

years on a wider, more inclusive approach to heritage management and on community

engagement. (In some parts of the world this was already happening.) Much of this guidance
applies to cultural sites too.

6. Thomas, L. and Middleton, J. 2003. Guidelines for Management Planning of Protected Areas. Gland, Switzerland, IUCN
and Cambridge, UK. http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/PAG-010.pdf (English web page).
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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

Table 1. A new paradigm for protected areas (A. Phillips) 7

Topic As it was: As it is becoming:

protected areas were… protected areas are…

Objectives • Set aside for conservation • Run also with social and
• Established mainly for spectacu- economic objectives
lar wildlife and scenic protection • Often set up for scientific,
• Managed mainly for visitors and economic and cultural reasons
tourists • Managed with local people
• Valued as wilderness more in mind
• About protection • Valued for the cultural impor-
tance of so-called ‘wilderness’

Governance • Run by central government Run by partners and involve an

array of stakeholders

Local people • Planned and managed against • Run with, for, and in some cases
people by local people
• Managed without regard to • Managed to meet the needs of
local opinions local people

Wider context • Developed separately • Planned as part of national,

• Managed as ‘islands’ regional and international
systems
• Developed as ‘networks’ (strictly
protected areas, buffered and
linked by green corridors)

Perceptions • Viewed primarily as a national • Viewed also as a community

asset asset
• Viewed only as a national • Viewed also as an international
concern concern

Management techniques • Managed reactively within a • Managed adaptively in a long-

short timescale term perspective
• Managed in a technocratic way • Managed with political
considerations

Finance • Paid for by taxpayer Paid for from many sources

Management skills • Managed by scientists and • Managed by multi-skilled

natural resource experts individuals
• Expert led • Drawing on local knowledge

Implications of an integrated approach to heritage management

The following overview of the implications of an integrated approach to management of
natural heritage comes from Australian research but is also relevant to cultural heritage man-
agement.8 In their analysis they interpret the integrated approach in three different ways: as
a philosophy, as a process and as a product.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

7. Phillips, A. 2003. ‘Turning ideas on their head: the new paradigm for protected areas’, in: The George Wright Forum 20,
No. 2. 2003, pp.8-32. http://www.uvm.edu/conservationlectures/vermont.pdf
8. Wijesuriya, G. 2008. ‘An Integrated Approach to Conservation and Management of Heritage’, in: ICCROM Newsletter
34, 2008, p.8. Rome, ICCROM.
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Context: managing cultural heritage 2

Table 2. Integrated approach

Placing heritage & protection concerns in a broader framework: an integrated

approach to heritage management 9

1. Principles 2. As a process 3. As a product

Pooling resources Flexibility in institutional Legislative innovation
frameworks

• Cooperative approach requiring • Facilitate coordination between • Facilitate the development of

shifts in organization, cultures agencies, local governments, complementary regulatory
and participants attitudes community groups instruments
• Integration across information • Integration across agencies • Integration across legislation
and resources - Regard for other plans - Legislative requirements for
- Best use of all information - Relationship with other plans integration
sources explained - Rationale for integration
- Across disciplines and sectors - Consultation - Relationship with other
- Identify major issues - Consultation with public legislation explained
- Documentation quality - Monitoring requirements

The research showed that changes were needed in different areas to permit an integrated
approach. They grouped them into three key management areas – legislative aspects, insti-
tutional frameworks and the deployment of resources (see text highlighted in red) – which
will be explored further in Part 4 (see 4.2).

Achieving broad participation: how to make all stakeholders visible

and engaged
A participatory approach to management is being promoted in various sectors but particularly
in the heritage sector, given the perception of heritage as the shared property of communities
and a factor in ensuring the sustainability of those communities. The ownership of a heritage
property may be widely diverse, particularly in urban areas or cultural landscapes. This is even
more important for World Heritage properties where the identification of OUV implies even
broader obligations and ownership, with heritage perceived as the collective property of
mankind as a whole, involving an international element in management.

Helpful references on these topics are the World Heritage Papers no. 13, entitled Linking
Universal and Local Values: Managing a Sustainable Future for World Heritage;10 No. 26, entitled
World Heritage Cultural Landscapes: A handbook for conservation and management;11 and
No. 31 entitled Community Development through World Heritage.12 They bring together
interesting papers, a series of recommendations (some of which have influenced revisions of
the OG for World Heritage), and an overview of how much thinking has changed in recent
years.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

9. Mitchell, B. and Hollick, M. 1993. ‘Integrated Catchment Management in Western Australia: The Transition from
Concept to Implementation’, in: Environmental Management, Vol. 17 Iss: 6, 1993. pp. 735-43. Springer-Verlag.
10. de Merode, E., Smeets, R. and Westrik, C. (eds). 2004. Linking Universal and Local Values : Managing a Sustainable
Future for World Heritage. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Paper 13)
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/13/
11. Mitchell, N., Rössler, M. and Tricaud, P-M. (authors/eds). 2009. World Heritage Cultural Landscapes: A handbook for
conservation and management. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 26).
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/26/
12. Albert, M.-T., Richon, M., Viňals, M.J. and Witcomb, A. (eds). 2012. Community Development through World
Heritage. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 31). http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/31/
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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

Information from the field shows that, in practice, heritage management systems are often
failing to involve local counterparts. Even when community involvement does take place, the
level of participation in decision-making and the capacity of local stakeholders actually to
engage and make contributions are often limited.

However, there are many factors that can hinder a participatory approach and render inef-
fective attempts at local community involvement at heritage properties: the management
system itself, a power imbalance between stakeholders or political and socio-economic
factors in the wider environment (poverty and civil unrest, or even deep-seated cultural
values), are some examples.

Furthermore, a participatory approach that fails to engage all interest groups, particularly
those who are often marginalized – women, youth and indigenous peoples are common
examples – can actually do more damage than good. It can lead to flawed projects because
heritage specialists may have failed to be properly informed about important aspects, or
because of misunderstandings that then delay or block projects. The World Heritage Manual
dedicated to Managing Tourism13 has a useful chapter on ‘Involving stakeholders: the benefits
and challenges of public participation’.

An effective participatory approach that delivers reciprocal benefits to the cultural property
and to society depends on understanding:
• Who participates in decision-making, assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation
processes, and how,
• Who contributes with experience, knowledge and skills, and how,
• Who benefits economically, socio-culturally and psychologically, and how.

In complex cases, this may call for in-depth studies of the political, socio-economic, legal and
institutional context. Indeed, each interest group may need to be broken down into its com-
ponent parts (or socio-cultural groups) because these include factors (gender, ages, class,
language, origin, schooling, religion, etc.) which determine the nature of their contributions,
and can thereby facilitate engagement in cultural heritage issues.

Similarly, it is important to understand who already has access to decision-making, informa-

tion, education, etc. and who has not. If it is not clear what barriers are hindering access, an
evaluation process should lead to corrective measures. This evaluation should be undertaken
within the excluded interest group as much as within the heritage sector. Thus different social
components will become visible so activities can be targeted in such a way that the contri-
bution, ownership and participation of as many stakeholders as possible can be guaranteed.
If it emerges that women, for example, are being excluded, it may be necessary to integrate
gender equality as a formal consideration in all planning, implementation and monitoring
processes in order to make this particular group visible and to harness their potential contri-
butions, skills and needs while overcoming their difficulties.

Participatory processes often demand a readiness to accept difficult compromises and

negotiate trade-offs. The neutrality and leverage of wider collaborations and cooperation in
support of the cultural heritage property can facilitate this often difficult process.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Initiatives aimed at creating new forms of participation in heritage or reinforcing existing

ones by working with stakeholders and wider interest groups are often known as a
‘participatory approach’. These issues are explored further in Part 4 and Appendix A.

13. Pedersen, A. 2002. Managing Tourism at World Heritage Sites: a Practical Manual for World Heritage Site Managers.
Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Manual 1.) http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/1/
(English web page).
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Context: managing cultural heritage 2

2.3 Heritage conservation and sustainable development14

The previous sections (2.1 and 2.2) considered how heritage places depend on their sur-
roundings and how, ultimately, this is a form of mutual dependence. Local communities will
often depend on their heritage – whether for social identity or for their entire livelihood –
but they can also deliver benefits to the heritage, its cultural values and its management.
The role of cultural heritage in sustainable development can be considered the culmination
of such issues and is one of the most pressing concerns of heritage management in the
modern world.

To understand the contribution that World Heritage properties can make to society and to
local and national economies is all the more urgent as greater importance is given to sus-
tainable use and benefit-sharing for heritage. In recent years, as a result of major phenom-
ena such as globalization, demographic growth and development pressure, the cultural
heritage sector has started to reflect on the relationship between conservation and sustain-
able development. This was triggered by the realization that, in the face of these new chal-
lenges, heritage could no longer be ‘confined to the role of passive conservation of the
past’, but should instead ‘provide the tools and framework to help shape, delineate and
drive the development of tomorrow’s societies’.15 It reflected, as well, a tendency to consider
‘living’ sites as part of the heritage, rather than only monuments. These living heritage sites
are considered important not only for what they tell us about the past, but also as a testi-
mony to the continuity of old traditions in present-day culture and for providing implicit
evidence of their sustainability.

The link between heritage and sustainable development is interpreted in different ways,
depending on the specific perspectives of the various players, and a certain degree of ambi-
guity exists. Should property management contribute to sustainable development or simply
guarantee sustainable practices? Will heritage management systems also be evaluated in
future on the basis of how they contribute16 to targets such as the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals.17

The concept of sustainable development

As one of the most important paradigms of our time, sustainable development refers to a
pattern of resource use that balances the fulfillment of basic human needs with the wise use
of finite resources so that they can be passed on to future generations for their use and
development. Since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the paradigm of sustainable development
has been broadened to include three constituent but mutually supportive elements; environ-
mental protection, economic growth and social equity. The importance of an effective system
of governance has also been stressed, including a participatory, multi-stakeholder approach
to policy and implementation.

Sustainable development is today the universally agreed and ubiquitous goal of nearly all
development policies at local, national and global levels. New approaches, stemming from
recent research, are introducing innovative ways of expressing the concept of social
Managing Cultural World Heritage

14. Boccardi, G. 2012. Introduction to Heritage and Sustainable Development. Paper presented at Special Module on
Sustainable Development during ICCROM’s course on Conservation of Built Heritage.
15. ICOMOS. 2011. 17th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium, ‘Heritage, Driver of Development’ 27 November –
2 December 2011. in: ICOMOS News, Vol. 18, No.1, p.9. Paris, ICOMOS.
16. In 2011, a number of additions were made to the Operational Guidelines which refer to sustainable development,
notably in paragraphs 6, 112, 119, 132, as well as in Annex 5, points 4.b and 5.e. These amendments are aimed on
one hand at ensuring that any use of World Heritage properties be sustainable with respect to the imperative of main-
taining their OUV (thus, a narrow definition of sustainability), and on the other hand to affirm, as a principle, the idea
that management systems of WH properties should ‘integrate sustainable development principles’.
17. United Nations Millennium Goals to be met by 2015, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml
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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

sustainability, and terms such as ‘well-being’, ‘good-life’ or even ‘happiness’, are finding their
way into governmental policies and statistics, focusing on subjective and qualitative indica-
tors, rather than on purely quantitative ones.18 This fundamental principle was recognized in
paragraphs 30, 58 and 134 of the outcome document of Rio+20, ‘The Future We Want’.19

The relationship between cultural heritage conservation and sustainable

development
In relation to cultural heritage, the issue of sustainable development can be understood in
two ways:
1. As a concern for sustaining the heritage, considered as an end in itself, and part of the
environmental/cultural resources that should be protected and transmitted to future gen-
erations to guarantee their development (intrinsic).
2. As the possible contribution that heritage and heritage conservation can make to the en-
vironmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development (instrumental).

The first approach rests on the assumption that cultural heritage and the ability to understand
the past through its material remains, as attributes of cultural diversity, play a fundamental
role in fostering strong communities, supporting the physical and spiritual well-being of in-
dividuals and promoting mutual understanding and peace. According to this perspective,
protecting and promoting cultural heritage would be, in terms of its contribution to society,
a legitimate goal per se.

The second approach stems from the realization that the heritage sector, as an important
player within the broader social arena and as an element of a larger system of mutually
interdependent components, should accept its share of responsibility with respect to the
global challenge of sustainability. In the current context of mounting pressure from human
activities, reduced financial and environmental resources and climate change, the contribution
of heritage protection to sustainability and sustainable development could no longer be taken
for granted, but should be demonstrated on a case-by-case basis through each of the three
‘pillars’: the social, the economic and the environmental dimensions.20
© UNESCO / Dou Matar

‘World Heritage is a
building block for peace
and sustainable development.
It is a source of identity and
dignity for local communities,
a wellspring of knowledge
and strength to be shared.’

Irina Bokova – Director-General of UNESCO.

18th General Assembly of States Parties
to the World Heritage Convention.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

18. An example is the the Royal Government of Bhutan’s Commission for Gross National Happiness,
http://www.gnhc.gov.bt/mandate/
19. Accessible online at:
http://www.uncsd2012.org/content/documents/727The%20Future%20We%20Want%2019%20June%201230pm.pdf
20. Boccardi, G. 2007. World Heritage and Sustainability; Concern for social, economic and environmental aspects within
the policies and processes of the World Heritage Convention. London, M.Sc. dissertation, UCL Bartlett School of the
Built Environment.
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The potential of heritage to contribute to environmental protection, social capital and eco-
nomic growth is being increasingly recognized. The artificial isolation of heritage concerns
from other sectors would be simply unfeasible, since external factors would ‘continue to
penalize heritage practice just as isolated heritage management decision-making would
penalize the relationship of heritage to its context’.21

This is evident in the factors that have affected the state of conservation of World Heritage
properties over the past few years (see Part 3.7). The statistics indicate that, in the great
majority of cases, the problems responsible for the deterioration of these properties came
from ‘beyond the confines of the site, and the manager in place, however good, (had) limited
capacity for change’.22 Contributing to sustainable development, within this perspective,
would be not only an ethical obligation for the heritage sector, but in the long term a matter
of survival, especially in the present financial crisis, where public expenditure for conservation
is increasingly difficult to justify.

Emphasis on the first argument (cultural heritage as a legitimate end in itself), when not
corroborated by evidence of the contribution of heritage to the other basic constituents of
human well-being such as employment creation or other material benefits, has often placed
heritage conservation in a sort of ‘special reserve’ of under-funded good intentions. The
assumption that heritage places, including of course the ‘sustainable land-use’ mentioned in
the Operational Guidelines for cultural landscapes, represent models of development that
are inherently sustainable remains to be demonstrated, particularly when priority is given to
‘protection’ and acceptable limits for change are not determined. This has led to a concern
that, unless its contributions to the other three pillars are clearly articulated and recognized,
heritage risks remaining a marginal field in the wider framework of sustainable development.

Some have suggested, on the other hand, that too much attention is already being paid to
socio-economic ‘development’, and that it is crucial to save as much as possible of the
heritage that has survived until now, irrespective of the immediate benefits that it may yield
to local communities, since this is a fundamental asset of the capital that will guarantee the
development of future generations. They advocate a strong stance in favour of conservation
as a legitimate goal in itself, particularly for some outstanding places such as those included
in the World Heritage List. Socio-economic benefits deriving from heritage properties, in this
perspective, would be of course desirable, but not strictly necessary to justify their conserva-
tion. The implications of taking the second approach (i.e. heritage to contribute to the three
pillars of sustainable development) are significant for the sector, involving a shift in many
parts of the world in the very philosophical and ethical standpoint of conservation.

There would be also important consequences for the theory and practice of the discipline.
Heritage practitioners must understand the multiple linkages between heritage and the wider
economic, social and environmental dimensions that clarify the processes of their mutual in-
teraction and act accordingly. They have to engage with a wide range of people with different
backgrounds and expertise, and a broader group of stakeholders must be considered. Deci-
sions about heritage conservation would no longer be left in the hands of heritage experts,
but discussed among many counterparts, based on solid arguments and shared goals, to
reach compromises.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

What is probably required is a combination of the two approaches, which are not mutually
exclusive; on one hand, reaffirming the cultural value of heritage by rendering more explicit

21. Boccardi, G. 2012. Introduction to Heritage and Sustainable Development. Paper presented at Special Module on
Sustainable Development during the ICCROM’s course on Conservation Built Heritage.
22. Ibid.
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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

its contribution to society in terms of well-being and happiness;23 and on the other hand,
exploring the conditions that would make heritage a powerful contributor to environmental,
social and economic sustainability, with its rightful place as a priority in global and national
development agendas.

Embracing initiatives that deliver mutual benefits to the property and its surroundings may
not seem essential to the protection of the OUV, but may prove important in the long term
because they tie the property into its context in a positive and enduring way, thus favouring
its long-term survival. For example, the mutual benefits of promoting local skills to conserve
the property, rather than training new talent from elsewhere, may only emerge in a long
timeframe.
CASE STUDY

Integrating sustainability: an example

© Valerio Li Vigni
The National Trust of England, Wales and
Northern Ireland is a not-for-profit heritage
organization with a remit for cultural,
natural and mixed sites. It has decided to
integrate sustainability concerns into its
operations and decision-making processes.
The tool that it has developed addresses
sustainable development concerns,
comprehensively integrating its use into the
heritage management system for managing
change (planning) and for monitoring
operations. The evaluation of the impact Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains
of decisions and approaches from three Abbey (United Kingdom)
perspectives – people, finance and
environment – has become an important
check criterion for its heritage management processes. The tool, known as the Triple Bottom Line Tool,
is modelled on the idea that there needs to be a balance between economic benefit, societal gain and
the environment for an organization and the heritage in its care to be sustainable in the long term
and for heritage benefits to be harnessed .24

2.4 The need for heritage to be managed

The increasing involvement of society as a whole with heritage means that it is no longer, if
indeed it ever was, the preserve of academics and antiquarians. Nowadays, communities are
increasingly involved in their heritage. Cultural properties have important social and economic
functions and some continue to maintain strong links with communities with added tangible
and intangible expressions of value. Cultural heritage often remains in use for its original
purpose. Places of worship, residential properties, cultural landscapes or institutions of various
types are some examples. Many other heritage places have been adapted for new uses,
providing them with a function that guarantees their continuing maintenance and relevance
to society.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

23. The increasing emphasis on quality of life and well-being as the ultimate goals of development in global and national
development agendas suggests that aspects such as creativity, spiritual fulfilment, knowledge and beauty might find
their way into official statistics on social sustainability by making ‘culture’ and heritage legitimate and significant
constituents of sustainable development.
24. Lithgow, K. 2011. ‘Sustainable decision-making: change in National Trust collections conservation’, in: Journal of the
Institute of Conservation, Vol. 34 ,No. 1, 2011, pp. 128-142. London, ICON.
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Context: managing cultural heritage 2

There is increasing emphasis too on the contribution that heritage can make to sustainable
development and to social cohesion. This is coupled with the increasingly wide scope of what
can be regarded as heritage, including, for example, entire landscapes, urban centres, former
industrial and military establishments as well as what has traditionally been regarded as
heritage, such as archaeological sites, ruins and great buildings.

The complexity surrounding heritage should therefore compel society to engage in its holistic
management rather than to conserve only specific structures, as happened in the past. With
the greatly widened scope of what is regarded as heritage, the increasing complexity of the
problems facing it, and the need to use it sustainably, whether for tourism or for other pur-
poses, care of the heritage inevitably involves making decisions about what change is, or is
not, acceptable. The need to make choices between different alternatives has meant that
approaches to the management of heritage areas are changing. Increasingly, it is necessary
to identify the particular values (see Part 2.5) of a heritage property in order to decide how
it can be changed without having an adverse impact on its values. Managing heritage is
increasingly demanding and, at the same time, the outputs and outcomes expected from
the management processes are ever greater.

Table 3. Overview: the greater demands of and on the management of heritage

The multiple objectives that The wider obligations of heritage

characterize the growing role of management which result:
cultural heritage:

Conserving our common past through Promoting cultural diversity.

conventional approaches, i.e. the things
we need to do for the property. Protecting the natural environment
(particular ecosystems in and around
Cultural properties maintaining important sites).
social and economic functions.
Protecting less tangible assets within
Cultural properties maintaining strong properties (communities, cultures and
links with communities and contributing knowledge).
to society.
Providing vitality to communities.
Conserving the added tangible and
intangible expressions which result. Permitting continuing compatible land
uses or economic activity.

More and more importance is being given to the overall framework that defines the man-
agement system and the management culture (see Part 4).

What we mean by a ‘management system’ for cultural heritage

‘Management’ is about processes – the ‘judicious use of means to accomplish an end’,25 a
meaning compounded by the etymology of the word.26

The term ‘management system’ can be explained as a series of processes which together
deliver a set of results, some of which feed back into the system to create an upward spiral
of continuous improvement of the system, its actions and its achievements. Some form of
Managing Cultural World Heritage

25. Definition provided by www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/management

26. ‘The verb manage is thought to come from the Italian maneggiare – to handle, manage, touch, treat – which in turn
derives from the Latin manus (hand). The Old French word mesnagement (later ménagement) – the handling or
training of horses – influenced the development in meaning of the English word management in the 17th and
18th centuries.’ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management – Oxford English Dictionary.
T. F. Hoad. ‘manage.’ The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 20, 2012).
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-manage.html
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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

cultural heritage management system(s) exist(s) in every country. These management systems
are diverse; some have existed unchanged for centuries whilst others have evolved a great
deal in recent times. Some operate at a national level, others at provincial, local and property
levels. There are informal, conservation decision-making mechanisms for heritage in some
parts of the world that might not correspond with the mainstream heritage sector view of a
management system but they are systems all the same.

A ‘management system for cultural heritage’ helps to conserve and manage a given
property or group of properties in a way that protects heritage values, in particular the OUV
if it is a World Heritage property, and, where possible, enhances wider social, economic and
environmental benefits beyond the confines of each property. This wider engagement deters
practices detrimental to the cultural heritage but also facilitates the identification and
promotion of a property’s heritage values. Moreover, it delivers a constructive role for cultural
heritage in enhancing human development which in the long-term will bring a return, aug-
menting the sustainability of the cultural heritage itself (see Part 2.3).

The future success of heritage management systems, in particular for World Heritage,
depends greatly on their ability, amongst other things, to:
• employ a values-led approach (see Part 2.5),
• deliver approaches that anticipate and manage change,
• invest in the relationship between heritage and society, constantly examining why and how
cultural heritage should be conserved and for whom and with whom.

2.5 Approaches to heritage conservation and management

Whatever management system, be it informal or well documented, is in use or developed, it

is necessary to have an agreed basis for managing heritage. In recent decades there have
been two main approaches: one is what we call here the ‘conventional’ approach, and the
other the ‘values-led’ approach, which is increasingly predominant, being, perhaps, the more
adaptable. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive. Many management systems con-
tain elements of both approaches. Here we compare and contrast the two approaches and
attempt to explain why the values-led approach is the more appropriate one for conserving
and managing World Heritage properties.

The ‘conventional’ approach

The ‘conventional’ approach refers to the methodology adopted by the conservation profes-
sionals with the birth of the modern conservation movement in the Western world. The main
focus was placed on the conservation of the materials or the fabric of the past, which was
identified as monuments and sites to be preserved for the sake of future generations.
Conservation experts themselves began to identify and define what needed to be protected
(which was later supported by legislation established for the purpose by individual countries).
Examining the existing condition of the fabric led to various interventions for prolonging
the life of the materials. In the middle of the 20th century, this approach received global
recognition through doctrines such as the Venice Charter and the work of organizations such
as ICOMOS.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

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Context: managing cultural heritage 2

Table 4. Conventional approach to planning

Define (identify)
(significance implied)
▼
Documentation
▼
Assessing conditions
▼
Planning for conservation interventions

This approach has been widely adopted worldwide and has had both beneficial and
disadvantageous aspects. The recently developed values-led approach seems to be gaining
popularity for its ability to address some of the complexities surrounding heritage and in
particular its applicability to World Heritage.

The values-led approach

The values-led approach is, in many ways, a response to the recognition of the increasing
complexity of heritage. It evolved in various parts of the world, for instance in Canada and
the USA, and became better known through the Burra Charter, first developed by ICOMOS
Australia in 1979 and subsequently updated. The Charter promoted the assessment of the
significance of a place – based on the values attributed by all stakeholders (not only by the
experts) and the use of a Statement of Significance – as a basis for developing conservation
and management strategies. This concept was developed further by the work on Conserva-
tion Plans of James Kerr (1982). He brought a systematic approach to developing conservation
and management plans based on values and, more importantly, on the cultural significance
of a heritage place to society. This approach adopts the premise that people in society ascribe
various values to heritage.

Table 5. The values-led approach to planning

Collect data
▼
Assessing significance
(Values and attributes)
▼
Assessing conditions
▼
Planning for conservation / management
Managing Cultural World Heritage

This approach has been further developed elsewhere, for example by English Heritage in its
Guidance on Conservation Plans:

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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

English Heritage Guidance on Conservation Plans (1998)

SHEFFIELD TEMPLATE FOR A MODEL CONSERVATION PLAN

This is simply a suggested list of headings for a Conservation Plan. You may need to adapt it to
your own requirements and the needs of your own particular site or benefit from finding other
approaches.

1. Summary. A brief single page statement summarising the main conclusions of the plan.

2. Introduction. Circumstances of plan; Scope of plan (including boundary of study); Limitations

of study; Authorship; Relationship with any other relevant plans, Who has been consulted on
plan; When and by whom plan adopted.

3. Understanding the site. An analysis of the site which draws together documents and
physical evidence (archaeology, architecture, landscape etc.) as well as ecological; information in
a way which is relevant to management. Illustrated with images, maps, and phase plans. Brief
history of site. Main historical building or land use phases (supported by maps or plans).
Description of important features: Topographical and landscape setting.
Main features of site (e,g. buildings, principal rooms or spaces, character areas, landscape
features, planting, habitats, collections, machinery) Other relevant information (e.g. geology,
ecology) Documentation, (sources & archives).

4. Assessment of Significance. Assesses the significance of the site both general and in detail
for each of the main components of the site, making specific value judgements about the degree
of historical, ecological, geological, cultural, aesthetic, archaeological, technological, social and
other types of significance.
Overall summary of significance (1 side A4) Statutory status of all or parts Significance by
cultural/land use phase Significance by component/area/ compartment (may be table or descrip-
tive) other values or way site is significant (e.g. community)

5. Issues/Vulnerability. Defines those issues which affect the significance of the site or have the
potential to do so in the future, including physical condition, owners objectives, present use,
boundaries, available resources, external factors, existing knowledge of site, past damage, public
and community expectations, access, statutory controls and potential conflicts. Background to
site (legal ownership, occupancy, access, designation) Setting; Landscape; Buried archaeology;
Built Structures; Interiors; Collections; Nature Conservation; Role in Community.

6. Conservation Policy. Puts forward policies or 'vision' for the conservation of site which
show how you will identify appropriate uses, satisfy statutory requirements, work with resources,
priorities repair, resolve conflicts, define a conservation philosophy, enhance public appreciation,
maintain and manage site and control intervention so as to retain significance. Policies may
also relate to the provision of new services, new uses or the philosophy of new design.
Be imaginative!
Statutory controls, relevant planning and other policies Relevant non-statutory guidance
Conservation Policies; Setting; Landscape; Buried archaeology; Built structures;
Interiors- Collections; Ecology; Presentation, interpretation and education; Visitor management
(including disabled access, use, facilities); Role in the community; Future research.

7. Implementation and review. Identifies next steps, including strategy for implementing
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Conservation Plan (e.g. development of a scheme- Explains how and by whom plan will be
reviewed).

Strategy. The Conservation Plan may be followed by various strategy documents including
options appraisal for a new scheme, restoration proposals and costings, management proposals
or an impact assessment of an existing scheme, measured against the Conservation Plan.
•••
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Context: managing cultural heritage 2

••• Sources.

Appendices. include copies of relevant maps, designation documents, extracts from policy doc-
uments, site survey, technical information, drawings and other information not readily available.
Use the appendices to keep the main body of the text brief.

(from Kate Clark, Institute of Historic Building Conservation Context 57 – March 1998)

More and more countries are turning towards a values-led approach to heritage conservation.
In this approach, the significance of a heritage property is first established in a participatory
process involving all those who have an interest in it. Having defined the significance (state-
ment of significance), this becomes the framework for developing conservation policy and
strategy where the condition of the property, rules and regulations, the needs of the com-
munities, etc. are taken into account.

The World Heritage Convention is in fact an early example of a values-led approach since,
from the outset, its implementation has focused on the identification and protection of OUV
which is the significance that makes a place of importance to all humanity. The aim of man-
aging World Heritage properties is therefore to guarantee the protection or the long-term
maintenance of the OUV of a given property.

This values-led approach is therefore very suitable for the conservation and management of
World Heritage sites; Part 3 explores this in more detail. A values-led approach has the benefit
of not concentrating on fabric alone but on a broader set of values that are important not
only to a group of heritage experts but to a variety of legitimate stakeholders. However, man-
agement approaches need to be responsive since these heritage values, the driving forces
behind decision-making, are not static. They depend on the social groups that participate in
ascribing them and they can change over time, aligning themselves with (or reacting to) shifts
in wider social, cultural, environmental and use values. There will sometimes be conflict
between the different heritage values attributed to a property and it will be necessary to
decide their relative priorities.

The key to the values-led approach is preparing a ‘Statement of Significance’ and using it as
the basis for determining conservation and management strategies. This concept entered
the World Heritage discourse in 1995 and was included in 1997 in the OG which stated that
‘the Statement of Significance should make clear what are the values embodied by the site…’.
In 2000, a meeting dedicated to revising the OG (Canterbury, UK, April 2000) introduced
the ‘Statement of World Heritage Values’. At the 25th session of the World Heritage Com-
mittee (Helsinki, 2001) this was replaced by the more precise term ‘Statement of Outstanding
Universal Value’, abbreviated to ‘SOUV’. Finally, a definition of SOUV was included in the
current OG in 2005. While paragraph 155 provides a working definition, paragraph 51 clearly
states that: ‘at the time of inscription of a property on the World Heritage List, the Committee
adopts a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value which will be the key reference for the
future effective protection and management of the property’.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

In 2007 the Committee started to adopt a SOUV when inscribing the properties. But there
were many inconsistencies in the style of the SOUVs, there being no agreed format for writing
one until September 2008. Following research conducted by ICCROM, a workshop and a
series of discussions, the World Heritage Centre and its Advisory Bodies agreed a format that
is now being integrated into the Operational Guidelines and discussed in the Nomination
Manual. States Parties, the Advisory Bodies and the Committee are nearing the end of a
process for agreeing retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for properties
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2 Context: managing cultural heritage

inscribed before 2007. These statements are based on the original Committee decision on
inscription and on the documentation considered by it at that time.

A values-led approach is recommended as a planning tool for managing World Heritage

properties in conjunction with the framework for management systems discussed in chapter
4. This is further discussed in Appendix A.

Table 6. The values-led approach for World Heritage Management planning

Collecting data / information

▼
Assessing significance
(SOUV: values, attributes, authenticity, integrity; local values and attributes)
▼
Assessing conditions
▼
Planning for conservation / management

Managing a changing historic environment

Recognizing the inclusive nature of the historic environment and its significance as a whole
has considerable implications for the manager of a cultural property. With this shift, the whole
concept of site management has changed over the last half-century.

The historic environment has always changed and will continue to change in response to
human needs and to other factors, sometimes catastrophic. The property manager has to
recognize that any part of the historic environment may have multiple and changing values
(as mentioned above) which may be in conflict if not carefully managed. Change may also
be necessary to allow a place to continue its original function. This is true of much religious
heritage and of places such as national parliamentary buildings, whose fabric has been
adapted to allow them to continue to act as the legislature. Change may also lead to keeping
a heritage place in beneficial use, which is generally the best way of ensuring its future main-
tenance and upkeep.

The management of the historic environment is therefore the management of change. This
is as true of World Heritage properties as of any other form of heritage. The manager’s aim
must be the continuing sustainable use of the landscape, whether urban or rural, while keep-
ing and, if possible, reusing what is important from the past, while protecting the OUV of
the property. As a consequence, management must also change to accommodate the views
of others and the interests of those who live and work in an area.

The range of values and of interests can be very large, including national, regional and local
government, a variety of statutory agencies and non-governmental agencies and local com-
munities, those who own and occupy the places in question, and a wide range of users of
that particular piece of the historic environment.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Management planning has proved to be one of the most important tools for managing change
in cultural properties (see Appendix A for a review of management planning, and Appendix
B for other tools, some of them widely in use for heritage, some still under development).

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3 Understanding management
in the World Heritage context

Part 3 describes the World Heritage Convention. It describes what the Convention
requires its States Parties to do; what it says about the management of World
Heritage properties, and the role of the Operational Guidelines (Parts 3.1 - 3.3).
It explains crucial concepts such as Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and
integrity, and procedures such as Periodic Reporting and Danger Listing (Part 3.4).

It then reviews measures that continue to be taken by the World Heritage Committee
to improve the operation of the Convention. These take the form of decisions cast
in the form of ‘Strategic Guidance’ to States Parties and revisions made to the
Operational Guidelines as a result of accumulating experience in implementing
the Convention (Parts 3.5 - 3.7). A final section describes the strategy for capacity-
building in World Heritage work (Part 3.8).

3.1 What is World Heritage, the World Heritage system and its
requirements?

The concept of World Heritage of Outstanding Universal Value was crystallized in 1972 when
UNESCO adopted the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage, more often known simply as the World Heritage Convention. This intro-
duced into international legislation the idea that some heritage in the world was of such
importance that it was of value to all humanity, and that responsibility for its management
was of more than national significance, even if the primary responsibility remained with
individual nations. This concept was so attractive that 190 States Parties have now ratified
the Convention and nearly one thousand properties have been inscribed on the World
Heritage List.

Forty years later, the original concept thrives but its application has changed almost beyond
recognition because of changes in the context in which the Convention is applied. These are
due to the sheer number of World Heritage properties and the evolution of World Heritage
processes; but especially to the development of the concept of heritage, particularly cultural
heritage, over the last forty years. The need for appropriate management of World Heritage
properties has been increasingly recognized over that period.

Most of the cultural sites that were the first to be inscribed on the World Heritage List in
1978 were monumental, archaeological or urban in character, although there were already
some that were industrial or associative in value. Since then, the concept of cultural heritage
has widened almost beyond recognition in acknowledging that humanity has had an impact
on the whole of the globe. Evidence of this impact can be regarded as heritage, even if most
of it would not be deemed to be of Outstanding Universal Value.

Similarly, the application of the Convention has expanded to include not only the great build-
ings and urban centres of the ruling classes through the ages, but also the equally significant,
if more fragile, evidence of the basic processes by which humanity has developed society
and its economic basis. As a result the nature of the properties inscribed on the World
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Heritage List has expanded to include evidence of science and technology, industry and
agriculture, and to embrace the concept of cultural landscapes. This process has meant that
the management problems facing World Heritage properties are very much more complex
than they were in 1972.

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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

3.2 The 1972 World Heritage Convention: why and how to manage
properties, and the need to comply

The basic framework for the World Heritage system is still that laid down by the Convention
concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, unaltered since
its adoption by UNESCO in 1972. The changing application of the Convention can be traced
through successive editions of the UNESCO Operational Guidelines for the Implementation
of the World Heritage Convention from the first edition in 1977 to the most recent in 2012.
These have been the main vehicle for the translation of the general principles of the World
Heritage Convention into more detailed guidance for its practical application.

The World Heritage system involves a number of players. The governing body of the
Convention is the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (hereafter referred to as ‘the
Committee’). This consists of twenty one members elected by the Member States at the
biennial General Assembly. In recent years, the General Assembly of States Parties has taken
a more active role in developing general policies for the implementation of the Convention.

States Parties normally serve on the Committee for four years. The Committee is responsible
for the implementation of the Convention. Its principal functions, as described in the
Operational Guidelines, include:
• Keeping the context under review (purpose of the Convention, institutional framework,
definition of OUV and standards for protection and management) (Sections I and II),
• Nominating properties (Section III),
• Monitoring properties (Sections IV and V),
• Support and International Assistance (Sections VI and VII).27

Role of the Committee is to:

a) identify, on the basis of Tentative Lists and nominations submitted by States Parties, cultural
and natural properties of Outstanding Universal Value which are to be protected under the
Convention and to inscribe those properties on the World Heritage List;
b) examine the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List through
processes of Reactive Monitoring and Periodic Reporting;
c) decide which properties inscribed on the World Heritage List are to be inscribed on, or
removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
d) decide whether a property should be deleted from the World Heritage List;
e) define the procedure by which requests for International Assistance are to be considered and
carry out studies and consultations as necessary before coming to a decision;
f) determine how the resources of the World Heritage Fund can be used most advantageously to
assist States Parties in the protection of their properties of Outstanding Universal Value;
g) seek ways to increase the World Heritage Fund;
h) submit a report on its activities every two years to the General Assembly of States Parties and
to the UNESCO General Conference;
i) review and evaluate periodically the implementation of the Convention;
j) revise and adopt the Operational Guidelines.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

The Committee meets annually in June / July and can also hold extraordinary meetings at
other times of year. The Committee receives professional advice from three bodies named in
the Convention. The principal role of these three bodies is to provide professional advice and
support to the Committee and to the Secretariat (the World Heritage Centre). These are:
• International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
(Rome Centre) (ICCROM), whose principal concern is training,

27. http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide11-en.pdf
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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

• International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), whose principal functions are to
evaluate the nominations of cultural sites, and to report on the state of conservation of
cultural properties on the List,
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whose principal functions are to
evaluate the nominations of natural sites, and to report on the state of conservation of
natural properties on the List.

The roles of the Advisory Bodies are to:

a) advise on the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in the field of their expertise;
b) ssist the Secretariat, in the preparation of the Committee's documentation, the agenda of its
meetings and the implementation of the Committee’s decisions;
c) assist with the development and implementation of the Global Strategy for a Representative,
Balanced and Credible World Heritage List, the Global Training Strategy [since 2011
substituted by the ‘World Heritage Strategy for Capacity Building’], Periodic Reporting, and
the strengthening of the effective use of the World Heritage Fund;
d) monitor the state of conservation of World Heritage properties and review requests for
International Assistance;
e) in the case of ICOMOS and IUCN evaluate properties nominated for inscription on the World
Heritage List and present evaluation reports to the Committee; and
f) attend meetings of the World Heritage Committee and the Bureau in an advisory capacity.
(OG para 31)

The Secretariat of the Committee is provided by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre. The
Centre’s main role is to service the World Heritage Committee, implement its decisions and
manage the major processes of the Convention.

The main tasks of the World Heritage Centre are:

a) the organization of the meetings of the General Assembly and the Committee;
b) the implementation of decisions of the World Heritage Committee and resolutions of the
General Assembly and reporting to them on their execution;
c) the receipt, registration, checking the completeness, archiving and transmission to the relevant
Advisory Bodies of nominations to the World Heritage List;
d) the coordination of studies and activities as part of the Global Strategy for a Representative,
Balanced and Credible World Heritage List;
e) the organization of Periodic Reporting and coordination of Reactive Monitoring;
f) the coordination of International Assistance;
g) the mobilization of extra-budgetary resources for the conservation and management of World
Heritage properties;
h) the assistance to States Parties in the implementation of the Committee's programmes and
projects; and
i) the promotion of World Heritage and the Convention through the dissemination of informa-
tion to States Parties, the Advisory Bodies and the general public. (OG para 28)
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Responsibilities of States Parties

Management per se is not mentioned in the World Heritage Convention. The Convention,
however, makes clear both that the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage properties
should be protected to a particular level (Article 4), and that States Parties to the Convention
should have in place a general system for protecting both natural and cultural heritage (Article
5). Article 4 sets out clearly the objectives of the Convention for World Heritage properties,
and these should be the guiding star for managing them, while Article 5 could be said to
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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

outline an idealized management system at the national level. Article 29 suggests that from
the outset some kind of monitoring of the implementation of the Convention was intended.

The Convention makes clear that primary responsibility for management of sites rests with
individual States Parties. But in addition its Article 6.1 states that such [i.e World] Heritage
constitutes a World Heritage for whose protection it is the duty of the international commu-
nity as a whole to cooperate, and sets out the means by which this is to happen through the
working of the World Heritage Committee, and the institution of a World Heritage Fund and
International Assistance. Article 29 of the Convention sets out the duty of States Parties to
report on their application of the Convention (now carried out through the process of Periodic
Reporting; see Part 3.5).

The Convention also sets out in Article 11.4 the procedure that the Committee should follow
if a World Heritage property is at risk and in Article 13 the ways in which the Committee can
provide assistance to States Parties.

Reference to ‘management’ in the 1972 World Heritage Convention

The bold portions of the following extracts of the 1972 World Heritage Convention are the
closest that the document comes to referring to issues concerning the ‘management’ of
cultural heritage. Article 4 deals primarily with World Heritage properties while Article 5,
perhaps the most direct reference to management approaches, deals with a State Party’s
general responsibilities towards cultural and natural heritage:

References to ‘management’ in the 1972 World Heritage Convention

Article 4
Each State Party to this Convention recognizes that the duty of ensuring the identification,
protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the
cultural and natural heritage referred to in Articles 1 and 2 [i.e. World Heritage] situated on its
territory, belongs primarily to that State. It will do all it can to this end, to the utmost of its own
resources and, where appropriate, with any international assistance and cooperation, in
particular, financial, artistic, scientific and technical, which it may be able to obtain.

Article 5
To ensure that effective and active measures are taken for the protection, conservation
and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage situated on its territory, each State Party
to this Convention shall endeavour, in so far as possible, and as appropriate for each country:
1. to adopt a general policy which aims to give the cultural and natural heritage a function in
the life of the community and to integrate the protection of that heritage into compre-
hensive planning programmes;
2. to set up within its territories, where such services do not exist, one or more services for the
protection, conservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage with an
appropriate staff and possessing the means to discharge their functions;
3. to develop scientific and technical studies and research and to work out such operating
methods as will make the State capable of counteracting the dangers that threaten its
cultural or natural heritage;
4. to take the appropriate legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial meas-
Managing Cultural World Heritage

ures necessary for the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation
of this heritage; and;
5. to foster the establishment or development of national or regional centres for training in
the protection, conservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage and to
encourage scientific research in this field.

•••
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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

••• Article 29
The States Parties to this Convention shall, in the reports which they submit to the General
Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on dates
and in a manner to be determined by it, give information on the legislative and administrative
provisions which they have adopted and other action which they have taken for the
application of this Convention, together with details of the experience acquired in this field.

These reports shall be brought to the attention of the World Heritage Committee.

The Committee shall submit a report on its activities at each of the ordinary sessions of the
General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Apart from the Convention itself, the Committee has developed Operational Guidelines (OG)
to provide more practical advice on the application and implementation of the Convention.
The OG have been revised from time to time, most recently in 2012 (see Part 3.3). The Com-
mittee also adopts other guidance which may be found in its decisions (available through
the World Heritage Centre website and other publications) (see Part 3.4).

3.3 The Operational Guidelines: managing in order to protect Outstanding

Universal Value

As noted above, the OG provide detailed guidance on the application of the Convention.
Since 2005, the OG have contained guidance on the management of World Heritage prop-
erties. Inevitably, this is fairly general since the guidance has to be applicable to management
in all parts of the world. Nonetheless, there is a definition both of the objectives of a man-
agement system and of what it should contain. Paragraph 78 says that each World Heritage
property must have an adequate protection and management system in order to be deemed
of Outstanding Universal Value. The references to management in the World Heritage
Operational Guidelines (2012 edition) are provided below.

References to management in the World Heritage Operational Guidelines (2012 edition)

OG108: Each nominated property should have an appropriate management plan or other
documented management system which must specify how the Outstanding Universal Value of
a property should be preserved, preferably through participatory means.

OG109: The purpose of a management system is to ensure the effective protection of the
nominated property for present and future generations.

OG110: An effective management system depends on the type, characteristics and needs of
the nominated property and its cultural and natural context. Management systems may vary
according to different cultural perspectives, the resources available and other factors. They may
incorporate traditional practices, existing urban or regional planning instruments, and other
Managing Cultural World Heritage

planning control mechanisms, both formal and informal. Impact assessments for proposed
interventions are essential for all World Heritage properties.

OG111: In recognizing the diversity mentioned above, common elements of an effective

management system could include:
a. A thorough shared understanding of the property by all stakeholders;
b. A cycle of planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and feedback;
•••
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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

••• c. The monitoring and assessment of the impacts of trends, changes, and of proposed interventions;
d. The involvement of partners and stakeholders;
e. The allocation of necessary resources;
f. Capacity-building; and
g. An accountable, transparent description of how the management system functions.

OG112: Effective management involves a cycle of short-, medium- and long-term actions to
protect, conserve and present the nominated property. An integrated approach to planning
and management is essential to guide the evolution of properties over time and to ensure
Contents

maintenance of all aspects of their Outstanding Universal Value. This approach goes beyond
the property to include any buffer zone(s), as well as the broader setting.

While there is reference to a ‘management plan’, no specific reference is made to its nature.
Guidance on management, however, is not restricted to this section of the Operational Guide-
lines. It is important to read right through the text in order to understand the emphasis now
placed on the protection of Outstanding Universal Value and the importance of the Statement
of Outstanding Universal Value as the baseline for managing and monitoring the property
(see Part 3.4).

The OG identify other factors, such as disaster preparedness and the potential impact of
climate change, which need to be covered in any management system. They also require the
use of impact assessment for assessing the effect of development proposals on the Outstand-
ing Universal Value of a property, and point out that World Heritage properties have a role
in sustainable development, provided that this does not adversely affect the property
(OG para 119).

Elsewhere, the OG describe the necessity of reporting changes or proposals for major devel-
opments affecting a World Heritage property to the World Heritage Committee before final
decisions on them are taken (see Part 3.5).

There is also detailed guidance on the nomination format in paragraph 132 and Annex 5 of
the OG. Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the nomination format must describe the threats, protective
measures and monitoring for the site and provide a detailed analysis of the way in which this
protection actually operates. The nomination format also says that an appropriate manage-
ment plan or other management system is essential and should be provided in the nomination
dossier. Assurances of the effective implementation of the management plan or other
management system are also expected, along with a detailed analysis or explanation of the
management plan or documented management system (OG para 132, item 5 Management).

In Part 4 and in particular Part 4.5, guidance is provided for filling out sections 4, 5 and 6 of
the nomination format.

3.4 Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and integrity in the context

of World Heritage property management
Managing Cultural World Heritage

The concept of Outstanding Universal Value

The key to the Convention is the concept of the need to identify, protect, present and transmit
to future generations places of Outstanding Universal Value to all humanity. However, this
concept is not actually defined in the Convention. Article 11.1 says that the World Heritage
Committee shall establish ‘a list of properties … which it considers has having Outstanding
Universal Value in terms of such criteria as it shall have established’. The first actual definition

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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

of Outstanding Universal Value was contained in the 2005 Operational Guidelines and is
repeated in subsequent revisions including the 2012 edition:
‘Outstanding Universal Value means cultural and/or natural significance which is so excep-
tional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and
future generations of all humanity’ (OG para 49).

However, OUV has a broader dimension that needs to be understood when justifying it for
nominations and that in turn will form the foundation for managing the property. The OG
state with regard to OUV:
To be deemed of Outstanding Universal Value, a property must also meet the conditions of
integrity and/or authenticity and must have an adequate protection and management system
to ensure its safeguarding. (OG paras 77-79)

A property needs to meet these three requirements of Outstanding Universal Value to be

included on the World Heritage List (see diagram below):

OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE

Property Property
Property meets meets
meets the the
one or more conditions requirements
World Heritage of integrity for
criteria and protection
authenticity and
if relevant management

Illustration of the three pillars of Outstanding Universal Value

within the World Heritage Convention.
All three must be in place for a property
to be judged to have Outstanding Universal Value.

Diagram 3: The three pillars of Outstanding Universal Value. Source: IUCN (2007).

Managing OUV
Section 3 (OG Annex 5) of the nomination format provides for the elaboration of OUV.
Guidance to complete this section is provided in the Resource Manual Preparing World
Heritage Nominations (see under the headings of criteria, authenticity, integrity and
management and its relationship to the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (SOUV)
which will form the basis for future management of the property in order to protect OUV).
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Criteria
Criteria for assessing Outstanding Universal Value were established much earlier. Modified
on various occasions, the ten criteria currently used by the Committee for both cultural and
natural heritage are:

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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

Extract from the Operational Guidelines

77 The Committee considers a property as having Outstanding Universal Value (see paragraphs
49-53) if the property meets one or more of the following criteria. Nominated properties shall
therefore :
(i) represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
(ii) exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural
area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-
planning or landscape design;
(iii) bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization
which is living or which has disappeared;
(iv) be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or
landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
(v) be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which
is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment
especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
(vi) be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs,
with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee
considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria) ;
(vii) contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic
importance;
(viii) be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record
of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or
significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
(ix) be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological
processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine
ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
(x) contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of
biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of Outstanding Universal
Value from the point of view of science or conservation.

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

Section 3.1 b of the nomination format (OG Annex 5) provides space to describe in detail the
applicable criteria for a given property. It can be a lengthy description but it is important to
describe the values that are of outstanding nature (i.e. OUV), based on one or more of the above
criteria, and to identify the attributes that carry those values. Identification of attributes, both
tangible and intangible, that convey the OUV is important for the management of the property.
Helpful guidance to understand and describe attributes is provided in the Nomination Manual.
Further guidance on writing criteria can be found there.

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

Understanding attributes: extract from the Resource Manual Preparing World Heritage
Nominations
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Attributes are aspects of a property which are associated with or express the Outstanding
Universal Value. Attributes can be tangible or intangible. The Operational Guidelines indicate a
range of types of attribute which might convey Outstanding Universal Value, including:
• form and design;
• materials and substance;
• use and function;
• traditions, techniques and management systems;
•••
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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

••• • location and setting;

• language, and other forms of intangible heritage; and
• spirit and feeling (Paragraph 82).
This list is for guidance. It is essential that the attributes identified for a property should flow
from the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value and the justification for the criteria.
Attributes must be identified as they are vital to understanding authenticity and integrity, and
are the focus of protection, conservation and management.

Identifying attributes and features

World Heritage properties are places that convey their Outstanding Universal Value. Cultural
value may relate to intangible qualities such as social structure, economic needs and political
context, in space as well as time. It may relate to famous events, persons or works of art, litera-
ture, science or music. However, the World Heritage Convention is a property based convention
– properties themselves are inscribed on the List, not ideas or people as such, however great
their global influence. Listed properties are required to demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value
through their attributes.

Having considered what the potential Outstanding Universal Value of a natural or cultural prop-
erty might be, it is essential to consider the attributes, more commonly called features for natural
properties, which convey that value and allow an understanding of it.

These attributes will be the focus of protection and management actions, and institutional
arrangements, and their disposition will inform the boundary of the property.

Attributes might be physical qualities or fabric but can also be processes associated with a
property that impact on physical qualities, such as natural or agricultural processes, social
arrangements or cultural practices that have shaped distinctive landscapes. For natural properties
they can be specific landscape features, areas of habitat, aspects relating to environmental
quality (such as intactness, high / pristine environmental quality), scale and naturalness of
habitats, and size and viability of wildlife populations.

A useful technique for complex properties, and in particular cultural properties, with a complex
layering of attributes is to map the important attributes and the values they convey. This map-
ping can assist with understanding the relationship between attributes, but it can also highlight
conflicts or management issues, and it is essential for the delineation of boundaries.

(World Heritage Resource Manual Preparing World Heritage Nominations – 2010)

Integrity
Another condition that must be met and that has implications for management is integrity.
Integrity is about the completeness of the site and is primarily concerned with (OG para 88):
• boundaries – does the property contain all the attributes to sustain the property’s
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Outstanding Universal Value?

• completeness – is the property of adequate size to ensure the complete presentation of
the processes and features that convey its significance?
• state of conservation – are the attributes conveying Outstanding Universal Value at risk
from neglect or decay?

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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

Section 3.1 c of the nomination format (OG Annex 5) provides the space to write the Statement
of Integrity. Further guidance on assessing integrity can be found in the Operational Guidelines
and the Nomination Manual, as can specific guidance on writing the Statement of Integrity for
the property.

Authenticity
Authenticity is the other key concept that has implications for management. It refers to the
truthfulness or the credibility of attributes that reflect the OUV. For this reason, the OG
mention that the properties nominated under criteria (i) to (vi) must meet the conditions of
authenticity. OG paragraphs 79-86 and Annex 4, which includes the text of the Nara
Document on Authenticity, provide a practical basis for examining the authenticity of
properties. The Preparing World Heritage Nominations Resource Manual also offers
guidance.

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

Extracts from World Heritage documents regarding authenticity

Properties may be understood to meet the conditions of authenticity if their cultural values (as
recognized in the nomination criteria proposed) are truthfully and credibly expressed through a
variety of attributes.

(OG para 82)

For each property the attributes that have been identified as conveying the potential Outstanding
Universal Value should be considered for the way they might be said to ’truthfully’ convey or
express that value. For example, for an urban area it might be appropriate to consider structures,
spatial plans, as well as traditions and socio-economic-environmental structures of the living
communities that populate the property, and which allow it to express its value.

Authenticity is therefore a measure of how well attributes convey potential Outstanding

Universal Value. Authenticity can be compromised if the attributes are weak – communities
cease to thrive, buildings collapse, traditions disappear, and so on.

In the case of archaeological sites, authenticity is judged according to the ability of the archaeo-
logical remains to truthfully convey their meaning. In many cases, conjectural reconstruction
might hinder this process and compromise authenticity. Similarly, while reconstruction of incom-
plete buildings and structures can be justified in some circumstances, this can also impact on
their ability to truthfully convey meaning.

(World Heritage Resource Manual Preparing World Heritage Nominations – 2010)

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Section 3.1 d of the nomination format (OG Annex 5) provides a space for writing the Statement
of Authenticity. Specific guidance on writing the Statement of Authenticity for the property can
also be found in the Nomination Manual.

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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

Protection and management requirements

Attributes, authenticity and integrity are affected by various factors that produce both positive
and negative impacts. Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the nomination format (OG Annex 5) are
designed to address these issues and to demonstrate how the State Party is going to protect
the OUV. Section 3.1e (OG Annex 5) provides the opportunity to write the Statement of
Management.

Responding to sections 4, 5 and 6 of the nomination format (OG Annex 5) requires

substantial guidance and is the main focus of the last two chapters of this manual (Part 4
and Appendix A).

Statement of Outstanding Universal Value

For the purpose of management, States Parties prepare a Statement of Outstanding Universal
Value which captures all the above components (3.1 b, c, d and e of the nomination format,
OG Annex 5) and which the World Heritage Committee adopts at the time of inscription.
According to the OG, ‘the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value shall be the basis for
the future protection and management of the property’. Statements of OUV aim to provide
a clear, shared, understanding of the reasons for World Heritage inscription and of what
needs managing in order to sustain OUV for the long term.

While OUV is described broadly in the World Heritage Convention and the OG, it is defined
very specifically for each property by the World Heritage Committee at the time of inscription,
using the draft SOUV prepared by the State Party, amended as necessary. The purpose of the
Statement is to set out clearly this definition. Once so defined, the Statement is the baseline
for future management of the property.

It is essential that the SOUV should as far as possible identify the attributes that carry the
OUV to be managed. These will articulate the OUV in a way that is manageable and are also
the basis for assessing authenticity and integrity. Clear identification of attributes is an
essential step towards effective values-based management targeted at the maintenance of
a property’s OUV.

Not all Statements can deal fully in the space available with the specific attributes of OUV
for a particular property. It may be necessary to develop the detailed attributes within the
documentation of the management system. The following guidance will be useful in this
respect.

The main sections of a SOUV should be (1) brief synthesis; (2) justification for criteria;
(3) statement of integrity (for all properties); (4) statement of authenticity (for properties
nominated under criteria i to vi) and (5) requirements for protection and management
(guidance is provided in paragraph 155 and in Annex 10 of the OG and also in the
Nomination Manual).

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

A Statement of Outstanding Universal Value should respect the following format

Managing Cultural World Heritage

(two A4 pages maximum):

• Brief synthesis:
− Summary of factual information (what the property consists of, and the geographical and
historical context, 150 words maximum);
− Summary of qualities (values, attributes, 150 words maximum);
• Justification for criteria (values and attributes which manifest them, and why the property
justifies each proposed criterion, 200 words maximum for each criterion); •••
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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

••• • Statement of integrity (all properties) at the date of drafting / inscription (the way the attributes
or features of the property that convey potential Outstanding Universal Value may be said to
be all in place and within the boundaries of the property, 200 words maximum);
• Statement of authenticity (the statement is only needed for properties nominated under criteria
i-vi) at the date of drafting / inscription (whether the attributes that carry potential Outstanding
Universal Value truthfully reflect the value, 200 words maximum);
• Requirements for protection and management necessary to maintain potential Outstanding
Universal Value (how the protection and management arrangements, both systems and plans,
are robust enough to carry forward the protection and management of the property in a way
that sustains potential Outstanding Universal Value) (protection and management are discussed
on pages 82–91):
− Overall framework (200 words maximum);
− Specific long-term expectations – the key issues that require long-term attention (for
example protection from key threats, maintenance of capacity and finance, maintenance of
community support, 150 words maximum).

(World Heritage Resource Manual Preparing World Heritage Nominations – Second edition 2011)

Application of the SOUV in the management planning process is described in Appendix A of

this manual.

3.5 World Heritage documentation and procedures to reinforce

management
States Parties, the World Heritage Committee, the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage
Centre are involved in the management of World Heritage properties in a number of ways.
A State Party prepares the documentation relevant to site management as part of the
nomination, including a proposed definition of the Outstanding Universal Value of the
property. It is the Committee, on the advice of the Advisory Bodies, which defines the
Outstanding Universal Value of each World Heritage property. It will also be involved in the
regular Periodic Reports on World Heritage properties as well as in any reactive monitoring
arising out of specific problems affecting individual properties. Processes such as these should
involve the site manager as well as the State Party and the international bodies in the World
Heritage system.

Those who intend to manage World Heritage sites need to be aware of these resources and
processes, since they will affect what they can achieve and will influence their objectives,
and also affect the character of the management system. It is sensible to monitor the websites
of the World Heritage Centre and the relevant Advisory Bodies on a regular basis to keep
abreast of developments. Much of the documentation held by the Centre on individual prop-
erties is available on their website under the entry for that property on the World Heritage
List. All heritage practitioners dealing with a particular property should be familiar with what
is posted on the World Heritage Centre website.

Documentation: the nomination file

Managing Cultural World Heritage

The format of the nomination dossier has changed many times since the first properties were
inscribed in 1978. Broadly, though, for cultural properties the nomination dossier has covered
the identification and location of the property, its description and history, the justification of
its Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and (since 2005) integrity, factors affecting the
property, protection and management requirements, and key indicators for monitoring the
property. The nomination dossier should therefore demonstrate that the property meets the
requirements for World Heritage inscription set out in the OG. The Centre should hold the
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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

original nomination dossier, including any management plan, along with the Advisory Body
evaluation of the property, and, where it exists, the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value
agreed by the Committee. Of these, the dossier should be the foundation source for infor-
mation for managing the property. However, better guidance as to the Committee’s inten-
tions and concerns at the time of inscription will be provided by the Statement of Outstanding
Universal Value, initially prepared by the State Party but often modified by the Advisory Bodies
before approval by the Committee. Once approved by the Committee, the Statement will
take precedence over what is in the dossier. Similarly, the Advisory Bodies may recommend
changes to the criteria to the Committee; once approved by the Committee, they will take
precedence over what is in the dossier. All other information, such as the delineation of
boundaries and buffer zones, will remain unaltered unless changed by a decision of the
Committee following the procedure given in the OG, either at the time of inscription or
subsequently.

Also very useful, particularly for more recent inscriptions, is the evaluation of the nomination
dossier carried out by the relevant Advisory Body. This will be ICOMOS in the case of cultural
properties although IUCN will also have been involved if a property is either mixed or a cultural
landscape. The evaluation normally provides a valuable and useful analysis of the property
and the issues affecting it. This analysis should be used in the development and implemen-
tation of the management system, particularly in the early years after inscription.

Documentation – a management plan

In most cases, a separate management plan is now submitted with the nomination dossier.
Among its tasks is a description of the property’s management system of which the
management plan should be an integral part. Together these form the basis for the future
management of the property. However, it should be understood that the criteria and SOUV
may have been modified or changed by the Committee, sometimes on their own initiative
or following the recommendations of the Advisory Bodies. Recommendations are also made
by the Committee in its final decisions which will have repercussions on management. The
first task of the State Party should be to revise the management plan to incorporate these
changes and to use this new version for managing the property and making any necessary
changes in the management system.

Periodic Reporting
Periodic Reporting is a formal requirement of the World Heritage system that requires States
Parties to submit a report every six years on the application of the World Heritage Convention
in their territories. Periodic Reports are submitted to the UNESCO General Conference
through the World Heritage Committee. They report on the legislative and administrative
provisions that States Parties have adopted and other action that they have taken, including
reports on the state of conservation of their World Heritage properties (OG para 199). It is
an important process for the effective long-term conservation of inscribed properties while
also strengthening the credibility of the implementation of the Convention (OG para 202). It
must therefore have the full participation of States Parties, relevant institutions and regional
expertise. As well as being useful for the Committee and others, Periodic Reporting is a
valuable tool for site managers and national authorities because it should provide a periodic
review of the effectiveness of their management system.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Periodic Reporting serves four main purposes:

a) to provide an assessment of the application of the World Heritage Convention by the State
Party;
b) to provide an assessment as to whether the Outstanding Universal Value of the properties
inscribed on the World Heritage List is being maintained over time;
c) to provide up-dated information about the World Heritage properties to record the chang-
ing circumstances and state of conservation of the properties;
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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

d) to provide a mechanism for regional cooperation and exchange of information and

experiences between States Parties concerning the implementation of the Convention and
World Heritage conservation.

(OG para 201).

Periodic Reporting is carried out on a regional basis in order to promote regional collaboration
and in order for the Committee to be able to respond to the specific characteristics of each
region. This is particularly useful for promoting coordination in the case of transboundary
properties. After the first six-year cycle of Periodic Reports, each region is now being assessed
again in the same order (OG paras 203–205).

Management issues identified through the process should be addressed by the States Parties.
Over time, successive reports will build up a valuable record of the progress of the site. Regular
monitoring is an essential part of a World Heritage management system and Periodic
Reporting should be integrated into this (see Parts 4.4 and 4.5).
CASE STUDY

Results of Periodic Reporting exercise

Six-yearly Periodic Reporting cycle provides a unique opportunity for the countries in the regions to
reflect the status of conservation of their properties, share them with others and to collectively identify
and prioritize the needs for effective implementation of the Convention. Asia and the Pacific region,
which carried out the second Periodic Reporting Cycle during 2010-2011, developed two separate action
plans: one for Asia and the other for the Pacific. It involved 41 States Parties and 198 properties.
For instance, the action plan developed for Asia in Suwon (Republic of Korea) identified the following
priority areas for implementation: development / review management plans/systems; disaster risk
preparedness; regional cooperation; greater involvement of communities. Source: DRK NatCom Jihon
© Korean National Commission for UNESCO

Periodic Reporting Asia and the Pacific

State of Conservation Reports

The World Heritage Committee wishes to be kept informed of major events or interventions
affecting World Heritage properties so that they may consider such proposals and offer tech-
Managing Cultural World Heritage

nical cooperation in order to avoid the possibility of deletion of properties from the World
Heritage List (OG para 170). Reactive Monitoring is the process of reporting to the Committee
on the state of conservation of specific World Heritage properties which are under threat
(OG para 169).

States Parties are invited to submit, by 1 February each year, specific reports on each occasion
that exceptional circumstances occur or work is undertaken which may have an effect on
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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

the state of conservation of the property (OG para 169). Para 172 of the OG invites states
parties to inform the Committee … of their intention to undertake or to authorize in an area
protected under the Convention major restorations or new constructions which may affect
the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. Notice should be given as soon as possible
so that the Committee has the opportunity to comment before making any decisions that
would be difficult to reverse. The World Heritage Centre or Advisory Bodies may also receive
reports from third parties on emerging or sudden threats to the property which can affect its
OUV, integrity and authenticity.

It is open to States Parties to request technical or advisory missions and International Assis-
tance for such purposes. This can be done at any time and is not necessarily dependent on
a Committee decision. In some circumstances, this may be a useful contribution to reaching
a decision on a proposed course of action or intervention at a property.

In all cases, the Centre will take steps to verify the reports that they have received, and then
request information from the State Party on the nature and seriousness of this threat, if the
report did not originate with the State Party. Based on the reply, the Centre can decide to
submit a ‘State of Conservation’ report to the World Heritage Committee, including a draft
decision which can suggest or request from the State Party suitable management responses
to address particular problems. This process is described below.

State of Conservation (SOC) reports process (IUCN):28

• Drafting decisions: Following receipt of the information from the State Party, the World
Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies jointly develop a State of Conservation report with a
draft decision with recommendations for action in advance of the World Heritage Committee
meeting. The draft decision documents need to meet standards set out in the Operational
Guidelines (para 23).

• Adopting decisions: The decisions are then reviewed and, if necessary discussed and revised,
at the World Heritage Committee meeting. The process for the approval of decisions at the
Committee meeting is laid out in the Committee Rules of Procedure.

• Information on Committee decisions: After the Committee meeting, the World Heritage Centre
forwards a report of all the Committee decisions to States Parties within a month of the
meeting (para 168). However information on Committee decisions may not necessarily filter
down to all those working at the individual World Heritage site. It is therefore useful to look
at either the World Heritage site page on the UNESCO website or the World Heritage decisions
database to check the status of decisions in relation to a specific site. All decisions are
numbered in relation to the agenda of the meeting at which they were discussed. Generally
decision numbers related to SOC are COM 7: A, B, C

• Implementing the decision: The State of Conservation reports specifically require States Parties
to report on actions taken to follow up on previous decisions of the World Heritage Committee
on the state of conservation of the property. The site manager should be involved in this
process, and there are frequently follow-up missions to review the implementation of actions
highlighted in decisions.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

It is essential that both the national and local site management authorities pay attention to
these decisions. At this stage, the State Party may have to revisit the management plan or
actions that are ongoing and see if it can comply with them or develop new actions to address

28. UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2012. Managing Natural World Heritage. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage
Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual.) http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-703-1.pdf
(English web page).
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them. This may have consequences for planned actions and resources which may then have
to be reassessed. Ways will have to be found to address the concerns of the Committee and
report on them to it within a year or two years and then on a regular basis, until such time
that the Committee is satisfied with the outcome.

Committee decisions can recommend a number of courses of action. These can include:

a) [The Committee] may decide that the property has not seriously deteriorated and that no
further action should be taken;

b) when the Committee considers that the property has seriously deteriorated, but not to the
extent that its restoration is impossible, it may decide that the property be maintained on the
List, provided that the State Party takes the necessary measures to restore the property within
a reasonable period of time. The Committee may also decide that technical cooperation be
provided under the World Heritage Fund for work connected with the restoration of the prop-
erty, proposing to the State Party to request such assistance, if it has not already been done;

c) when the requirements and criteria set out in paragraphs 177–182 are met, the Committee
may decide to inscribe the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger according to the
procedures set out in paragraphs 183–189;

d) when there is evidence that the property has deteriorated to the point where it has irretriev-
ably lost those characteristics which determined its inscription on the List, the Committee may
decide to delete the property from the List. Before any such action is taken, the Secretariat will
inform the State Party concerned. Any comments which the State Party may make will be
brought to the attention of the Committee;

(OG para 176)

Except in the most urgent circumstances, it is likely that the Committee will recommend that
a UNESCO / Advisory Body mission be sent to investigate the circumstances before deciding
to consider Danger listing or other serious action. The Committee may also decide to send a
mission if there has been little recent involvement with a property, in order to ascertain the
facts.

The mission will examine whether there is any indication of threats or, conversely, significant
improvements in the conservation of the property since the last report to the World Heritage
Committee. It will also examine whether there has been any follow-up to previous decisions
of the Committee on the state of conservation of the property, and will provide information
on any potential or ascertained threat or damage to or loss of OUV, including integrity and
authenticity (OG para 173).

This information is received by the World Heritage Centre which, after consulting the State
Party concerned and the Advisory Bodies, submits a State of Conservation report to the World
Heritage Committee. In exceptional cases, this process may lead to consider inscribing the
Managing Cultural World Heritage

property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

CASE STUDY

State of Conservation (SOC) decisions

The World Heritage Committee makes requests

© UNESCO/ Ron Van Oers

like the one below with a view to improve
management systems for very complex proper-
ties: ‘Establish an operational and efficient
management system to coordinate the decision-
making process and enhance cooperation
regarding the conservation and management
of the property through the definition of a
legal framework, the creation of a central
management structure for the World Heritage
property, the clarification of roles and
responsibilities of the involved administrative
authorities and the allocation of necessary
resources for its adequate operation at the
local, regional and national levels.’ Brasilia (Brazil)
http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4758

Danger Listing
Based on the State of Conservation report and on the advice of the Advisory Bodies and in
consultation with the States Parties, the Committee may include properties on the List of
World Heritage in Danger. The Danger List was established under Article 11.4 of the World
Heritage Convention for World Heritage properties threatened by serious and specific danger,
whose protection requires ‘major operations and for which assistance has been requested’
(UNESCO 1972). Chapter IV.B of the Operational Guidelines (UNESCO 2012) provides guide-
lines for the inscription of properties on the Danger List (OG para 177) as well as the criteria
used in inscribing properties on the Danger List in either the ‘ascertained’ or ‘potential’
categories (OG paras 178–180). When the condition of the property is found to correspond
to at least one of the criteria in either case, the Committee can inscribe it on the Danger List.

‘Ascertained danger’ refers to specific and proven imminent danger, and in the case of
cultural properties, the criteria include the serious deterioration of materials, structures, or
coherence of architectural, town or rural planning as well as the loss of historical authenticity
or cultural significance. ‘Potential danger’ refers to threats which may have negative effects
on a property’s World Heritage values. In the case of cultural properties, such threats can
include any changes in the legal or administrative context in which a property is found which
diminishes the degree of its protection: a lack of conservation policy; the threatening effects
of regional or town planning; the outbreak or threat of armed conflict; and gradual changes
due to geological, climatic or other environmental factors (OG para 179). The threats do not
necessarily have to be within the property itself since actions taken in the buffer zone or
wider setting of a property can also endanger its Outstanding Universal Value.

Each property is considered on a case-by-case basis by the World Heritage Committee before
it makes its decision whether or not to inscribe a property on the Danger List. Particularly in
Managing Cultural World Heritage

the case of ascertained danger, the physical or cultural deterioration to which a property has
been subjected should be judged according to the intensity of its effects, while in the case
of potential danger, the threat is evaluated according to the social and economic framework
in which the property is situated. It should be appreciated that it is often impossible to
determine how much of an impact threats in the ‘potential’ category, such as the threat of
armed conflict, will have on the cultural heritage (OG para 182).

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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

When inscribing a property on the Danger List, the Advisory Bodies in consultation with the
State Party will prepare a Desired State of Conservation (DSOC) for the property and a set of
corrective measures to achieve the Desired State. These will be approved by the Committee
and progress will be reported to the Committee annually. The Desired State of Conservation
for a World Heritage property is a statement outlining the state of conservation which needs
to be achieved in order to remove it from the Danger List. It addresses the specific dangers
that a property faces, outlines the necessary improvements required to address these dangers
and defines the thresholds for removing the property from the Danger List once the Desired
State has been reached.

In order to develop corrective measures, the World Heritage Centre ascertains, in cooperation
with the State Party, the present condition of the property, the dangers to the property and
the feasibility of undertaking corrective measures. This may require a mission from the Advi-
sory Bodies or other organizations to evaluate the nature and extent of the threats and to
propose the measures to be taken. There are still no formal guidelines on how to draft Desired
State of Conservation statements or on the process to follow to finalize them before their
adoption by the Committee.

In such situations, the State Party needs to revisit the management actions that are
ongoing in order to give priority to addressing the concerns of the Committee. Priorities
and resources may be changed at this stage. Here too, the States Parties will be able to
request Technical/advisory missions and International Assistance. States Parties may also
request assistance from donors for which the Committee will extend its cooperation in
negotiations where necessary. The Committee, the Centre and the Director-General of
UNESCO may be involved at various stages if the issues to be dealt with are of a political
nature.

The Committee reviews all properties on the World Heritage in Danger List annually. Once
the Desired State of Conservation is achieved, the Committee will remove the property from
the Danger List. Conversely if deterioration continues, the Committee may decide that the
property has deteriorated to the extent that it has lost those characteristics which determined
its inscription on the World Heritage List (OG para 191 (c)). At that point, the Committee
can decide to delete the property from the World Heritage List because its Outstanding
Universal Value has been irretrievably damaged or lost.

3.6 Strategic guidance adopted by the World Heritage Committee that

may affect management of properties

The Committee has also adopted strategic guidance over the years. In 2002, it adopted four
Strategic Objectives to which was added a fifth in 2007. Known as the five ‘C’s, the current
five Strategic Objectives are:
1. Strengthen the Credibility of the World Heritage List;
2. Ensure the effective Conservation of World Heritage Properties;
3. Promote the development of effective Capacity-building in States Parties;
4. Increase public awareness, involvement and support for World Heritage through
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Communication.
5. Enhance the role of Communities in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
(OG para 26)

The 2011 18th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention has now
agreed a Strategic Action Plan until 2022. The Vision of the new plan is that by 2022:

46
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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

International cooperation and shared responsibility through the World Heritage

Convention ensures effective conservation of our common cultural and natural heritage,
nurtures respect and understanding among the world’s communities and cultures, and
contributes to their sustainable development.

The Committee seeks through cooperation:

• A sustainable environment in which States Parties are encouraged, supported and assisted
by the international community to fully meet their obligations and enjoy their rights under
the World Heritage Convention
• Local, national and international communities, both now and in the future, which feel a
connection to, engage with and benefit from the world’s natural and cultural heritage
• A World Heritage List that is a credible, relevant and representative selection of the world’s
most outstanding heritage sites
• A World Heritage system which remains transparent, equitable, accountable and efficient
in an ever-changing world

The agreed goals until 2022 are:

Goal 1: The Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage sites is maintained
Goal 2: The World Heritage List is a credible selection of the world’s most outstanding cultural
and natural heritage
Goal 3: Heritage protection and conservation considers present and future environmental,
societal and economic needs
Goal 4: World Heritage maintains or enhances its brand quality
Goal 5: The Committee can address policy and strategic issues
Goal 6: Decisions of statutory meetings are informed and effectively implemented

The five Cs and the objectives of the Action Plan need to be taken into account in the
development of management systems for World Heritage properties, alongside such other
guidance as the Committee may issue from time to time, such as the emphasis on linking
World Heritage properties with local communities and sustainable development during the
celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Convention. They should either feed directly into
the management of a World Heritage property, for example Conservation and Communication,
or can affect the way in which a property is managed, for instance when establishing
the credibility of the Convention relating to the identification, protection, conservation,
presentation and transmission to future generations of places of Outstanding Universal Value.

3.7 Evolving knowledge and policies

The knowledge associated with World Heritage is evolving. This includes knowledge related
to processes as well as to management of the properties. The Committee, its Advisory Bodies
and the World Heritage Centre all work together to try to convey as speedily as possible to
States Parties the knowledge that is being developed. This is generated through Committee
decisions, for example on capacity-building or climate change. In addition, it is generated
Managing Cultural World Heritage

through revisions to the Operational Guidelines, and through producing resource manuals
such as this one, thematic studies, and research published through various means, the main
one being the series of World Heritage Papers (see bibliography). Site management author-
ities are therefore urged to check regularly the websites of the Centre and Advisory Bodies
(relevant sections on World Heritage) for updated information.

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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

CASE STUDY

New knowledge being generated

© UNESCO / Nomination File

Considering the complexity of managing
religious properties on the World Heritage
List, the World Heritage Centre together
with ICCROM and ICOMOS, organized a
seminar for the religious representatives
involved in the management and use of
the World Heritage properties of religious
interests in the Russian Federation in
May 2013 at the Novodevichy Convent.
This was part of the ‘Initiative on Heritage
of Religious Interest’ programme Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent
(http://whc.unesco.org/en/religious-sacred-heritage/) (Russian Federation)
adopted by the Committee.

One example has been the development since 2005 of guidance on the identification and
use of attributes of Outstanding Universal Value. Particularly useful references are the
Guidance on Retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, the Resource Manual
on Nominations and World Heritage Paper No. 26 World Heritage Cultural Landscapes:
A Handbook for Conservation and Management.

A further example is the additions made to the OG in 2011 that refer to sustainable
development, notably in paragraphs 112, 119, 132, as well as in Annex 5, points 4.b and
5.e. These amendments are aimed, on the one hand, at ensuring that any use of World
Heritage properties should be sustainable with respect to the imperative of maintaining
their OUV (thus, a narrow definition of sustainability) and, on the other hand, to affirm, as a
principle, the idea that management systems of World Heritage properties should ‘integrate
sustainable development principles’ (see Part 2.2, ‘Placing heritage concerns in a broader
framework’ and Part 4.5).

While the OG, the principal guidance to the implementation of the Convention, do not set
out a clear concept for management systems, they do specify the need for a management
system and mention some requirements as to what it should include. It is also clear that the
primary purpose of the management system is to protect and sustain OUV. In various places,
as noted above, the OG also contain a considerable amount of information on what needs
to be included in a management system and its documentation. These requirements are an
important factor in the development of this guidance.

World Heritage processes are also creating a body of knowledge of importance to the entire
heritage sector. One example is the analysis carried out on the results of the 766 State of
Conservation reports prepared in the 2005-2009 five-year period for over 200 properties.
They paint an interesting picture of factors affecting the OUV of World Heritage properties
and link types of threat to types of property, region by region.

Inevitably sites are affected by multiple factors and problems emerge from a combination of
Managing Cultural World Heritage

pressures but, as the graph on the following page illustrates, two primary groups of threats
emerge as a collective problem, irrespective of property type and region:
• Development and infrastructure, including: buildings and development; transportation
infrastructure; utilities or service infrastructure; pollution; physical resource extraction.
• Management, legal issues and institutional factors.

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WH_RM_MCWH-2014-Print_WH 03/10/14 17:40 Page49

Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

Of interest is also the substantial number of properties (one in every five) subject to ‘Other
issues’ which has a fairly narrow definition – ‘risk of or collapse or deterioration due to age
of building, problem of stability of the structures, etc.’ – and suggests that legal and
management issues are probably exacerbating more immediate threats of this kind.

The 2010 World Heritage report Reflection on the Trends of the State of Conservation notes
in its conclusions that: ‘Inadequate management activities are also increasingly affecting the
conditions of authenticity of properties since 2005.’29
74.5

69.6
69.0
68.9

67.8

65.6
65.0
63.5
60,1
52.6

49.4

47.5
44.4
39.4

38.2

28.9

24.1
23.2
22.8

20.9
19.7

18.5
18.2
16.8

12.1

Development and Other human Natural events Management Other issues

infrastructure activities and disasters and legal issues

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Diagram 4: Percentage of World Heritage properties affected by each primary group of threats
(years progressing from 2005 to 2009, from left to right)30

With management, institutional, legal and development and infrastructure factors threatening
heritage values worldwide, the benefits of identifying common ground within the diversity of
those heritage management systems that exist are increasingly evident. This is the aim of Part 4.

3.8 The World Heritage Capacity Building Strategy

Introduction
As pressures and demands on cultural heritage and their governance augment (Part 2),
increasingly the view across heritage institutions is that doing an activity is not enough – a
Managing Cultural World Heritage

difference has to be achieved. The benefits of training heritage practitioners to increase

operational efficiency and the effectiveness of heritage conservation and management
practice have long been established. However, the expanding concept of heritage and

29. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2010. Reflection on the Trends of the State of Conservation.
Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-10/34.COM/7C) p.21.
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2010/whc10-34com-7Ce.pdf
30. Ibid., p.5, Chart 2.
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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

increasing recognition of the interdependency of heritage places and society (see Part 2)
have led to conventional training no longer being sufficient. The gradual adoption of
a capacity-building31 approach acknowledges that, to make a difference and improve
prospects for heritage places, a wide, diverse and growing audience needs to be targeted.
Creating and strengthening capacities of institutions and networks that link the heritage
sector to wider communities is as much a priority as the training of individual practitioners.
If successful, the results are stronger organizational frameworks and interfaces between
heritage and the wider environment, enabling individuals, including those outside heritage-
related professions, to take more effective actions. This shift in thinking was acknowledged
by the World Heritage Committee when it adopted in 2011 the World Heritage Strategy for
Capacity-Building32 (hereafter ‘Strategy’).

Defining capacity-building
The Strategy has clarified the meaning of capacity-building (which was often being used as
a synonym for training) in relation to World Heritage initiatives which have traditionally been
dominated by training programmes for mid-career heritage practitioners. The Strategy identifies
not only the heritage practitioners but a wide variety of target audiences which are essential to
address if heritage places are to be managed effectively and in a sustainable manner.

If capacity is ‘the ability of individuals, organizations and societies to perform functions, solve
problems, and set and achieve objectives in a sustainable manner’,33 then capacity-building
for the effective management of World Heritage properties will:
• strengthen the knowledge, abilities, skills and behaviour of people with direct responsibilities
for heritage conservation and management,
• improve institutional structures and processes through empowering decision-makers and
policy-makers, and
• introduce a more dynamic relationship between heritage and its context and, in turn,
greater reciprocal benefits by a more inclusive approach,
such that the OUV of the properties will be protected effectively and in a sustainable way.

Capacity-building – whether of practitioners, institutions or communities and networks – is

seen as a form of people-centred change that entails working with groups of individuals to
achieve improvements in approaches to managing cultural heritage.

Considering the popularity of the World Heritage Convention and its ongoing political sup-
port, attempts should be made to use the World Heritage Strategy for Capacity Building for
the benefit of broader heritage conservation and management needs. Indeed, the Strategy
is explicit that capacity-building messages for World Heritage properties should promote
good conservation and management practice in the field without drawing distinctions
between World Heritage sites and other sites.34 Most importantly, capacity-building should
be understood as the most cost-effective means by which the World Heritage Committee
can protect the OUV and other values of World Heritage properties and ensure a mutually
beneficial dynamic between heritage and society. Enhancing existing capacities or creating
new ones is the first step towards addressing shortcomings that have emerged from an
assessment of a heritage management system (see Part 4.5). Substantial changes to the
management system should be embarked upon only when it is clear that opportunities for
‘people-centred change’ have been exhausted.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

31. One of the five strategic directions of the World Heritage Committee.
32. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. Presentation and adoption of the World Heritage strategy for capacity building.
Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-11/35.COM/9B)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-9Be.pdf
33. http://www.undp.org/cpr/iasc/content/docs/UNDP_Capacity_Development.pdf
UNDP Capacity Development Practice Note, April 2006, p.3.
34. This is important because many practitioners, institutions and networks work in environments that cannot draw
distinctions between these categories.
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Understanding management in the World Heritage context 3

The definition of capacity-building identifies three broad areas where capacities reside –
practitioners, institutions, and communities and networks – and this is the basis for identifying
audiences to target for capacity-building initiatives. This is an approach which brings World
Heritage in line with other sectors, for example, the UNDP and the health and food aid sector
non-governmental organizations. The following table connects the three target audiences
to learning areas and needs; but there is inevitably substantial overlap.

Table 7. Different audiences and learning areas in the heritage sector

Where capacities reside: target Principal learning areas

audiences for capacity-building

Practitioners (including individuals and • Implementation of the Convention

groups who directly intervene in the (Tentative Lists, nomination, etc.)
conservation and management of World • Conservation and management issues:
Heritage properties) planning, implementation and monitoring
• Technical and scientific issues
• Resource utilization and management

Institutions (including State Party • Policy-making for learning areas mentioned

heritage organizations, NGOs, the World above
Heritage Committee, Advisory Bodies • Legislative issues
and other institutions that have a • Institutional frameworks / issues
responsibility for the enabling (governance, decentralization)
environment for management and • Financial issues
conservation) • Human resources
• Knowledge

Communities and Networks (including • Reciprocal benefits and linking with

local communities living on or near sustainable development and communities
properties as well as the larger networks • Stewardship
that nurture them) • Communication / Interpretation
© UNESCO

’Without the understanding and

support of the public at large,
without the respect and daily
care of the local communities,
which are the true custodians of
World Heritage, no amount of
funds or army of experts will
suffice in protecting the sites.’

Mr Koichiro Matsuura –
former Director-General of UNESCO
Managing Cultural World Heritage

http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2007/whc07-31com-13be.pdf

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3 Understanding management in the World Heritage context

Developing national level capacity-building strategies

Among its various recommendations, the Strategy advises each State Party to develop a
national capacity-building strategy (if it has not already done so), to complement the
strategies being developed at a World Heritage regional level, often by the UNESCO Category
2 Centres.

Extract from World Heritage Strategy for Capacity Building

11. NATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING STRATEGIES

It would also be useful for interested States Parties to develop national capacity building
strategies. These strategies can use a similar methodology as the one at the regional level, and
can also be carried out at the time of the preparation and analysis of the Periodic Reporting
questionnaires. This exercise will allow an individual State Party to better understand specific
national and property based capacity building needs. The State Party should also investigate
what national, regional, and international capacity building institutions exist that can assist in the
development of national and local capacities. These national capacity building strategies could be
very useful for States Parties to be able to analyse the exact human resource needs at national
institutions (not just for heritage organizations, but also related institutions dealing with tourism,
planning, development, etc.). These national strategies would also be best placed to ensure that
there is capacity building for other relevant stakeholders at the level of World Heritage properties
and in particular at the level of local communities. In certain instances, it may be useful for more
than one country to work on a joint strategy.

World Heritage Strategy for Capacity Building, p.20 (WHC-11/35.COM/9B)

The questionnaires to be compiled as part of World Heritage Periodic Reporting along with
the assessments of the management system in place (see Part 4.5) will be a springboard for
identifying and coordinating capacity-building initiatives designed to strengthen or create
those capacities that are lacking or missing.
CASE STUDY

Capacity-building activities as a follow up to Periodic Reporting

The Periodic Reporting exercise in Africa identified Disaster Risk Management as one of the key issues
to address within the region. As a follow-up action, the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa
(CHDA) and the Africa World Heritage Fund (AWHF) organized a training workshop on risk prepared-
ness for heritage held from 6 to 18 May 2013 at Great Zimbabwe National Monument World Heritage
site in Zimbabwe. Nineteen participants from eighteen countries of the region participated.
Source: ICCROM
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Periodic Reporting Africa (Zimbabwe)

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4 Defining, assessing and improving

heritage management systems

Part 4 starts by reviewing heritage management systems in general, and their role
in the World Heritage context. It then explores them in terms of their component
parts. It provides some general considerations, followed by good tips and checklists
of questions for assessing management systems. Finally it offers guidance on how to
document and assess a heritage management system (Part 4.5).

4.1 Heritage management systems in general and in World Heritage

This part of the manual examines heritage management systems. It identifies nine basic
characteristics (or ‘lowest common denominators’) that are common to all heritage
management systems (i.e. those critical components that are to be found in all examples). It
then groups the nine characteristics into three elements (legal framework, institutional
framework and resources); three processes (planning, implementation and monitoring); and
three results (outcomes, outputs and improvements).35

Table 8. A common framework for defining heritage management systems

3 categories 9 components

3 elements: Legal framework, institutional framework and resources

3 processes: Planning, implementation and monitoring

3 results: Outcomes, outputs and improvements to the management system

These nine components often operate at a macro level, for example in a national context,
since many management systems address more than one property or a large geographical
area. In other cases, they may operate on a regional basis or at a single property that has a
management system tailored to it. A hybrid is the most frequent situation, in which some
components operate at a national level (e.g. the legal framework) and others at a site or
regional level (e.g. the heritage processes).

The heritage management framework proposed in Part 4 is intended to help managers of

cultural properties in two principal ways:
• how to assess heritage management systems that aim to protect heritage values, including
the OUV;
• how to view each heritage issue in a broader framework and promote an integrated
approach to heritage management.

In the specific case of World Heritage properties, it offers a basis for responding to the
questions in sections 3.1 e, 4.5 and 6 of the nomination format (OG Annex 5).

Accordingly, this section of the manual first examines heritage management systems in
Managing Cultural World Heritage

general, and then in the World Heritage context. It then reviews each of the nine system
components in detail under separate headings (Parts 4.2–4.4).36 Each section highlights

35. This analysis was developed as part of an ICCROM research project undertaken with the World Heritage Centre and
the other Advisory Bodies on ‘Better Defining Appropriate Management Systems for World Heritage Sites’ (2009).
36. Similar themes recur among the different sections but this is deliberate for the benefit of readers who consult specific
sections and not the whole manual.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

important considerations, good tips and criteria for assessing and, if necessary, improving a
management system, always with the aim of ensuring that it is effective in conserving and
managing cultural heritage and, in the case of World Heritage, that it promotes compliance
with the requirements of the Convention and the OG. Part 4 further develops many of the
crosscutting themes already introduced in Part 2, including heritage values, participatory
approaches and sustainability.

The assessment process will always benefit from documenting properly the heritage man-
agement system that is already in place: in Part 4.5, we propose a standard template for this
purpose. In the case of World Heritage, the documentation process should be an obligatory
step in the nomination process for the property or the group of properties under considera-
tion (OG para 132.5 and Annex 5).37 It should also make it easier to undertake monitoring
procedures such as Periodic Reporting.

The purpose of periodically assessing a management system (for example, as in World

Heritage Periodic Reporting) is to check that the system continues to perform efficiently and
effectively. If changes are required – either to improve the management system or to ensure
that it responds to new needs – the assessment will itself influence how any changes will be
introduced. How to improve management systems is a constant theme of Part 4, giving
particular attention to the roles of management tools and capacity-building (see also Part
3.8, and Appendices A and B).

HERITAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN GENERAL

Premise
3 elements
A heritage management system is a frame-
work, often permanent, made up of three AL HERITAGE
N
RE

important elements: a legal framework which

TI O

SO
INS TI TU

URC

defines the reasons for its existence, an insti-

ES

tution which gives form to its organizational

needs and decision-making, and resources
(human, financial and intellectual) which are HERITAGE
HERITAGE
used to make it operative.
LEGAL

3 processes
NITORING
Together they facilitate the planning, imple- MO

mentation and monitoring of actions, usually

HERITAGE
for a single cultural property or a group of
properties or an area, to deliver results which
IMPLEM

guarantee the conservation and management

of the properties and their associated values in
NG

HERITAGE
Managing Cultural World Heritage

HERITAGE
EN

NI

a sustainable way. A
N
T

TI A
ON PL

37. An overview of a management system may be independent or form part of a management plan. See Appendix A.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Achieving the specific outcomes sought 3 results

for the property and its stakeholders is
OUTPUTS
the ultimate result of the heritage man-
agement system. Reaching these objec-
HERITAGE
tives efficiently depends on heritage
processes delivering a series of outputs,
OUTCOMES IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS OUTCOMES
but also on making improvements to
the management system in response HERITAGE
HERITAGE
to gaps being identified in it or in response
to new needs.38 IM
PROVEMENT
S

The ‘Premise’ is also applicable to ‘traditional’ systems. Some heritage management systems
are based on time-honoured practices that have never been written down or on practices
that have evolved, perhaps as a by-product of religious codes. All the same, the nine com-
ponents identified in the framework will still be distinguishable. For instance, the three ele-
ments (legal and institutional framework and resources) might be reflected in the distribution
of responsibilities and the social hierarchy within the community. Traditional management
systems have so far received little attention within heritage discussions but are now recog-
nized to be an important aspect of managing heritage.
CASE STUDY

Traditional management systems in practice today

The cultural landscape of Bali consists of five rice terraces and their water temples that
cover 19,500 ha. The temples are the focus of a cooperative water management system
of canals and weirs, known as subak, that dates back to the 9th century… The subak
reflects the philosophical concept of Tri Hita Karana, which brings together the realms
of the spirit, the human world and nature.

© Etty Indriati
Most subaks possess written legal
codes, called awig-awig, which detail
the rights and responsibilities of subak
membership. Awig-awig, or traditional
customary laws and regulations,
including subak management and the
traditional protection and conservation
of cultural properties are covered by
regulations of Bali Province Number 5
(2005) Section 19, that clarify zoning
for protected sacred sites such as
temples, based on local awig-awig.

(Ref: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1194) Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as

a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy (Indonesia)

The diversity of management systems

Heritage management systems vary extensively but every country has one or more in place
Managing Cultural World Heritage

(we can call these ‘primary management systems’). Many of them are national or regional sys-
tems for managing heritage in a particular geographical area. Some treat separately specific
types of cultural heritage: a few of them (New Zealand’s is an example) integrate the man-
agement of both cultural and natural heritage. Other management systems are concerned

38. This definition of a heritage management system emerged from research for the ICCROM paper ‘Defining appropriate
management systems for World Heritage sites’, 2009, Chapter 4.5.2 p.53.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

with a particular heritage property or group of properties. Yet others may be temporary, for
instance the result of a limited-term partnership for delivering a specific project.

The scope of a heritage management system at national or regional level will extend mainly
to broad policy-making, and the definition, identification (in inventories) and protection of
properties. Its purpose is to maintain the cultural values for which the identified properties
are being protected.

Rarely will this primary management system at national or regional level be adequate for
effective management, for instance for historic urban centres or cultural landscapes. In those
cases management might require working with public authorities, private owners and other
stakeholders, drawing upon a variety of legal instruments and combinations of institutions
and resources. Planning controls may depend on quite different legal systems, for example
municipal authority regulations that embody planning constraints and development strategies
for entire regions, possibly combined with tax incentives or grants for private owners and
tenants.

This is particularly true of World Heritage properties The buffer zone of a property, for
example, will usually be subject to legislation from non-heritage sectors and is likely to be
the responsibility of multiple public and private organizations and owners. As another
example, a cultural property which has been the object of traditional management practices
for generations may have to meet new management requirements resulting from its World
Heritage inscription or when exposed to the adverse effects of economic development. Similar
scenarios can arise in the case of cultural landscapes where land use practices have never
been formalized.

The focus of this section (Part 4) is on the primary management systems for cultural heritage
that are referred to at the start; but the need to integrate them with other systems, or com-
ponents of them, is emphasized throughout.

The need for integration has important repercussions for decision-making processes. As the
follow diagrams (5-7) below illustrate, the primary management system for heritage often
has to change its decision-making processes in order to integrate contributions from other
systems (or their components) effectively. This is explored further in Part 3 and is particularly
true of institutional frameworks (Part 4.2).

Different management scenarios

Management scenario example one
Some properties are owned and managed
exclusively by the primary management
system (protected under national law,
taken care of by the main institution in
charge of heritage with its own resources).
This will often be reflected by property
boundaries being well defined. Planning
for conservation, implementation and
monitoring are by the same institution.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Outcomes and outputs are established by

the institution. This is changing but there
are still many examples.

All decisions are made by the primary man-

agement system. Other stakeholders may Diagram 5: Illustrates management scenario
want to contribute but not be able to. example one
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

© Graciela Gonzalez Brigas

CASE STUDY

Management under a single system

Both the property and the buffer zone

are managed under the provisions of the
Department of National Museums and
Monuments of Zimbabwe. However, a
programme has already been launched
aimed at engaging local communities.

Great Zimbabwe National Monument (Zimbabwe)

Management scenario example two

There are some heritage properties with
multiple owners, occupancy and ongoing
uses. Historic centres and cultural land-
scapes are examples. Some of the monu-
ments or areas may be under direct
control of the primary management sys-
tems but some may belong to private
owners. Ownership or responsibility for
their care may be under a local heritage
authority or a local civic authority, partic-
ularly in the case of non-listed buildings
and infrastructure. Diagram 6: Illustrates management scenario example two

In these cases, the decision-making process

will be different, involving. amongst others,
governing and managing bodies, owners
and users. While some decisions may be
taken by individual entities, there should be
a new mechanism to take joint or collective
decisions.

Management scenario example three

In the case of World Heritage and
depending on the type of property, there
may be a variety of entities involved in
management of the property as well as
the buffer zone. This may also be the case
for properties outside the World Heritage
system that have planning restrictions for
Managing Cultural World Heritage

areas of ‘respect’ beyond the property

boundaries.

Decision-making process in this sce-

nario becomes even more complex and Diagram 7: Illustrates management scenario example three
a new decision-making platform is a
prerequisite.

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

These can be illustrated from many examples within the World Heritage properties. Presented
below is the decision-making process developed for the World Heritage property of Cultural
Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana
Philosophy linking all stakeholders.
CASE STUDY

Illustration of the decision-making process of a World Heritage property

The cultural landscape of Bali consists of five rice terraces and their water temples that cover
19,500 ha. These consists of agricultural lands owned and managed under traditional systems
by private owners and temples owned by the religious community, some governed by the
national heritage authorities and some by the provincial authorities.

A new decision-making process has been established in order to bring all relevant stakeholders
traditional management systems as well as modern heritage management systems for more
effective management of the property.

A Management Plan has been adopted by the Provincial Government of Bali. This plan puts in
place a management system that aims to sustain traditional practices and deflect inappropriate
development. It uses established management principles of ‘adaptive co-management by
diverse stakeholders’ and modifies these to suit the Balinese context. It connects individuals,
organizations, agencies and institutions at multiple organizational levels by means of a
democratic Governing Assembly.

(Ref: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1194)

Index Map of the Cultural Landscape of Bali

Managing Cultural World Heritage

•••

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

•••
CASE STUDY

Organizational structure of the Governing Assembly (Bali)

Source: Nomination file

Organizational line

Consultation

Governor of Bali
(Head of Bali’s Legislature) Consultants

1. Secretary General
for People’s Welfare
Supervisors 2. Ministry of Culture
Head of Governing Assembly and Tourism
1. The Regent of Tabanan (Head of Bali Cultural Office) 3. The Representative
2. The Regent of Badung of UNESCO Academic
3. The Regent of Gianyar Consultants
4. The Regent of Bangli
5. The Regent of Buleleng

Secretary

Planning Unit Finance and Human Monitoring and

Resources Unit Evaluation Unit
1. Permanent staff
2. Provincial & 1. Permanent staff 1. Permanent staff
Regional Planning 2. Financial Bureau
Agencies 3. Provincial Human
Resources Dept.

Working Group on Working Group on Working Group on Working Group on Working Group on Working Group on
Culture Preservation Preservation of Visitors and Education Farming Development Social and Legal Affairs and
Ecosystem and Infrastructure Governance
1. Representative of Environment 1. Representative 1. Representative Development
Subak of Subak of Subak 1. Representative
2. Bali Cultural Office 1. Representative 2. Bali Tourism Office 2. Dept of Agriculture 1. Representative of Subak
(Dept of Culture) of Subak (Dept of Tourism) 3. Dept of Estate of Subak 2. Ministry of Law
3. The Heritage 2. Environment 3. Dept of National Crops 2. Dept of Public and Human Rights
Preservation Office Agency Education 4. Dept of Animal Works 3. Law Firm
4. Archaeology Office 3. Dept of Forestry 4. Association of the Husbandry 3. Dept of Social 4. Governance Bureau
5. History and 4. Forest-based Indonesia Tours and 5. Dept of Fisheries Affairs 5. Organization
Traditional Value Industry Travel 6. Assessment 4. Administrative Bureau
Protection Offices Revitalization Body 5. Indonesia Tourist Institute for Villages 6. Asset Management
5. Villages Hotel Association Agricultural Firms
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Technology 7. Customary Law

Research Centre

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

What management systems are for

A management system exists to achieve outcomes for the properties in its care and for their
stakeholders. In the case of cultural heritage, the principal outcomes are the effective pro-
tection of the heritage values of a cultural property or group of properties for present and
future generations and the delivery of wider benefits to society.

The management system includes cycles of planning, implementation and monitoring in

order to deliver activities addressed to conservation, interpretation and access which often
have a broader agenda in mind, such as sustainable use and benefit-sharing. The World
Heritage OG highlight specific purposes of management systems relevant to World Heritage
properties which are explored further below.

Key considerations for management systems

A management system will be shaped by varying cultural perspectives, by the resources avail-
able and by other factors. These may change and may not be aligned with the real needs of
the property and its stakeholders. A management system needs to be regularly reviewed and
updated to respond to changes to the properties and their setting and to inadequacies and
adverse developments within the management system itself.

The following considerations help to explain why a heritage management system needs to
be responsive if it is to be effective:
• Embracing diversity: Each heritage management system will be, to some extent, unique
because of being shaped by the specific needs of the heritage in its care, the cultural context
and wider social, economic and environmental factors. In the case of World Heritage, see
the Operational Guidelines (OG para 110, Part 3.3 of this document).
• Clarity and coordination: A management system is cyclical, evaluating its process and
achievements so as to adjust its ongoing activities and to inform the next cycle. Interacting
with other management systems or their components, it provides a coordinated and
effective management outcome with regard to the values of the heritage and, in the case
of World Heritage, the OUV.39, 40
• Risk preparedness: A management system needs to be sufficiently flexible to deal with
unforeseeable events, such as natural disasters or fluctuations in the financial or human
resources available to it.
• A participatory approach: A shared understanding of the property and its significance by
all stakeholders and their involvement in management processes can radically change how
the functions of a management system are discharged. It makes heritage processes more
responsive and delivers outputs and outcomes that are better aligned with the actual needs
of the property and its stakeholders. It also promotes a constructive role for heritage to
contribute to society and to sustainable development (see Part 2.3).
• The role of heritage in sustainable development: Establishing an active role for heritage in
sustainable development delivers numerous reciprocal benefits, enabling the management
system to balance different and competing needs more effectively, and to locate new forms
of support which are likely to reinforce the heritage values (see Part 2.3).

A responsive management system is more likely to respond to and manage change effectively.
It is therefore important to understand how the management system operates (see Parts 4.2
- 4.4), and how it can be clearly described (see Part 4.5). It provides the basis for identifying
Managing Cultural World Heritage

39. UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2011. Preparing World Heritage Nominations. (Second edition). Paris, UNESCO
World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual) p.89.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/643/ (English web page).
40. Management planning (see Appendix A) can be a useful tool when a multilateral approach is required so long as the
plan has priority or is integrated with other types of plans (e.g. visitor management plans, urban development plans)
being used by the organizations involved. Above all, the management plan must be properly integrated into the
heritage management system.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

gaps in existing capacities, and then monitoring and developing them through targeting the
appropriate audiences (see Parts 3.8 and 4.5).
CASE STUDY

Primary management system at property level

© Jan Fritz
Overall management of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex
at Bodh Gaya, World Heritage property is done by the
Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) which is
empowered by a legislative act. The Bodh Gaya Temple Act
(Bihar XVII of 1949) passed on June 19, 1949, makes
provision for the State Government to establish the BTMC
for the better management of the temple and the
properties appertaining to it. The Committee works
under the supervision, direction and control of the State
Government of Bihar. BTMC was constituted and has been
playing this role since 1953. However, all matters related to
the conservation of the fabric are done by the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) – an institution running the national
level primary management system.

Mahabodhi Temple Complex

at Bodh Gaya (India)

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND WORLD HERITAGE

Key considerations
A responsive, effective and complete heritage management system should be able to meet
most of the additional requirements that the World Heritage system imposes on it. These
feature throughout the manual but some of them are listed here:

Additional obligations of the World Heritage process:

• The preparation of Tentative Lists (1972 Convention41 and OG paras 62-76) They differ
from standard heritage inventories in listing properties with the potential to be included in
the World Heritage List.
• The preparation of nomination dossiers (OG paras 120-133 and Annex 5) which requires
input and coordination at national and international level.
• A values-led approach to conservation and management of heritage. Even in those coun-
tries that have adopted one, it is a demanding process to assess those values embodied in
cultural settings and intangible qualities of the site, over and above those of the physical
fabric of the property.
• A participatory approach to management, which is not common in many countries.
• Compliance with the reporting processes and decisions of the World Heritage Committee.
• The development of new mechanisms for the nomination and management of serial, trans-
boundary properties and for adapting existing management systems for this purpose.
• A constantly updated risk mitigation strategy that insures the management system against
Managing Cultural World Heritage

major disasters or foreseeable operational failings.42

41. UNESCO. 1972. Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. (World Heritage
Convention). Article 11.
42. For more information on risk preparedness: UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2010. Managing Disaster Risks for
World Heritage. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual).
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-630-1.pdf (English web page).
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

Additional considerations:
• The need to develop a shared and realistic vision for the medium- to long-term future of
the property that could be shared with the international community.
• The need to address the management changes and challenges that could arise from
inscription on the World Heritage List. For example, the implications of a possible increase
in visitor numbers due to listing need to be understood and planned for, as must the greater
commitment to site interpretation and visitor facilities.43
• The need for new or improved tools for greater management effectiveness and improved
results when countries opt to use existing institutions and resources to implement new
management actions associated with World Heritage listing of a cultural property.
• The need to integrate new management strategies for World Heritage properties sometimes
leads to new management structures being introduced. These might form a separate unit
within existing institutions and/or be a project-based implementation team or a site-specific
institution with its own mandate and resources.
• The expanded definitions of World Heritage categories. Most properties fall into either
cultural heritage or natural heritage categories, with each category having its own sub-
sections.44 But the categories of ‘mixed properties’ and subcategories such as ‘historic
urban centres’ and ‘cultural landscapes’ have introduced new definitions that need to be
understood.45
• The opposition by some groups and communities to World Heritage status, and the need
to respond with preventive advocacy work.

Serial or transboundary properties 46

In the case of serial or transboundary / transnational nominations, a priority should be to ensure

that adequate protection and management for each component is in place and working
effectively. There should also be a management system at the level of the whole property that
should ensure communication and coordination between all component parts, in particular in
relation to:
• The harmonization of management of all the component parts to meet a set of shared
objectives of conserving potential Outstanding Universal Value;
• The identification of and response to threats to the property; and
• The coordination of monitoring and reporting, in particular in relation to the requirements of
the World Heritage Convention.

The management system for a serial or serial or transboundary property should regularly review
and reinforce where feasible the coordinating mechanisms to increase the cohesion and
effectiveness of its management as a World Heritage property, and respond to changes that
affect its component parts.

It must be clear how coordinated management is to be achieved for the separate components,
especially where different managers and management systems may apply. Coordinated
management must be effective.

•••
Managing Cultural World Heritage

43. Visitor numbers do not always increase with World Heritage listing. See examples in James Rebank’s study in World
Heritage Global Analysis – the Economic Gain. http://www.lakeswhs.co.uk/
44. UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2011. Preparing World Heritage Nominations. (Second edition). Paris, UNESCO
World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual) Chapter 1.3, p.19.
45. Mitchell, N., Rössler, M. and Tricaud, P-M. (authors/eds). 2009. World Heritage Cultural Landscapes: A handbook for
conservation and management. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 26).
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/26/
46. UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2011. Preparing World Heritage Nominations. (Second edition). Paris, UNESCO
World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual) pp.50 and 90.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

••• It is not necessary to create a specific management authority for the property if the existing
management plans or systems are working well and provided that there is an overarching
approach to management. However, where existing mechanisms are inadequate, new specific
mechanisms may be needed but they must be effective.47

Serial nominations may also be used for transboundary properties, such as the Jesuit Missions of
the Guaranis (Argentina and Brazil, 1984), the Struve Geodetic Arc which unites ten countries
(2005) and Frontiers of the Roman Empire (Germany and United Kingdom,1987, 2006, 2008):
Other examples discussed include the ambitious transnational heritage corridors for the Silk
Roads and the Viking Age serial nomination comprising land-, sea- and townscapes stretching
from the North Atlantic to the Baltic Sea.

Benefits of World Heritage status for good management practice

Adapting a heritage management system to respond to World Heritage requirements can
lead to improvements in its regular operation while also giving access to the comprehen-
sive World Heritage support system. Some of the opportunities are as follows:
• Changes in World Heritage procedures and requirements (for example revisions to the
Operational Guidelines) will require periodic adjustments to the management system
for World Heritage properties. This process can be combined with parallel reviews and
updating in response to changes at the local and national scale and, together, they can
ensure the management system remains responsive to all types of change and hence
genuinely effective.
• A variety of resources are available on the World Heritage Centre website to help States
Parties and all those involved in managing World Heritage properties. Examples are the
series of Resource Manuals of which this volume is a part, the ‘World Heritage Capacity
Building Strategy’ and the World Heritage Papers. In helping to explain compliance with
the demands of the World Heritage system, these publications discuss issues common
to all cultural heritage and are useful to those managing cultural heritage outside the
World Heritage system.
• Access to the World Heritage community helps to identify case studies from which to
draw inspiration and capacity-building programmes that heritage practitioners could
attend to improve their own and their institutions’ capacities.
• International cooperation is one of the founding principles and an inherent priority of
the entire World Heritage community. Article 7 of the 1972 Convention states this
explicitly: ‘For the purpose of this Convention, international protection of the world
cultural and natural heritage shall be understood to mean the establishment of a system
of international cooperation and assistance designed to support States Parties to the
convention in their efforts to conserve and identify that heritage.’48
Managing Cultural World Heritage

47. See for further guidance: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. Presentation and adoption of the World Heritage
strategy for capacity building. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-11/35.COM/9B)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-9Be.pdf
48. UNESCO. 1972. Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. (World Heritage
Convention).
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

4.2 The three elements of a heritage management system

Defining the three elements: There are three essential elements that are interdependent in
any primary heritage management system. This is true whether the system is a national
heritage management system or one that is concerned only with a group of properties or
even a single property:

HERITAGE
1. LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The mandate that empowers people and or-
ganizations to act. It defines what constitutes
heritage and criteria for its conservation and
management, usually by means of legislation. HERITAGE
HERITAGE
L
F R AL E G A O R K
MEW

AL K
HERITAGE
FRAMEWION

2. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
OR
I NS T I T U T

The organizational set-up that sets out the

operational structure and working methods
that allow actions to be taken.
HERITAGE
HERITAGE
L
F R AL E G A O R K
MEW

AL K
HERITAGE
3. RESOURCES
FRAMEWION

RE
OR

SO

The human, financial and intellectual inputs

I NS T I T U T

U
RCE S

that create operational capacity and facilitate

processes.
HERITAGE
HERITAGE
L
F R AL E G A O R K
MEW
Managing Cultural World Heritage

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Element 1: LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Overview
In every country there exists some form of mandate to define, identify, protect and conserve
cultural heritage and to make it accessible. Its form ranges from a formal body of law to
unwritten traditions passed down from generation to generation. It may be a fusion of the
requirements of international conventions and charters and national legislation, regional
regulations, local by-laws and spatial planning frameworks. Whatever its form, it constitutes
a legal framework which defines the existence of a management system and empowers those
within it to act.

HERITAGE

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
L
F R AL E G A O R K
MEW
Diagram 8: A legal framework
to identify, define, protect and
conserve heritage

LEGAL FRAMEWORKS IN GENERAL

They vary extensively

Heritage legislation, like any other legislation, can have many purposes: to regulate, to
authorize, to proscribe, to provide (funds), to sanction, to grant, to declare or to restrict.49

Legal frameworks for managing cultural heritage might be formalized in legislation specifically
drawn up for heritage or they may be a by-product of general legislation that is being used
for heritage purposes (and so are less easily defined). Some legal frameworks might have
retained an informal, unwritten status, either wholly or in part. They might result from recent
expressions of a community-led consensus or be a survival of word-of-mouth practices passed
on from generation to generation.

Legal frameworks tend to be permanent, but occasionally a temporary one can be designed
to serve in exceptional circumstances or for the purposes of a specific partnership agreement.
Many legal frameworks have a variety of origins and operate at different levels of a manage-
ment system (e.g. the state constitution, national laws, local by-laws, property-specific
agreements and compliance with cultural heritage conventions and charters).

What legal frameworks are for

Managing Cultural World Heritage

A legal framework, whether formalized or not, should provide sufficient legal and regulatory
tools for the protection of cultural heritage. It governs all aspects of the management system
for a property. It is through the legal framework that a state will often define the cultural
heritage that needs protection, using criteria that may depend on age or provenance, a mix
of both, or indeed other factors.

49. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislation
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

Two common types of legislation are (a) specific designation of heritage places as being of
special importance to the state and therefore subject to specific controls; and (b) an overall
regulation of spatial development which can include specific policies for protection of heritage
places or landscapes. Such forms of regulation are usually an essential part of a management
system for a World Heritage property. It is essential that they are applied equitably and trans-
parently so that all parties are fully aware of what is and is not legally possible.

Sources of ‘legislation’ for cultural heritage

The following are some common types of legislation for cultural heritage:
• Constitutional decrees: stipulations that derive from a country’s constitution.
• National, regional or local legislation specifically made for cultural heritage conservation
and management.
• Traditional customs and established practice.

Supplementary legislation from other sources might be:

• Other legislation which has an impact on cultural heritage conservation and management:
urban planning laws, environmental laws, land laws and export control laws are examples.
• International law, for example, international conventions such as the UNESCO 1972
World Heritage Convention whose stipulations have to be incorporated into national
legislation and policy.

There are codes and other regulatory frameworks which do not constitute primary legislation
but can influence heritage management policy and practice. These include regulations and
standing orders created by specific institutions.

LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

Key considerations
An effective legal framework for heritage will probably have the following characteristics:
• Clear provisions for inventories, protection, site demarcation and intervention policies.
• A clear directive to ‘work with others’, to enable broad consultation and wide participation.
• Provisions to integrate sustainable local development concerns into all areas of the heritage
management system. It is through ‘sharing’ the benefits of cultural resources that society
will rise to the challenge and in return share responsibility for heritage.
• An ability to make good use of other types of national and regional legislation (e.g. planning
law) for the benefit of cultural heritage. New Zealand’s Conservation Act of 1987 is an
example: it brought twenty-five previous acts under a single law for the conservation of
natural and historic resources.50
• The possibility of decentralization of power in order to bring decision-making closer to the
heritage properties and the problems to be solved.
• Provisions to use different management tools and to monitor their impact, and also to
adopt new tools for more effectively managing changes to the cultural property and its
management system.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

50. http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0065/latest/DLM103610.html
66
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 If shortcomings in the legal framework are compromising the effectiveness of the manage-
ment system for a property, heritage managers can try to reform the law. If unrealistic at a
high level, reform at a local level may be feasible by using, for example, regional law,
development by-laws, local policy, partnerships between institutions and capacity-building.51
For instance, in order to regulate the buffer zone, many countries use the legislation of
regional or local councils. Successful ‘local’ solutions can provide the leverage in the long
term for making reforms to national heritage legislation. Thus site managers can exert
influence upwards through the management system.
䊳 The challenges posed by cultural heritage with multiple private ownership and/or intensive
land use within or around the property (e.g. historic urban centres, cultural landscapes) are
similar to those often encountered in the management of large natural properties. Much can
be learned from the natural heritage sector: for example, mechanisms (e.g. policies, monitor-
ing, use agreements etc.) used to ensure that the resource use that is permitted in and around
cultural properties is compatible and sustainable and that, wherever possible, benefit-sharing
is embraced.52
䊳 Legislation is not static but evolves. It may be necessary to change mindsets periodically in
response to changes in heritage legislation or to other legislation that has an impact on
heritage management.
䊳 For guidance on how to improve legislation, refer to the Recommendation Concerning the
Protection, at National Level, of the Cultural and Natural Heritage,53 a document adopted by
UNESCO at the same time as the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (1972) but much less
familiar to heritage practitioners.

USEFUL
U S E F QUESTIONS
U L Q U E S T I O N S TO
T O AASK
SK

䊳 Does your national constitution mention cultural heritage? To whom is responsibility for it
allocated? Even among federal systems, Canada, for example, maintains many responsibilities
at national level whereas Germany devolves more to the provincial level. In other countries
(e.g. Italy), cultural heritage protection and its enhancement may be overseen by different
authorities.
䊳 Does your national constitution/legislation give importance only to protection or also to public
access, working with others, etc.? Is there a dedicated ministry for culture or is the culture
portfolio paired with another such as education, research, the environment or even sport?
How high does heritage rank in your country compared with other national priorities? And is
the level of commitment to cultural heritage matched by a capacity for action?
䊳 What is the weight of legislation dealing with cultural heritage relative to other legislation?
Does your legal framework ensure that cultural heritage legislation and plans take priority over
other legislation and plans (e.g. over development plans, tourism plans)? It is important to
check that measures for heritage are not undermined by other government measures.
䊳 Is the legislation in place actually being used? Is it effective? Are policies implemented? Could
capacity-building54 help staff to implement legislation and regulations? Sometimes legislation
exists but is not enforced, to the detriment of the cultural properties concerned.
•••
Managing Cultural World Heritage

51. See: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. Presentation and adoption of the World Heritage strategy for capacity
building. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-11/35.COM/9B)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-9Be.pdf
52. UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2012. Managing Natural World Heritage. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage
Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual) pp. 57-61.
53. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape.
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13087&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
54. See: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. Presentation and adoption of the World Heritage strategy for capacity
building. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-11/35.COM/9B)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-9Be.pdf
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

••• 䊳 Stakeholders who influence (both positively and negatively) the property’s cultural values may
be dependent on the property’s resources: have you checked whether their dependence on
the site demands some updating of the legal framework? The current legislation may be
hindering their involvement. There may be other forms of legal framework that can offer
alternative approaches. See ‘Tool 3: Relationships with Stakeholders’ in Enhancing our
Heritage Toolkit which is useful for identifying stakeholders and their relationship with the
site in a systematic way.55

© UNESCO / F. Bandarin
New legal framework developed to
CASE STUDY

facilitate the management of World

Heritage properties

The South African Government has adopted

new legislation to facilitate the management of
World Heritage properties.

The purpose of the law is to provide for the

incorporation of the World Heritage Convention
into South African law; the enforcement and
implementation of the World Heritage Convention Robben Island (South Africa)
in South Africa; the recognition and establishment
of World Heritage sites; the establishment of
Authorities and the granting of additional powers to existing organs of state; the powers and
duties of such Authorities, especially those safeguarding the integrity of World Heritage sites; where
appropriate, the establishment of Boards and Executive Staff Components of the Authorities; integrated
management plans over World Heritage sites; land matters in relation to World Heritage sites;
financial, auditing and reporting controls over the Authorities; and to provide for incidental matters.

No. 49 of 1999: World Heritage Convention Act, 1999

http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=70616

LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR WORLD HERITAGE

Key considerations
Article 4 of the World Heritage Convention considers the identification, protection, conser-
vation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the cultural and natural
heritage (as referred to in Articles 1 and 2) to be an obligation of each State Party. Creating
new legislation or better linking it with legislation from other management systems may be
necessary to meet World Heritage requirements for properties already listed or about to be
inscribed. The following list identifies some current priorities (remember that World Heritage
requirements continue to change and must be monitored).

Possible additional legislative measures required by World Heritage listing (if existing or
supplementary legislation is not sufficient):
• Legislative and regulatory measures at national and local levels must guarantee the
Managing Cultural World Heritage

protection of OUV and prevent changes that negatively impact OUV, e.g. making impact
assessments legally required.

55. Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J. and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing
our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effectiveness of Natural World Heritage Sites. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 23). Tool 3: Relationships with Stakeholders, p.28.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/23/
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

• Legal frameworks need to offer protection and impose restrictions at varying levels of
intensity for the World Heritage property itself, its buffer zone and its wider setting (also
known as its ‘area of influence’) (OG paras 103-107).
• Mechanisms (possibly new legislation) are needed that will integrate the existing body of
legislation affecting World Heritage properties, particularly those with multiple ownership,
different levels of governance (provincial, national, etc.) and ongoing land use / commercial
activity.
• In the case of properties which are ‘serial’ and/or ‘transboundary’, specific mechanisms
(possibly new legislation) may need to be developed which respect the relevant legislation
of the States Parties involved .

LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR WORLD HERITAGE

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 For an effective management system it is important to establish the degree to which legisla-
tion is helping to maintain Outstanding Universal Value and the degree to which national and
local government is supportive of the property (and cultural heritage in general). This can be a
delicate exercise since identifying inadequacies could be interpreted as criticism of those high
up in the management system. Pursuing a systematic assessment such as that proposed
as ‘Tool 4 – Review of National Context’ in the Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit56 could be one
way for site managers to make the process and the results impartial and far-reaching.
This tool, if employed in a participatory way, could help people to understand how national
and international policies, legislation and government actions affect the World Heritage site.
䊳 Policy-makers in central government must be fully aware of routine management issues. If
not, weak links may exist between ministry-level law-making and property-level operations.
䊳 Legal controls can take a variety of forms depending on the overall character of the legal
system of each State Party. For example, legal systems based on Roman law or the Code
Napoléon differ from those developed within the Anglo-Saxon tradition of Common Law
(based on precedent rather than codified law). International cooperation (for World Heritage
regional capacity-building, for transboundary properties, etc.) will benefit from an awareness
of such differences.

USEFUL
U S E F QUESTIONS
U L Q U E S T I O N S TO
T O AASK
SK

䊳 Since the property was inscribed as World Heritage, has the need to protect the OUV been
introduced somewhere in the formal legal framework?
䊳 Has there been new legislation (whether national decrees or local bylaws) to regulate buffer
zones and larger settings?
䊳 Is there an attempt anywhere in legislation to specify how the OUV will be sustained through
protection and conservation?
䊳 Could more explicit acknowledgement of this obligation help?
䊳 Are any formal acknowledgements made of international conservation conventions and
treaties in national or local legislation for cultural heritage?57
Managing Cultural World Heritage

56. Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J. and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing
our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effectiveness of Natural World Heritage Sites. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 23). Tool 4: Review of National Context, p.32.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/23/
57. A useful overview of UNESCO and Council of Europe cultural heritage conventions appeared in an article in ASCHB
proceedings in 2012: www.aschb.org.uk/index.asp
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

CASE STUDY

Strong legislative backing for

Source: ICCROM
regulating the buffer zone

This is a case where establishing and

regulating a buffer zone has received the
highest attention. The Cultural Reserve
buffer zone and its territory (2455.2 ha)
were approved by resolution of the
Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of
Lithuania. The buffer zone was estab-
lished in order to shield the cultural values
of the Cultural Reserve territory from the
negative impact of any physical, visual or
social developments and assure an overall Kernavė Archaeological Site
(Cultural Reserve of Kernavė) (Lithuania)
ecological equilibrium.

Element 2: INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

Overview
The organizational needs and decision-making that are necessary for managing cultural
heritage has often led to the creation of institutional frameworks. They host the planning
and implementation of actions and the continual review and improvement of work methods.

AL K
HERITAGE
FRAMEWION
OR
I NS T I T U T

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
L
F R AL E G A O R K
MEW
Diagram 9: An institutional framework
gives form to organizational needs

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS IN GENERAL

They vary extensively

Institutional frameworks are empowered by formal legislation or by practices established
over time, or a mix of the two. The framework might be provided by a single organization
or by multiple organizations each contributing towards it. The latter is likely in the case of
large geographical areas, properties with multiple ownership (such as city centres or
Managing Cultural World Heritage

landscapes) or World Heritage properties.

Institutional frameworks generally bring together permanent organizational structures but

occasionally resort to temporary arrangements to address specific situations. They can be
divided into (a) those with the primary responsibility for heritage management as part of the
primary management system, and (b) those with more limited scope, as summarized in the
following table.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Table 9. Institutional frameworks: two broad categories based on responsibilities

Organizations with varying involvement in institutional frameworks

NATIONAL

Main responsibility for management Common sources of secondary support

(part of the primary management systems) (often resources related)

• Central government (ministries, departments) • Public authorities outside of the heritage sector
• Semi-governmental (centrally controlled) • Implementing agencies
• Local and provincial level • Training institutions / universities
• Empowered by law (sub-function) • Research institutions
• Private trusts • Professional organizations
• Hybrid-new institutions (integrated), joint management • Funding agencies
• Site-specific including private owners • Traditional owners
• Organized community groups • Community groups
• Traditional owner community groups • Consultancy services

INTERNATIONAL

Main responsibility for management Partial responsibility for management

(planning and implementation) (mostly resources-related)

• UNESCO (World Heritage Committee / Centre) • Capacity-building / research institution

(e.g. ICCROM, SPAFA)
• Professional organizations
(e.g. ICOMOS, WAC)
• Funding agencies (e.g. WMF, Getty)
• Consultancy services

Many types of institutional frameworks exist today, for example:

• Single all-powerful institutions
• Hybrid institutions with joint management which share responsibility more widely
• New institutions within existing organizations
• Property-specific initiatives (often inspired by World Heritage inscription)
• Reorganization to favour (for example) decentralization
• Frameworks with ‘private’ involvement, particularly in the case of public authorities over-
seeing publicly owned and managed cultural heritage.

As the contribution from the private sector and other organizations grows, so the institutional
framework takes on different forms and targets different capacities. It might depend on
reinforcement from sponsorship (the commercial sector), from charitable sources (NGOs,
community groups, heritage trusts, etc.) or from large-scale outsourcing of professional
expertise, services and works.

What institutional frameworks are for

The institutional framework should provide for efficient decision-making and facilitate all
processes of the management system (see Part 4.3). It achieves this by balancing the need
Managing Cultural World Heritage

for continuity with the organizational flexibility necessary to respond to change.

Key considerations for institutional frameworks

The following considerations all contribute to creating and maintaining an effective institu-
tional framework for heritage:
• Sufficiently defined in relation to the wider governance context (including legislation,
institutional arrangements and democratic processes, see p.74 on governance).
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

• Responsive and flexible to cope with emerging concepts, trends and requirements.
• Organizational decentralization, when appropriate, to bring decision-making closer to
the problems of the property, favouring community participation and the promotion of
sustainable approaches.
• Giving due attention to the increasing number of institutional frameworks consisting of
multiple organizations – which has two major implications:
- The need for new skills to address the consequent management challenges;
- The risk of overlap (wasteful repetition), poor accountability and reduced transparency as
complexity increases.
• An open organizational structure and sufficient operational capacity to promote an inte-
grated approach, i.e. working with others. Adequate stakeholder involvement is inseparable
from issues of sustainability and the contributions that heritage can make to (and benefit
from) sustainable development (see Part 2.3).
• A set of guiding principles for the institutional framework. These should promote the
concepts of empowerment, participation and inclusion if positive change is to be generated,
while highlighting the grave consequences of opposing tendencies (marginalization,
discrimination, disempowerment, exclusion and ignoring the voiceless). There should not
be any passive recipients when a management system is applied, so far as possible.

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 An institutional framework which distributes power and responsibility for decision-making

throughout the organization whilst maintaining clear roles and answerability can be effective.
䊳 An institutional framework which invests in the intellectual development of its teams (e.g.
training of staff, research initiatives) and contributes to general conservation debate will find
this investment repaid in improved efficiency and in new forms of support for the cultural
properties in its care.
䊳 If there are shortcomings in the institutional framework and if restructuring is not possible,
then partnership can act as a form of ‘institutional’ capacity-building to increase the scope and
flexibility of the organizational structure (see Part 3.8).
䊳 Similarly, heritage management planning (Appendix A) can help to overcome shortcomings in
the primary institutional framework with the help of contributions from other management
systems, with positive repercussions for decision-making mechanisms. It has become the
principal tool in use for World Heritage properties.
䊳 Accruing and maintaining knowledge of a specific property and past actions taken there is
important to inform future actions. The institutional framework and its staff (see Part 4.3;
Resources) play an important role in guaranteeing continuity of knowledge. Any reorganization
should be a staged process so there is no loss of expertise. Similarly, using more external
contractors and specialists should be matched by rigorous documentation requirements and
sufficient in-house supervision.
䊳 A systematic assessment similar to that proposed in the Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit –
‘Tool 3: Relationships with Stakeholders‘ – could deliver the information needed to refine an
institutional framework to this end.58
䊳 Hybrid institutional frameworks that unite public heritage authority organizations with new
entities can serve to address World Heritage obligations. They can be fairly permanent or of a
finite term, bringing in outside partners to achieve specific objectives that leave a positive
Managing Cultural World Heritage

legacy for the long-term management of the property (see, for example, the Herculaneum
(Italy) case study, p. 111).
䊳 If the institutional framework is traditional/established practice, it is all the more important
that its light organizational form is grounded in a broad community consensus.

58. Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J. and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing
our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effectiveness of Natural World Heritage Sites. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 23). Tool 3: Relationships with Stakeholders, p.28.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/23/
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

USEFUL
U S E F QUESTIONS
U L Q U E S T I O N S TO
T O AASK
SK

䊳 Is the institutional framework clearly documented, transparent and accessible? This is vital to
favour accountability and staff motivation and to facilitate participatory approaches, amongst
other things.
䊳 Having identified values in a participatory way (see Appendix A), is the adequacy of the
institutional framework to protect them also reviewed?
䊳 Is the capacity (autonomy, size, efficiency, responsiveness, etc.) of the institutional framework
adequate for the needs of the specific cultural properties for which it is responsible? Also for
their wider setting (the buffer zone and beyond), and the social, economic and environmental
implications?
䊳 Has the ability of the institution(s) to attract resources, not only financial, from a diversity of
sources been assessed?
䊳 Is there the organizational capacity in the institutional framework to be accountable to
funders, superior governing bodies, staff and target groups (and future generations)?
䊳 Check the ‘authority’ of the institution in charge. It should have the authority to ensure that
the World Heritage Convention commitment is maintained for the property, and cannot be
sidelined by lesser commitments. This is critical.
䊳 Is there the internal capacity to improve institutions using new and innovative tools?

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR WORLD HERITAGE

Key considerations
The 1972 Convention refers to the need for administrative provisions but does not define
specific requirements or characteristics of the institutional framework (perhaps because they
vary so much from country to country).

A State Party must identify a single institution to act as the nodal point for all World Heritage
matters and for communication with the World Heritage Centre. For Periodic Reporting, in
particular, a ‘focal point’ is appointed from an institution with a primary management role
for all the World Heritage of a particular State Party (see Part 3.5).

In reality, in all World Heritage processes institutions play a primary role, from the preparation
of a Tentative List through to the day-to-day management of a World Heritage property.
Indeed, effective management of World Heritage properties depends on the extent to which
the institutions embrace the Convention and Operational Guidelines at every level of
management.

Effective management of World Heritage also depends on institutions being flexible enough
to:
• work with a range of institutions linked to a particular property, from the time of preparing
the nomination to management after inscription
• respect requirements (e.g. monitoring responsibilities, following up ‘State of Conservation’
requests, facilitating missions, Periodic Reporting, OG requirements and the need to protect
OUV as the baseline for management), and
• accommodate new and emerging concepts in the World Heritage system (e.g. improving
Managing Cultural World Heritage

approaches to capacity-building, risk management and sustainable development and the

impact of climate change).

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

Governance in the cultural heritage sector

‘Governance’ has become a mainstream concern in the heritage sector as public heritage
authorities and heritage NGOs examine their own policies and practices in an attempt to prevent
the calamities that have plagued the private sector, in which the collapse of several important
corporations has been attributed to poor governance.

Good governance refers to the relationship between governing bodies, citizens and democratic
processes, and the ability to deliver effective, functioning forms of government.

Research59 suggests that principles identified by the OECD for democratic public institutions are
applicable to non-governmental and public sector governance for the cultural heritage sector
and particularly for citizens who live on or near heritage properties):
• respect for the rule of law;
• openness, transparency and accountability of democratic institutions;
• fairness and equity in dealings with citizens, including mechanisms for consultation and
participation;
• efficient, effective services;
• clear, transparent and applicable laws and regulations;
• consistency and coherence in policy formation; and
• high standards of ethical behaviour.60

Priority areas that the OECD identified are also important for the heritage sector: e-government,
regulatory reform, public sector budgeting and management, citizen participation in policy-
making, and fighting corruption.

For the UNDP, good or democratic governance entails ‘meaningful and inclusive political partici-
pation – basically people having more of a say in all of the decisions which shape their lives:’61
Enhancing governance will always depend on local input and commitment. International
guidance is subject to country-specific circumstances and institutional features, so that global
findings cannot be applied directly. Only local data can make a convincing case for change and
it is only through local capacity that relevant issues can be identified and political opportunities
for legal and regulatory reform seized.

Drawing on a definition from the corporate sector,62 we could propose a definition for
governance in the cultural heritage sector as follows:
In its broadest sense, governance is concerned with holding the balance between economic and
social goals and between individual and communal goals. The governance framework is there to
encourage the efficient use of resources and equally to require accountability for the stewardship
of those resources. The aim is to align as nearly as possible the interests of individuals, of cultural
heritage, and of society.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

59. Principles of good governance from several international heritage-related agencies, trusts and organizations are used
to develop a set of principles for the cultural heritage sector in: Shipley, R. and Kovacs, J.F. ‘Good governance principles
for the cultural heritage sector: lessons from international experience’, in: Corporate Governance, Vol. 8 Iss: 2, 2008,
pp. 214–228. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
60. http://www.oecd.org/about/0,3347,en_2649_37405_1_1_1_1_37405,00.html
61. http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourperspective/ourperspectivearticles/2011/05/20/why-good-governance-
makes-for-better-development.html
62. Claessens, S. 2003. Corporate Governance and Development. Global Corporate Governance Forum, Focus I.
Washington, DC, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/Bank.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Element 3: RESOURCES

Overview
Resources are the basis for operational capacity and come in three main forms: human,
financial and intellectual. They enable the institutional framework to carry out the mandate
defined by the legal framework. They are more likely to be subject to frequent changes than
the institutional or legal frameworks.

Many definitions of ‘management’ make people and resources the central issues:
‘Management is the activity of getting things done with the aid of people and other
resources’
‘Management is a general human activity which occurs whenever people take
responsibility for an activity and consciously try to shape its progress and outcome’63

AL K
HERITAGE
FRAMEWION

RE
OR

SO
I NS T I T U T

U
RCE S

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
L
F R AL E G A O R K Diagram 10: Resources – human,
MEW
financial and intellectual – are the
basis for operational capacity

RESOURCES IN GENERAL

Their availability and utilization vary extensively

Human resources
It is usually the institutions themselves that provide the human resources for cultural heritage
that is under public management. However, the shift in many countries to outsourcing
expertise and works (often associated with downsizing of public organizations and/or the
desire to reduce direct risks assumed by the public bodies) has led to opportunities for a
wider range of professionals and works contractors to engage in heritage conservation.

In the case of cultural landscapes or urban sites, it is often those for whom the heritage property
is a home or a livelihood (e.g. private owners, residents, local communities, and those working
the land) who contribute substantial additional human resources to its care, often as volunteers.

The World Heritage Capacity Building Strategy (drawing also upon the experience of other
sectors) establishes that building the capacity of a heritage management system is based on
forms of people-centred learning, reflecting the importance of human resources. It identifies
Managing Cultural World Heritage

three primary areas where heritage capacities reside – among practitioners (operating inside
and outside the institutional framework), within institutional frameworks, and among
communities and networks – and their respective key target audiences through which
capacities can be built: these are essentially practitioners, policy-makers and representatives
of other stakeholders (see Part 3.8).

63. Boddy, D. 2008. Management: An Introduction. (Fourth edition). Harlow, UK, Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

Financial resources
Financial resources will be either fixed (in terms of source, scope and timing) or variable with
different sources (e.g. local, international or traditional sources, or from loans, private funding,
international cooperation, specific support for World Heritage properties, sustainable
financing, etc.), or a mix of the two.

It has usually been government budgets that provide the financial resources for cultural
heritage under public ownership and management, but, as public funding has declined, so
funding is being sought from other sources. Thus properties in public ownership take on
some of the characteristics of cultural heritage in private ownership – for example, urban
sites and cultural landscapes – which seek funding where they can.

Financial resources generated directly from cultural properties are also becoming important
in the pursuit of economic sustainability.

Intellectual resources
A wealth of intellectual resources in the form of principles of conservation emerged in
the Western world at the end of the 19th century. Resources have continued to evolve as
new knowledge from around the world is contributed. The success of conservation or
management programmes depends on knowledge being generated, maintained, updated
and exchanged, both for day-to-day actions and for improving the management systems and
for communicating to existing and new audiences

This needs to be done at numerous levels within the management system through capacity-
building (see ‘human resources’ above and Part 3.8), often in the form of research and staff
development. Human resources and intellectual resources overlap extensively. Human
resources within a management system are important but are not the only generator and
host of intellectual resources. Intellectual resources must also be reinforced through internal
monitoring and review (see Part 4.3 – Monitoring) and also through external sources drawing
upon information management, outsourcing (see Appendix B) and advocacy. Indeed, local
experience and know-how can be as precious intellectual resources as the output of national
research bodies or international charters (see Part 4.4 – Improvements to management
systems). Intellectual resources, like human and financial resources, are often in short supply.

What resources are for

The deployment and manipulation of resources constitutes ‘resourcing’. Resources, as
discussed above, fall into three broad categories – human, financial and intellectual –
although they can be categorized differently (e.g. as material, technological, equipment,
natural or intangible resources).

Sometimes known as ‘inputs’, resources are the ‘fuel’ that make a management system
operate to conserve and manage cultural heritage. Their quantity and quality, along with
other factors, define the operational capacity of the specific institutional framework. Since
resources for cultural heritage are generally scarce, it is all the more critical that they are used
effectively (see Part 4.3).

Key considerations for the effective deployment of resources

Managing Cultural World Heritage

The following considerations all contribute to the effective deployment of resources for
heritage:
• Transparency (regular audits, standard review procedures, quality financial reporting,
an open-book approach, where possible, etc.) and accountability (clear distribution of
responsibility and communication channels).
• Investing in natural, human and social capital, mirroring the principles of sustainability (see
Part 2.3). This depends on a participatory approach with in-house and/or external specialists
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

judging which issues can be resolved only by experts and which require broader consulta-
tion. In the absence of broader consultation, even greater accountability and transparency
are necessary.
• A balance between the use of internal (within the institutions) and external resources in all
three areas, human, financial and intellectual (see Part 4.3 – Implementation). In particular,
care should be taken to avoid institutional memory loss when fixed in-house expertise is
reduced in favour of periodic outsourcing.
• Cultural heritage not being a renewable resource, managers must have the information
they need to manage effectively. Research can provide baseline information on the property
and also enhance management by improving strategies, actions and methodology.
• Fostering positive learning environments associated with specific properties and with the
cultural heritage sector in general can lead to improved performance of the individuals
being addressed and of the organizations, communities and networks in which they are
involved (see Part 3.8 – Capacity Building), with positive repercussions for the heritage.
Increased efficiency through capacity-building can counter the trend towards reduced
resources at more and more cultural properties. Seeking new partners who bring intellectual
resources (rather than financial) can often be the key to delivering good capacity-building
initiatives for an organization.

DEPLOYMENT OF RESOURCES FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 Approaches to finding and deploying resources can benefit from basic principles used in many
other sectors:
• Being clear and unambiguous,
• Looking to the future,
• Learning from the past,
• Making memorable and engaging processes,
• Aspirations that are realistic, i.e. planning realistically given the resources available,
• Good alignment with the values and culture of the organization(s),
• Being driven by ‘user’ needs (e.g. visitors to the property, the local community within or
around the property, future generations).
䊳 Joining forces with others and promoting partnerships can increase resources (enhancing
publicity and consolidating fundraising initiatives) and improving their deployment to deal with
the particular challenges of cultural heritage. Partnership can also act as a catalyst to attract
new sources of support and increase flexibility and response-time in the case of shortages
(see the Herculaneum case study, p.111).
䊳 In-house selection procedures and management must be particularly rigorous when sourcing
and commissioning external expertise, other services or conservation works (see Part 4.3,
Implementation).
䊳 Monitoring management effectiveness will entail, amongst other things, carefully measuring
fluctuations in the sourcing and use of resources and how this is made part of planning and
implementation processes (see Part 4.3).
䊳 Management tools can help review and mitigate the impact of fluctuating resources and
ensure that shortages are anticipated and well managed.
䊳 Quantifying and defining resource needs and availability helps to identify any shortfalls in
staff, funds and equipment and the measures needed to deliver the planned management
Managing Cultural World Heritage

activities, for example resorting to external appointments. Tool 7 ‘Assessment of Management

Needs and Inputs’ proposed, Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit, is useful here64 (see Appendix B).
•••

64. Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J. and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing
our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effectiveness of Natural World Heritage Sites. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 23). Tool 7: Assessment of Management Needs and Inputs, p.44.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/23/
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••• 䊳 For properties which have or want to attract multiple research initiatives, developing a
Code of Conduct for Researchers in line with IUCN recommendations65 could have positive
repercussions.
䊳 Able and committed leadership will usually combine solid skills derived from both grassroots
experience and formal educational qualifications. Good leadership will allow forward-thinking
management and reduce reliance on organizational crisis management.
䊳 Objective estimates of needs can strengthen proposals for funding from government, donors
and other sources of support.
䊳 Much advice is available from the international aid sector on managing donors, such as the
benefits of favouring donors who:
• Are known organizations or consolidated partnerships;
• Are committed to capacity-building, skills development and conflict resolution;
• Avoid internal organizational politics and adopt non-interventionist methods;
• Gauge the institutional framework’s ability to absorb and manage resources and tailor
financial and other support to meet this.

USEFUL
U S E F QUESTIONS
U L Q U E S T I O N S TO
T O AASK
SK

䊳 The heritage sector demands contributions from a range of professionals. Have the services
of all relevant disciplines within or outside the institutional framework been obtained?
Are mechanisms in place to ensure that they work effectively together to guarantee good
decision-making?
䊳 Approaches to human resources have been tried and tested in numerous sectors, for example
job descriptions, staff appraisals, grievance procedures, promotion plans and insurance. Are
they being employed to help ensure that internal staff are suitable and have the means to
discharge their functions? Do they avoid the over-dilution of the duties of technical staff,
usually caused by excessive administrative obligations?
䊳 Do you regularly assess the resources that are required for effective management of the site,
and measure these against the resources available? Is this assessment rooted in a thorough
understanding of site management requirements?
䊳 Do you collect information on these resources so as to monitor changes in staff and resource
availability over time?

RESOURCES UTILIZATION FOR WORLD HERITAGE

Additional resources for States Parties with World Heritage in their care
The World Heritage Convention expects States Parties to provide resources, to the best of
their ability, for sustaining the OUV of an inscribed property. Since international cooperation
is one of the founding principles of the Convention, the Committee also seeks support from
international donors to help States Parties. In addition, in some circumstances, it provides in-
ternational assistance to States Parties for the preparation of Tentative Lists, nominations,
training and the conservation of properties, by means of the World Heritage Fund established
by the Convention. The Fund can also allocate money in emergency situations. Also aimed
at helping States Parties are the research and capacity-building initiatives (including an im-
portant body of learning resources) developed by the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Centre, sometimes in conjunction with other partners.

65. UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2012. Managing Natural World Heritage. Paris, UNESCO World Heritage
Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual) pp.75-77.
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-703-1.pdf (English web page).
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

CASE STUDY

Example of resources being brought

© UNESCO / Nomination File

by NGOs to strengthen the primary
management system

There are interesting case studies where

non-government organizations play a key
role in the nomination and management
of a World Heritage property. Champaner-
Pavagadh Archaeological Park in India is
an example. The Heritage Trust Baroda
helped the Archaeological Survey of India,
the legal custodian of heritage in the
country and the nodal agency for World
Heritage in the preparation of the nomi- Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (India)
nation dossier for the property, which was
inscribed in 2002 followed by the development of the management plan. One of their landmark
achievements was the promotion of the legislation to establish the Champaner Pavagadh
Archaeological Park Management Authority which included all the stakeholders with the prime
aim to protect the OUV and control the developments in the World Heritage property.

Key considerations for resources deployment for World Heritage

The additional obligations created by World Heritage inscription, the system and its processes
have implications for resourcing levels (finance, staff time, new expertise) which the State
Party must resolve.

States Parties must guarantee through the nomination process that resources are available
and adequate to maintain the OUV of the inscribed property. The management system needs
to be adequate and adequately resourced both at present and in the future (OG paras 108-
118). In the case of World Heritage, it is particularly important that management processes
such as planning, implementation and monitoring are resourced sufficiently to enable good
communication to third parties.

Capacity-building of practitioners, institutional frameworks, networks and communities for

World Heritage properties (OG para 212) can help to overcome resourcing difficulties. States
Parties must have mechanisms in place to monitor, and then act on, any weak, underused or
missing capacities that compromise efficiency and effectiveness. This will help to reduce the
extra demand on resources created by World Heritage compliance.

Capacity-building can require an initial allocation of additional financial resources (OG paras
225-232) but, in the long term, can increase the effective use of existing resources. In this
regard, States Parties can benefit from the World Heritage Strategy for Capacity Building66
(see Part 3.8) and its dedicated learning environments and research activities.

Capacity-building should, amongst other things, update staff and externally outsourced prac-
titioners on emerging knowledge for heritage management practice, including changes to
Managing Cultural World Heritage

World Heritage processes that are reflected in the periodic revision of the Operational
Guidelines. All those involved in the management of a World Heritage property must have

66. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. Presentation and adoption of the World Heritage strategy for capacity building.
Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-11/35.COM/9B)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-9Be.pdf
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

an adequate knowledge of the values of the property to support all management processes,
particularly those to ensure the OUV of a cultural property is maintained.

Active use of World Heritage resources and the World Heritage network can deliver new
forms of support to managers of properties, help maintain understanding of the OUV of the
property, and advance a common vision for its management.

RESOURCES UTILIZATION FOR WORLD HERITAGE

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 Sometimes central ministries/institutions pursue World Heritage status for a property without
sufficiently involving local heritage authorities and even property-level staff, who then find
themselves having to guarantee compliance. Heritage practitioners directly involved in site
management should be proactive on being involved in preparing the nomination dossier, on
the basis that their exclusion would be counter-productive for future management if the
property were to be inscribed.
䊳 The success of World Heritage is such that the inscription of a property is a form of branding
that will increase the interest of the international community and the local community and
networks in the property. This is an opportunity which all levels of the management system
should seize to attract new resources for the property.
䊳 The additional management pressures on resources that World Heritage inscription creates can
be relieved through using management tools to improve the deployment and manipulation of
resources.
䊳 Too often those involved in day-to-day site management are unaware of the opportunities
offered by the World Heritage system, such as International Assistance available through the
World Heritage Fund and access to new knowledge and resources.
䊳 New knowledge is constantly being generated and individual heritage practitioners can
benefit from and contribute through regularly accessing the websites of the World Heritage
Centre and the Advisory Bodies. Some offer regular e-newsletters and contributions via social
media (e.g. ICCROM), and these provide information about capacity-building opportunities
that are open to all.

4.3 The three processes of a heritage management system

Defining the three processes: The three elements outlined in Part 4.2 come together to
make a management system function and to deliver results. Some processes that are com-
mon to heritage management systems are:

1. PLANNING
Understanding the ‘who’ of decision-making, AL K HERITAGE
FRAMEWION

RE
OR

deciding what objectives to reach, what actions

Managing Cultural World Heritage

SO
I N S T I T UT

UR C E S

to take and what the timeframe will be, and

recording these proposals so as to communi-
cate them to others and to review progress at
NG

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
NI

every stage. L
F R AL E G A O R K
N

MEW A
PL

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

2. IMPLEMENTATION
AL K HERITAGE
Taking the planned actions, checking that

FRAMEWION
R

RE
O

SO
I N S T I T UT
they deliver the outputs of each stage and the

UR C E S
IMPLEM
broader objectives defined at the outset. In
the event of disparities emerging, making

NG
HERITAGE
HERITAGE
changes mid-way to the actions and how they

EN

NI
L
A F R AL E G A O R K

N
are taken, as and when necessary.

T
TI MEW A
ON PL

NITORING
MO

3. MONITORING
AL K HERITAGE
Collecting and analysing data to check that the
FRAMEWION

RE
O

SO
I N S T I T UT

management system is operating effectively

UR C E S
IMPLEM

and delivering the right results, and to identify

remedial measures in the event of shortcomings
NG
HERITAGE
HERITAGE
or new opportunities.
EN

NI
L
A F R AL E G A O R K
N
T

TI MEW A
ON PL

These three processes vary greatly in different heritage management systems. They operate
in multiple, overlapping cycles and often act in unison so as to be hard to distinguish. The
three heritage processes are explored in this section.

The relationship between processes and general management effectiveness led the IUCN
World Commission on Protected Areas to develop a toolkit for managers of natural heritage.
Initial trials of its application to cultural heritage suggest that it is relevant and useful; a sum-
mary is provided in Appendix B.

Process 1: PLANNING

Overview
The mechanisms for preparing and revising plans vary among and within management
systems. Some institutions have employed the same procedure since they started but there
are many relatively new planning approaches now being adopted.

Planning, implementation and monitoring

are all important processes that often overlap
in forming a continuous cycle that allows the AL K HERITAGE
FRAMEWION

RE

management system to deliver results. The

OR

SO
I N S T I T UT

success of implementation and the effective-

UR C E S

Managing Cultural World Heritage

ness of monitoring strategies depend heavily

on the investment made at the planning
Diagram 11:
NG

stage. At the same time, it is feedback from HERITAGE

HERITAGE
The first of the three
NI

monitoring processes that can be the L main processes of a

F R AL E G A O R K
N

bedrock of good planning and leads to im- MEW A management system:

PL
provements in the management system and planning
future practice.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

PLANNING IN GENERAL

Approaches and challenges vary extensively

Planning in the heritage sector, as in other sectors, is characterized by multiple approaches,
including those whose decision-making processes are not formalized at all.

Planning is required at both national and property levels. At national levels, primary planning
activities might consist of identifying and gaining consensus for cultural heritage as part of
the process of creating inventories (including Tentative Lists) and measures for legal protec-
tion, and developing appropriate conservation and long-term management measures. For
some kinds of heritage, some of the planning process will already be expressed in legislative
provisions such as outline strategies of land use and development plans involving private
owners.

Several overlapping plans may coexist as a result of there being diverse partners (planning
authorities, communities, the international community, etc.), contrasting pressures from the
context (the buffer zone and the wider area of influence), and the need to plan both routine
and one-off actions.

With regard to planning for specific properties, management systems will mix some active
planning (anticipating problems and opportunities) with reactive planning (responding to
problems as they arise) for properties; ideally, the former will predominate.

Integrated approaches to planning at a property level have become common but the levels
of genuine participation vary greatly. Indeed, some systems deliver plans but fail to implement
and revise them, because of insufficient resources or insufficient consensus.

Other systems embrace management tools to improve their approaches to planning whilst
others stay loyal to established practice despite its shortcomings. In many countries, strategic
planning (see management planning, Appendix A) might be the primary approach at
national level and the values-led approach (see Part 2.5) might only be truly embraced at site
level.

What planning involves

The planning process entails identifying desired outcomes for the property and its stakehold-
ers (in other words setting the objectives of the management system); and determining the
specific outputs to be delivered that will come together to achieve these outcomes. As
preparatory steps planning defines the heritage processes and required outputs in terms of
scope, quality, cost and timeframe, in such a way as to facilitate communication with others
and to review progress at every stage.

Planning itself is a cycle that should include the following stages that often overlap: partici-
pation, consultation, drafting, review and updating. For cultural heritage these can be defined
in more detail, for example (again, steps often overlapping): identifying the stakeholders and
collecting information, identifying and characterizing the heritage and analysing the current
situation; setting visions, objectives and actions; drafting the plan(s); implementing; review
and updating.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

If planning is done badly, the cost of taking remedial measures once implementation has
begun increases. It is the planning stage that offers the potential to improve actions of the
management system with minimum cost, as the following diagram67 shows.

67. Burke, R. 2003. Project Management Planning and Control Techniques. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, p.24.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

COST / INFLUENCE

Po
t
en
tia
l
to
im
pr
ov

e
ou
tc
om
e

nge
Cost of cha

Planning Implementation

TIME
Diagram 12: Reduced costs through earlier action: the ‘Influence / Cost of change’ curve during the
life cycle of a project. Source: Burke (2003).

Key considerations for planning processes

Planning processes need to respond and adapt to the many interdependent factors at work
on heritage properties. Planning at a macro level (e.g. national) should create a framework
for systematic and holistic decision-making which leads to micro-level planning (e.g. for a
property or group of properties) and then actions. Indeed, it is important to work with other
authorities and agencies to identify planning processes that could have an impact on the
plans for the property and its setting (the buffer zone and wider area of influence) and then
adjust them accordingly.

The following considerations apply in making planning processes for heritage effective:

Stakeholder consensus and values

Management objectives at a property level must be rooted in an understanding of the values
of the property. The values of cultural properties and conservation options should be assessed
with all possible stakeholders participating to ensure a shared understanding of the property
and their direct involvement. An adequate range of professionals needs to contribute to all
phases of the planning process. Only an interdisciplinary approach to planning will ensure
that needs are anticipated and met effectively as they arise.

An inclusive approach, when successful, leads to plans embraced by all parties in reconciling
the needs and expectations of those linked to the property with the need to sustain its
heritage values (see Part 2 and Appendix A).

Plans are effective only if they have gained a consensus at the right level(s) that is officially
recognized. Recognition may take the form of approvals and the first step is through local
Managing Cultural World Heritage

community consultation mechanisms. Thereafter approvals must be sought at a senior level

within the relevant organization(s) or even parliamentary approval that makes the plan itself
a legal instrument. Approval could take the form of links between the plan and other
significant national or regional plans that influence management of the property.

Broad stakeholder approval (the local community in particular) of a plan is important and
can be difficult to achieve.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

© Netzai
CASE STUDY

A participatory approach to management

The Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco, Baja Califor-

nia (Mexico) are located in a very remote area illustrates the
introduction of a participatory approach.

Moving away from conventional practices, the staff of INAH

launched a participatory approach by bringing together local
communities and other relevant stakeholders for the develop- Rock Paintings of the Sierra de
ment of a management plan and its implementation. This San Francisco (Mexico)
exercise has proved that participatory management can be a
sustainable way to manage sites, including those located in remote regions and over large areas such as
those in the Sierra de San Francisco, but strong foundations for legal protection (and its enforcement)
and for institutional support are required.

Realistic planning
Plans are also of value only if the means for implementation exist or can be obtained. Planning
must delineate the actions to be taken, using a variety of parameters of which the following
are common to most actions:
• Defining scope (how much will we do),
• Defining performance (how do we expect the finished result to perform),
• Defining quality (what specific standards need to be met),
• Defining cost,
• Defining timeframes for each action.

When setting targets for the above parameters, it is necessary to make preventive management
assessments, decide the relative importance of the five parameters, and then deploy resources,
implement and monitor accordingly. Unforeseeable factors mean it is rarely possible to reach
set targets for all five parameters. These preventive assessments are also important to signal
which strategies and actions to pursue if circumstances change during implementation (e.g.
programming or resourcing difficulties) and what compromises need to be made. How the
actions will be carried out and with whom also needs to be defined (including related
procedures, roles and responsibilities, risk distribution and other management strategies), as
will the process of monitoring, review and adjustment.

The desired outcomes and the outputs that will achieve them (and to which the action contributes,
see Part 4.4, Results) will help guide re-planning when new issues arise during the implementation
of the plan. Outputs will vary from specific operations (such as conservation works) to new
organizational functions (perhaps online booking for school visits) to services (possibly new
audio-guide facilities) and ‘products’ (site documentation, the plans themselves or feedback into
them from participatory initiatives to encourage local community links, etc.).

Achieving balance in planning

A well-judged balance of long-term as well as short-term actions should emerge from an
effective planning process. Regular work plans (i.e. annual work plan, tourism plan, business
plans) should be complemented by longer-term strategic plans. Planning must also set aside
resources as contingencies specifically to anticipate the need (staff time and cost) for
Managing Cultural World Heritage

continuous revision of plans during their lifetime.

Good planning, reinforced by feedback from within and outside the management system
(see Part 4.4, Improvements to management systems), will reduce the amount of reactive
planning that has to take place since more and more needs will be anticipated. This is desirable
to optimize the use of resources. Even so, a capacity for reactive planning is necessary in
order to deal with unforeseeable events.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

PLANNING PROCESSES FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 Planning (as with monitoring) is too often seen as an end in itself, an ‘end product’, rather
than as one stage in a cycle of processes (OG para 111) which ensure that management
systems deliver results efficiently and effectively.
䊳 The term ‘plan’ suggests a lifeless, definitive document but a plan often needs to be a living
document that evolves as its proposed actions are implemented and then monitored. Initial
proposals for a series of actions can turn into useful working documents to negotiate changes
and compromise during implementation, and then again become a set of proceedings that
recounts the various events and decisions made, thus forming the basis for future monitoring.
Viewed in this way, a plan does not necessarily fail if finalized only after some of its actions
have already been implemented. The process can be more important than the document itself.
䊳 Where possible and appropriate, legislative and institutional capacities from outside the
cultural heritage sector can be used to reinforce heritage planning processes.
䊳 Many tools are available to improve planning approaches and other heritage processes (see
Appendices A and B). Heritage authorities and NGOs use business plans, for example: the
National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland has adopted the Triple Bottom Line plan
to incorporate sustainable development concerns into management decision-making (see the
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Park (UK) case study, p.22) and the benefits of such plans
are being evaluated.
䊳 Rigorous assessments should form the foundation of any planning process. Although devel-
oped for natural World Heritage application, some of the assessments proposed in the
Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit68 for the pre-planning and planning stages (see Appendix B)
are worth examining.
䊳 Within planning, it can be worth differentiating between the internal workings of the institu-
tional framework and the external operations with partners, stakeholders and interest groups.
Stakeholder analysis can be a useful technique in this process. In the event of organizational
problems, this can facilitate quick resolution and limit damage to third parties.
䊳 Planning should also identify opportunities that can harness reciprocal benefits for society and
the property alike.

USEFUL
U S E F QUESTIONS
U L Q U E S T I O N S TO
T O AASK
SK

䊳 Are the values of the property, including its OUV, sufficiently understood?
䊳 Are other parties from within and outside the management system involved and, if so, at
what stage?
䊳 Is there an adequate understanding of the environment within which the organization(s) operates?
䊳 Do management policy and the plans already produced or to be produced have institutional
commitment?
䊳 Is planning defined by the values of the site and by the needs of the end-users (visitors,
future generations, etc.), wider stakeholders and also the institutional framework itself?
䊳 Are the identification of critical objectives of the management systems considered in the
planning process?
䊳 Are the following being considered? Identification of those projects that work towards
achieving the objectives of the management system by delivering specific actions (e.g.
conservation works), new organizational functions (e.g. online booking for school visits) or
services (e.g. new audio-guide facilities) or ‘products’ (e.g. site documentation, plans them-
Managing Cultural World Heritage

selves or feedback into plans from participatory initiatives encouraging local community links).
䊳 Are establishing priorities and setting targets for the scope of these projects, defining related
procedures, roles and responsibilities, resources, timeframes, risk and other management
strategies etc., are being done?

68. Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J. and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing
our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effectiveness of Natural World Heritage sites. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 23). Tool 1: Identifying Site Values and Management Objectives p.20,
Tool 2: Identifying Threats p.25, Tool 3: Relationships with Stakeholders p.29, Tool 6: Design Assessment p.40.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

PLANNING FOR WORLD HERITAGE

Key considerations
Given the uniqueness of each World Heritage property and setting, new planning approaches
should be introduced only after careful consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of
the existing situation, including traditional practices, existing urban or regional planning
instruments and other planning control mechanisms, both formal and informal.

The SOUV is the basis for planning for the management of World Heritage properties (see
Part 2.5 and Appendix A). Consequently, attributes that embody OUV and reflect the corre-
lation between value and decision-making must be clearly identified and respected, as must
boundaries, buffer zones and wider areas of influence.

In the case of plans to undertake (or to authorize others to carry out) major changes to a
property or new development in the vicinity of a property which may affect the OUV of the
property, the State Party must inform the World Heritage Committee at the beginning of the
planning process (OG para172). Indeed, all planning at World Heritage properties must aim
to protect the OUV. Heritage Impact Assessments for proposed interventions are essential.

Planning for World Heritage must also harness heritage benefits for society by integrating
sustainable development considerations into the process (see Part 2.3). This depends on a
thorough shared understanding of the property by all stakeholders. Indeed, the OG empha-
size that ‘effective management involves a cycle of long-term and day-to-day actions to
protect, conserve and present the nominated property. An integrated approach to planning
and management is essential to guide the evolution of properties over time and to ensure
maintenance of all aspects of their OUV. This approach goes beyond the property to include
any buffer zone(s) as well as the broader setting’.

Planning mechanisms for World Heritage properties must be flexible enough to:
• Accommodate changes in order to comply with the specific requirements of managing a
World Heritage property.
• Allow plans to be revised in the event of an emergency, the results of a SOC decision or in
the case of Danger Listing, all of which aim at maintaining the OUV (see Part 3.3).
• Anticipate new challenges which could emerge from World Heritage inscription, for exam-
ple checking that visitor facilities correspond with changing levels and types of visitor.

It is for this reason that in the World Heritage context, ‘management planning’ has become
an important tool for adjusting a management system, if necessary in its entirety, to respond
to new needs, and for securing secondary support as necessary. The ‘management plan’ that
results corresponds closely with the needs of the World Heritage nomination dossier (see Part
3.5) and demonstrates how the OUV of a property is going to be sustained in a process that
depends on the participation of all stakeholders. Management planning is examined in
Appendix A of this manual.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

CASE STUDY

New planning tools

© UNESCO / V. Dauge
The World Heritage property Historic
Cairo was inscribed in 1979 and in recent
years has seen new forms of support from
NGOs and other non-state partners work-
ing closely with the public authorities to
improve management approaches. One
such effort is the Urban Regeneration
project for Historic Cairo (URHC) which
‘has been working with local authorities
since 2010 with the aim of preparing plan-
ning and management tools necessary for
the conservation of the aforementioned
heritage values in addition to the socio-
Historic Cairo (Egypt)
economic revitalization and environmen-
tal upgrading of the World Heritage site as a whole... The Urban Regeneration project for Historic
Cairo, ...hopes to ensure that the World Heritage site be recognized and protected, in a dynamic
fashion, through an efficient, comprehensive and sustainable management system, strengthened by
the effective coordination amongst the different institutions involved’.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/663/

Process 2: IMPLEMENTATION

Overview
Approaches to implementation vary greatly because they are heavily influenced by legal and
institutional frameworks and by local practice for manipulating and deploying resources. As
with the planning process, many heritage management systems are evolving new approaches
to implementation. This means some of the ‘common ground’ identified below will be less
applicable for properties of some States Parties, but may become relevant in the future.

AL K HERITAGE
FRAMEWION

R
RE
O

SO
I N S T I T UT

UR C E S
IMPLEM

NG

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
EN

NI

L
A F R AL E G A O R K Diagram 13: The second of the three
N
T

TI MEW A
ON PL main processes of a management system:
implementation
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Of the three processes identified, implementation is the one most dependent on the other
two: to be effective it depends on good planning, which in turn depends on effective mon-
itoring. However, planning and monitoring only exist to facilitate and improve implementa-
tion, and good planning procedures can be compromised by a lack of follow-through.

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

The implementation stage is critical because the interconnection between cultural property,
its management system and its context are subject to impact or change as the planned actions
are carried out. ‘Change’ may be introducing improvements or managing the negative impact
of unwanted change but it can cause damage if the cycle of processes is not working
effectively.

IMPLEMENTATION IN GENERAL

Approaches and challenges vary extensively

It is generally the staff of public institutions who have implemented planned activities, par-
ticularly for public-owned sites. For urban properties or cultural landscapes, private owners
and non-governmental organizations play a larger role. In many countries, external specialists,
contractors and NGOs commissioned by the state sector’s institutions or the private owners
are now increasingly involved.

Approaches to implementation vary from one institutional framework to another, in terms

of how actions are implemented and in terms of the tasks deemed necessary during prepara-
tory stages and after completion of actions.

They vary most with respect to working with others, either as forms of partnership or when
procuring external services, supplies or works, i.e. outsourcing.

What implementation involves

The implementation phase of the management cycle will involve important coordination of
tasks and priorities. It is characterized by two parallel operations:
(i) Carrying out the actions that have been planned, and
(ii) Constantly checking that there is congruity with the original aims.

These operations occasionally need to be joined by two more:

(iii) Modifying approaches and activities, if required,
(iv) Identifying and overcoming any oversights.

Implementation actions can be broadly divided into two categories:

‘Ordinary’ routine actions

These might include programmes of site maintenance, payment of salaries or external contrac-
tors, coordination of implementation, site interpretation and broader advocacy obligations,

Specific one-time actions

These might include in-depth conservation work or enhancement of a single area, building a
visitor centre, research projects, improving facilities in the buffer zone, and new approaches
to promotional activities and audience development. They might also entail managing new
external opportunities or pressures that emerge as actions are taken forward, such as preventing
other parties from taking damaging actions and managing the impact on other activities.

Key considerations for implementation

The implementation stage requires a particular readiness to respond to new pressures and
Managing Cultural World Heritage

opportunities. The delivery of programmed activities, together with the constant integration
of corrective actions, favours an upward spiral of continuous improvement in heritage processes.

Mistakes made at the implementation stage are far more difficult to remedy than those made
during planning or monitoring since the cultural property, the management system or wider
relationships are being changed. Everything must be in place before action begins. See the
considerations that follow.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Broad participation
Effective implementation, much like planning, depends on supervision by an interdisciplinary
team that includes specialists from all disciplines relevant to the problems being addressed
who can deliver appropriate responses to new needs during implementation. It also depends
on other knowledge areas, including risk management and communication and outsourcing.
Effective implementation depends on coordinating the contribution of all relevant stakeholders
and this requires particular skills.

Recording and reporting

Data-collection mechanisms must be in place as part of implementation processes, in order
to provide base material for monitoring processes (see this section, Process 3 – Monitoring).
Typically, some form of schedule will be used to systematically record completed activities.
These schedules can be combined with auditing tools to assess progress (see also Appendix
A) and to facilitate effective replanning and implementing corrective actions.

Communication strategies, including plans and programmes, must be agreed and adopted.
They must acknowledge the different demands of internal and external information-sharing
and must be regularly tuned to meet changing needs.

A variety of management ‘control’ and ‘communication’ tools, some of them borrowed from
other sectors, can improve the effectiveness of the implementation stage.

Balancing the management and reporting of routine actions of the management system with
one-off initiatives will require careful attention since the two may need very different imple-
mentation approaches.

Distributing responsibility
Achieving the results desired from the implementation phase depends on the good definition,
implementation and maintenance of procedures, roles, responsibilities and decision-making
mechanisms and the flexibility to amend them as requirements change during the
implementation stages.

A clear assignment of personal responsibility to all individuals involved is particularly

important to ensure accountability and also transparency. This needs to be complemented
by independent and objective thinking amongst senior staff, something that needs to be
actively encouraged during the implementation stage.

Developing and maintaining awareness, competence and capacity at an individual level, in

an institutional network and within those networks central to a participatory approach (see
section on Capacity Building in 3.8), is sometimes neglected but is as important during the
implementation stage as during the planning stage.

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

Managing Cultural World Heritage

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 The primary parameters mentioned in the previous section on Planning which measure
whether each action of a planned work programme (see 4.4 Outputs) is on target – scope,
performance, cost, quality and timeframes – now need to be expressed in the form of hard
figures and precise technical specifications which are constantly reviewed and updated to
reinforce the implementation process.
•••
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

••• 䊳 It is important to identify which of the above parameters (and perhaps others) can be altered
(and in what order) if circumstances change (e.g. programming or resourcing difficulties) for a
specific action, and understanding where compromises need to be made. This will often be
dictated by policy (e.g. rigid quality standards) or limitations (e.g. inflexible deadlines) within
the institutional framework. It is important to obtain consensus on any such replanning in the
implementation stage.
䊳 During implementation, it is harder to check whether the overall objectives (see 4.4 Outcomes)
to which specific actions are contributing are being achieved; however this is important for
informing any replanning.
䊳 Things to look out for: common oversights in the planning stage which have negative
repercussions during implementation:
− inadequate resources (particularly human and intellectual),
− taking for granted that equipment and facilities are adequately maintained and accessible,
− insufficient checks of infrastructure (e.g. roads, access, services supplies, offices, fire towers),
− inability to host the additional strain created by new activity (e.g. conservation site works,
disruption of a community water supply, conflict between stakeholders) that might result from
the action being implemented.
䊳 Approaches to outsourcing (the process of defining and letting contracts for services
and works outside the management system) vary enormously even within the European
Community where a common legal framework unites Member States. There are countries
with consolidated and articulated approaches to the distribution of actions and related risk in
cultural heritage practice and those that have only begun to broach such issues in recent
years. This is a particularly important knowledge area for those properties whose management
needs outsourcing of expertise, services or works (whether by public authorities or private
owners).
䊳 Some property managers will have most actions for the property carried out by others (private
owners, or multiple organizations that constitute the institutional framework). Their principal
activity will not be delivering results with in-house teams or outsourcing activities but
negotiating. The challenge is to persuade others to do things, to do them well and in a
coordinated way, i.e. responsibility but without power, a characteristic of many primary
heritage management systems.

USEFUL
U S E F QUESTIONS
U L Q U E S T I O N S TO
T O AASK
SK

䊳 Are all or some of the following tactical approaches put into practice as part of the imple-
mentation process?
䊳 Are other parties from within and outside the management system involved and if so at what
stage?
䊳 Are there periodic adjustments in the allocation and deployment of human and financial
resources, equipment and facilities, etc. during implementation?
䊳 Are measures adopted and maintained to assess, prepare for and respond to the types of
disruptive events posed by external threats or shortcomings in the management system, i.e.
diverse forms of risk management?
䊳 Are mechanisms in place to ensure that information and documents produced in the imple-
mentation stage remain current, relevant and secure, and are used to inform future actions?
䊳 Are there mechanisms to guarantee that all necessary resources are in place or that there will
be a steady flow of them once operations have started?
䊳 Are there mechanisms in place to ensure that all appropriate authorizations and approvals are
in place and all relevant parties are informed?
Managing Cultural World Heritage

䊳 Are responsibilities for actions properly assigned to individuals, suppliers or contractors,

together with sufficient power to implement the actions?
䊳 If conflicts between the cultural property and stakeholders arise during implementation, are
mechanisms in place to help find solutions?

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

IMPLEMENTATION IN THE WORLD HERITAGE CONTEXT

Key considerations
Approaches to implementing activities in the World Heritage context must aim to conserve
and manage the property (or properties) in a way that contains outside pressures but also
seizes opportunities to ensure that the OUV is maintained and that society enjoys the benefits
of heritage. These issues will have already been considered in the planning stage (and elab-
orated in the management plan if one is in use, see Appendix A) but circumstances may arise
during implementation which require plans (including the implementation strategy) to be
revisited. The following are scenarios in which this need may arise (see previous section and
Appendix A):
• An emergency created by natural or man-made disasters which may constitute a potential
threat to the OUV,
• A request of the World Heritage Committee, based on State of Conservation reports, with
a view to avoid potential threats to heritage,
• The inclusion of a property on the List of World Heritage in Danger,
• Management changes which the Periodic Reporting process shows to be urgent,
• Management changes which emerge from changes in World Heritage requirements.

With regard to the last point, the congruity of actions being implemented for a property
must constantly be checked against the latest requirements of the World Heritage system.

Process 3: MONITORING

Overview
Monitoring69 involves the collection and analysis of data for specific purposes and its evalu-
ation in order to:
• Check whether the management system is operating effectively (requiring monitoring of
the heritage processes and other aspects of the management system),
• Check whether the management system is delivering the right results (outputs and out-
comes), requiring, amongst other things, monitoring of the property itself,
• Establish what remedial measures or new initiatives to take in the event of shortcomings
or opportunities being identified.

Monitoring delivers the evidence with

NITORING
which managers can substantiate their MO
conservation policy, needs and deci-
sions. Monitoring must not be simply
AL K HERITAGE
the collection of raw data but a process
FRAMEWION

R
RE
O

SO
I N S T I T UT

that involves data analysis to provide in-

UR C E S

sights into, for example, the condition

IMPLEM

of the site or the effectiveness of the

management system.
NG

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
EN

NI

L
A F R AL E G A O R K
N
T

Managing Cultural World Heritage

TI MEW A
Diagram 14: The third of the three
ON PL
main processes of a management
system: monitoring

69. Stovel, H. (ed). 2004. Monitoring World Heritage, Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 10).
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

MONITORING IN GENERAL

Approaches and challenges vary extensively

Heritage monitoring covers many diverse topics in evaluating a management system but they
fall into two main areas:
(i) The general effectiveness of the management system: For example, whether administrative
objectives are reached, whether processes perform well, whether actions that have been
implemented have respected cost, quality and time targets, whether all disciplines are
contributing appropriately to decision-making, and whether results and other inputs are
feeding back into the system and informing future practice.
(ii) The results of the management system: For example, the state of the site, whether heritage
values are being protected, whether there are changes in authenticity and integrity, the
environmental conditions, the rate of physical deterioration of the heritage, and the degree
of social engagement.

Monitoring processes essentially observe trends. They range from elaborate procedures using
technology and interdisciplinary support to simpler, regular, visual checks by property staff
or by a member of the local community.

What monitoring involves

Monitoring is about measuring whether the management system is working, whether the
state of the cultural heritage is getting better or worse, and whether heritage benefits are
being harnessed for society. Though linked, these are two different forms of monitoring –
one measures process and the other measures outputs and outcomes – that need to be clearly
distinguished and understood by all involved.

Both forms of monitoring are means to positive change, for example:

• Better resources allocation,
• Improving documentation and reporting so as not to be burdensome, time- and resource-
consuming activities, and facilitating compliance with reporting processes,
• Allowing management to change, to promote a proactive rather than reactive attitude
towards heritage conservation and management,
• Gaining new support from potential donors or partnerships by showing a coherent and
credible approach.70

Monitoring looks at changes over a given period of time, based on specific indicators. In the
case of heritage, the indicators together should show the extent to which the property has
preserved those heritage values identified as important. In the case of World Heritage prop-
erties, these are reflected in the management plan and section 6 of the nomination format.
Of interest here is Appendix 1 of the 2012 Resource Manual Managing Natural World
Heritage (pp.90-91) since it collates a series of indicators, with notes on possible assessment
measures, derived directly from the Periodic Reporting questionnaire and with the aim of an-
swering question 4.8.2 of Section II of the questionnaire: ‘Are key indicators for measuring
the state of conservation used in monitoring how the Outstanding Universal Value of the
property is being maintained?’.

To constitute ‘monitoring’, the data measured and collected during implementation must be
Managing Cultural World Heritage

analysed so that they become information (not merely data), allowing actual results to be
compared against expected ones (targets or goals from the ‘planning’ process). This infor-
mation, when combined with analysis of similar actions in the past, will make trends legible.

70. Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J. and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing
our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effectiveness of Natural World Heritage sites. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 23) pp. 88-89.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Indeed, the term ‘monitoring’ is often used in the heritage sector to refer to both the
collection of data and their analysis to check the quality or content of specific situations or
actions (see 4.4, Result 3: Improvements to management systems, for the identification of
areas that need to be revised or adapted).

Key considerations for monitoring

Monitoring and assessment frameworks and methodologies must respect the diversity of
approaches to conservation and management in various regional and cultural contexts.
However, the following considerations will be common to many management systems:

Defining purpose
Monitoring initiatives are useful only if there is an ability to act on the information that they
deliver, if they are instigated for a precise reason, and if they feed information back, in a
cyclical way, into:
• the other management processes (and indeed monitoring itself) to improve them,
• the broader management system, to inform adjustments to the legal and institutional
frameworks, and to improve the manipulation of resources.

In this way, monitoring can help to increase the general performance of the management
system and its ability to achieve the most suitable results. Indeed, it is vital to define who
and what each monitoring process is aimed at; campaigns can be driven by diverse needs.
The following are examples:
• Assessing success and failure of past and current actions and policies,
• Informing future planning and implementation,
• Attracting additional resources,
• Gaining local community consensus for changes at the heritage property,
• Increasing political support for heritage,
• Providing more facilities to the visitors.

However, the systematic monitoring of statistics not directly related to planned work
programmes (outputs) or broader management objectives (outcomes) can sometimes provide
useful information for mapping future trends as objectives for the property change. For
example, visitor numbers are not usually an identified output (unless a particular number of
visitors is desired) or a product of direct management action, but monitoring changes in
visitor numbers will give some indication of the demands placed on management. Similarly,
establishing how far visitors have travelled may assist in assessing community costs and
benefits arising from the property. Developing some systematic trend monitoring can thus
be part of establishing an effective information management system for a property. As far as
possible, this should be tied into Periodic Reporting requirements.

Objective and reliable data

Where possible, monitoring should be carried out using a systematic methodology to reduce
subjectivity as much as possible and employing people with the right disciplinary expertise.
Data gathering and measurement approaches will depend on the type of process to be ob-
served but must permit comparison and be repeatable over time. Data could be in the form
of photos, videos, measured drawings, interviews, written reports, etc. Observations should
be compared with a specific state of conservation defined in the past (i.e. a baseline). Useful
Managing Cultural World Heritage

material on the state of conservation in the past will be available from the original World
Heritage nomination dossier and Advisory Body evaluation.71

71. Boccardi, G. 2004. ‘Improving Monitoring for World Heritage Conservation’, in: Stovel, H. (ed). 2004. Monitoring
World Heritage, Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 10) p.39.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

It can be beneficial to structure the monitoring process in the form of a ‘monitoring plan’
that is directly linked to sustaining values and, in the case of World Heritage, to the OUV in
particular. The development of the plan can help to gain consensus on which indicators
should be used to collect and analyse the data required to meet information needs (section
6 of the nomination format, OG Annex 5). Indicators are an integral part of monitoring. They
should be developed to establish whether the desired outcomes (e.g. protecting the values
of the cultural property) have been achieved effectively and efficiently by measuring outputs
(see 4.4) that have been delivered. Indicators can also be used to observe existing or identify
new trends.

Ongoing processes
Continuity of monitoring practices can be as important as the quality of monitoring
approaches, since data can help to track trends effectively when gathered and assessed
systematically over a long period of time. As a result, monitoring programmes should ideally
be financed by regular funding sources and not depend on one-off sources.
CASE STUDY

Long-term monitoring improving long-term

© Judith Herrmann
management

Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage site, the first component

of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage
property, crosses northern England from east to west for
over 100 km. It has long been a favourite long-distance
walk but until 2003 there was no formal footpath along
much of its length. Proposals for such a path were for-
mally put forward in 1986 and its creation as a National
Trail was approved by the UK Government in 1994. For
much of its length, the Trail is on or close to the archae-
ology of the wall and there was concern from archaeol-
ogists about the risk of erosion of Roman deposits, as
well as concern from farmers about the impact of walk-
ers on their livelihood. From the outset it has been the
intention to keep as much as possible of the Trail as a
path on grass and to minimize the lengths which have
to be paved with a hard surface. It was therefore clear
from early on in the process of its development by the
former Countryside Commission that monitoring its im- The Hadrian’s Wall National Trail at
Cawfields (United Kingdom)
pact would be key to its success and sustainable use.

Once the line had been agreed, English Heritage’s Hadrian’s Wall office began to carry out fixed-point
monitoring photography twice annually along the line of the National Trail. This provides an excellent
visual record of the changing state of the Trail. At around the same time, the Countryside Commis-
sion’s National Trail Officer began to record the number of walkers in the landscape through use of au-
tomatic counters on gates and stiles. Thus, by the time the Trail was formally opened in 2003 there was
already a record of usage of its line and condition going back for several years, providing a
baseline for assessment of the condition of the Trail in the future. Since then, fixed point photography
and recording of numbers of walkers has continued. Alongside this, the Trail Officer, now based in the
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Trust, the present coordinator of this part of the World Heritage property, has
also collected data on temperatures, rainfall and soil moisture. The Trail is inspected annually and its
condition is scored. Correlation of these records enables a clear understanding of the various processes
which affect the condition of the Trail.

•••
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

• • • These records are used as the basis for proactive management of the Trail to prevent erosion.
CASE STUDY

This includes the use of linesmen who carry out basic maintenance, if possible before wear takes place,
planned programmes of more major works, and intensive awareness-raising of the need for walkers to
treat the Trail sensitively and not to walk it when conditions are bad. Around 11,000 people walk the
Wall from end to end annually and the most popular part of the Trail can receive over 100,000 visitors.
Despite a series of abnormally wet years since the Trail opened in 2003 and occasions when erosion has
occurred, this system is successful in maintaining the Trail in generally good condition and protecting
underlying archaeology as well as giving its users a satisfying and enjoyable experience which also
supports the local economy.

For sustainable monitoring systems institutional commitment and wider support are needed.
This can be increased by capacity-building at all levels (individuals, institutions and communities
and networks) and broad participation in monitoring by all stakeholders and communities as
appropriate, and also by demonstrating that monitoring has some practical effect. Planning
and implementing the monitoring and assessment strategies must involve those wider interest
groups that will benefit from improved outcomes in the management system.

Monitoring is a growing field and new approaches are emerging. Care must be taken not to
let new trends wipe out endogenous local practice: the latter can often be better tuned to
the available resources and thus better guarantee continuity and the best use of the collected
data for making improvements.72

MONITORING PROCESSES FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 Monitoring is often a routine control mechanism to guarantee performance and the

attainment of certain standards. In this case, information management must be effective
and driven by user queries. Any system should stress access to and maximum use of data so
that it becomes a day-to-day, user-friendly tool in planning and implementation.
䊳 In order to monitor general management effectiveness, the nine components proposed in this
chapter, when set against the principal objectives of the management system, provide a useful
reference framework for establishing indicators (see 4.5). This ensures that the identified
indicators take into account the interrelated factors and the complex nature of management
systems for cultural heritage and avoid becoming a mere checklist.
䊳 As with all management processes, the monitoring activities themselves should be regularly
reviewed to ensure that the right things are being monitored, that monitoring is being carried
out in an effective way, and that no redundant information is being produced. As far as
ossible, use data that are already being collected.
䊳 A key question when specifying indicators and sources of verification is ‘Who is going to use
this information?’. If monitoring is instigated with no clear agenda, it can become a drain on
the management system rather than a benefit (i.e. creating data which needs managing but
has no users).
䊳 Who should undertake it? Perhaps it should be carried out neutrally by involving external
(neutral) specialists or by ensuring broader involvement through a participatory approach.
䊳 Beyond delivering information for specific identified purposes, monitoring programmes can pro-
Managing Cultural World Heritage

vide data for wider research work dedicated to management needs and identifying opportunities.
䊳 A tool adopted by the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, known as the
Triple Bottom Line Tool, aims to deliver solutions that maximize benefits in three areas – social,
environmental and financial – and is used as much for monitoring ongoing operations as for
informing future planning (see Part 2).

72. Stovel, H. (ed). 2004. Monitoring World Heritage, Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 10).
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

MONITORING FOR WORLD HERITAGE

Key considerations
Monitoring is at the heart of the World Heritage system. From the process of nomination
onwards, States Parties are required to address monitoring (OG para 132.6). Monitoring
mechanisms in World Heritage procedures include:
• The identification of monitoring indicators in the nomination format (section 6 of the format),
• Reactive Monitoring and the State of Conservation process,
• Periodic Reporting (OG Chapter V).

Furthermore, a general monitoring plan will address the effectiveness of the management
system and will acknowledge and integrate a series of specific monitoring requirements
aimed at protecting the OUV, including authenticity and integrity.

Indicators
The ultimate aim of monitoring for a World Heritage property is to check that the OUV is
being effectively protected. Consequently, the indicators, which should be identified already
in the planning stage, need to relate to the attributes that convey OUV and also authenticity
and integrity (see Part 3).

Indicators should also be developed to measure and assess the state of conservation of the
property, the factors affecting it, conservation measures at the property, the periodicity of
their examination, and the identity of the responsible authorities (OG para 132.6).

Indicators that help to anticipate whether a World Heritage cultural property and its
management system are potentially threatened should also be considered.

Indicators may be quantitative or qualitative. The following general considerations in selecting

them are particularly pertinent to monitoring the state of a property, its surroundings and
the relationship with stakeholders and identifying any changes. Indicators should ideally:
• Be limited in number.
• Be sensitive to change and thus able to illustrate whether management actions are having
effect.
• Have a clear and measurable relationship to the trend being monitored (e.g. if the climatic
stability of an environment in a heritage site is being measured, indicators should include
the presence or not of active decay of the fabric as well as climatic tendencies; if the eco-
nomic stability of the local community is of interest, indicators should monitor, for example,
employment levels and average earnings).
• Reflect long-term changes rather than short-term or local variations (e.g. if monitoring a
particular form of decay, choose indicators that are likely to show long-term changes and
not, for example, seasonal changes). At the same time, avoid mapping trends that have
such a long cycle (e.g. mentality shifts from one generation to another) that it is improbable
that they will feed in information useful to the management system in a realistic timeframe.
• Address diverse areas subject to change and known pressures that can have direct implica-
tions for the property’s management, including social, cultural, economic, environmental
and political trends.
• Detect new pressures. For instance, evidence of the longer-term impact of climate change
Managing Cultural World Heritage

may not yet be discernible but monitoring may ensure that it is identified as soon as it is.
• Require monitoring procedures which are as simple and cost-effective as possible both in
terms of approaches to information collection, information analysis, interpretation and
management and in terms of ease of access for data collection, and as far as possible using
data that are already being collected. If the process requires elaborate equipment, custom-
made software, expertise or authorizations, it is more vulnerable to being suspended when
resources are scarce or to knowledge being lost through staff changes.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

• Be associated with clear thresholds which, when reached, trigger an action in the manage-
ment system; e.g. if visitor numbers to a specific area of the site reach a certain intensity,
rotational opening is automatically introduced in order to reduce wear and tear on exposed
features.
• Be identified and monitored in a participatory way, especially when the process can improve
the performance of the management system and its outcomes in a way that can benefit
those interest groups.

In 4.4 indicators to monitor and assess management processes, outputs and outcomes are
explored in more detail, with a view to better understanding the efficiency and effectiveness
of the entire management system.

The following considerations should be made when developing a monitoring plan:

• Define objectives to clarify why monitoring is being carried out.
• Link objectives to indicators to be monitored and, where possible, identify thresholds for
each indicator.
• Gather relevant material (publications, reports on previous activities including monitoring).
• Identify collection methods for existing data (e.g. archive consultation) and data from new
sources (e.g. sampling, interviews, observation) and define frequency of data collection.
• Standardize and simplify procedures to limit drain on resources and optimize safety proce-
dures in these three areas:
− data collection
− data analysis
− data management which must include past results, current trends and future forecasting
and record changes in approach to monitoring over time.
• To understand trends that emerge from monitoring and the appropriate management
response and its timing, identify the timeframe of the occurrence (one-off or rare; inter-
mittent or sporadic; frequent or ongoing/repeating monitoring), the area affected and
the gravity of their impact on attributes critical to heritage values, in particular the OUV.
• In the case of World Heritage, try to align your monitoring plan with the Periodic Reporting
questionnaire.

The natural heritage sector has made much progress in monitoring approaches and their
online resources should be consulted.73

Indeed, the relationship between processes and general management effectiveness led the
IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas to develop a toolkit for managers of natural
heritage which is also relevant to cultural heritage. Its application in the culture sector is still
being tested and a brief summary is provided in Appendix B.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

73. Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J. and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing
our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effectiveness of Natural World Heritage sites. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 23).
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

MONITORING PROCESSES FOR WORLD HERITAGE

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 In order to evaluate effectively the impact on cultural values including OUV, of potential
interventions in or near a World Heritage property, Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) can
be a useful tool.
䊳 New information outside ongoing processes and results of the management system will
sometimes need to be sought. No standard solutions exist. Capacity-building programmes can
address this need, in particular by promoting mid-career development for in-house staff and
making it obligatory for freelance specialists and contractors. The World Heritage Strategy for
Capacity Building74 and the networks it is promoting within the World Heritage family and
beyond with the help of the Regional Centres (see 3.8) could offer a supportive framework.

USEFUL
U S E F QUESTIONS
U L Q U E S T I O N S TO
T O AASK
SK

䊳 Are all the reporting requirements of the World Heritage site fulfilled?
䊳 Is monitoring delivering the information that is needed to manage the World Heritage site?
䊳 Has the relationship of attributes to values, and in particular OUV, been verified sufficiently to
make attributes a tangible reference for monitoring effectiveness of protecting OUV, without
penalizing other values?
䊳 Are the results of regional or global analysis of World Heritage State of Conservation Reports
available to help individual managers identify trends and learn from others?
䊳 Have all those involved in monitoring which feeds into World Heritage procedures
understood it as providing information to aid management processes and conservation
planning, rather than as an externally imposed control? This is crucial to ensure that concerns
like national prestige do not reduce the quality and reliability of monitoring strategies.
CASE STUDY

Available training and tools for Heritage Impact Assessments

Participants of the course on Heritage Impact Assessments organized by ICCROM and WHITRAP in 2012
in collaboration with ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre talking to the citizens during a site visit.
Source: ICCROM
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Old Town of Lijiang (China)

74. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011. Presentation and adoption of the World Heritage strategy for capacity building.
Paris, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (Doc WHC-11/35.COM/9B)
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-9Be.pdf
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

4.4 The three results of a heritage management system

Defining three elements: The three elements (legal and institutional frameworks and
resources; 4.2) come together and collectively facilitate the heritage processes (the actions
of the management system; 4.3) that set out the objectives and translate them into actions
and results. These results vary as much as the expectations of all those involved in the
management process but can be broadly divided into three types: ‘outcomes’ ‘outputs’, and
‘improvements to the management system’. All results, but outcomes and outputs in
particular, are a major focus of the planning stage (4.3). The terminology comes from the
work culture of ‘management-by-objective’ used in industry and commerce; it is described
in Appendix A in connection with developing a management plan.

1. OUTCOMES (ACHIEVING OBJECTIVES)

The management system aims to achieve
NITORING
certain objectives, known as outcomes. MO

Outcomes reflect the changes to (or L

NA HERITAGE R
IO

ES
UT

continuity in) the existing situation that OU

INSTIT

RCES
have been sought in planning stages. OUTCOMES OUTCOMES
IM PL

The aim in focusing on outcomes is to

IN G
HERITAGE
HERITAGE
check whether the management system
EM

NN

N
E

is achieving its objectives. TA

TIO
LEG AL PL
N

2. OUTPUTS (DELIVERABLE RESULTS)

Processes deliver outputs which are
OUTPUTS
those tangible products and services NITORING
MO
from a planned work programme that
L
constitute direct support to heritage NA HERITAGE RE
IO

SO
UT

UR

and to society at large. These outputs

INSTIT

CES

are necessary in order to achieve out- OUTCOMES OUTCOMES

IM PL

comes. Clarifying outputs is central to

IN G

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
EM

NN

understanding heritage processes and N

E

TA LEG AL PL
their effectiveness. TIO
N

3. IMPROVEMENTS TO MANAGEMENT
OUTPUTS
SYSTEMS
NITORING
MO
Improvements to management systems
AL RE
are generated by corrective measures TI
ON
HERITAGE
SO
UR
ITU

and feedback, either from external inputs

CE
INST

or from within the management system, OUTCOMES IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS OUTCOMES

Managing Cultural World Heritage
IM PL

namely by monitoring processes and

IN G

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
assessing outputs and outcomes. Con-
EM

NN

N
E

tinuous improvement is central to good

TA
TIO
LEG AL PL
N
management. It leads to changes in the IM
PROV
EM ENT
S

management system that achieve greater

effectiveness and efficiency.

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

More on outputs and outcomes

Outputs are usually a good measure of productivity but a poor measure of the broader perform-
ance of a management system. Outputs represent the products or services produced by the
management system.

For example, a site manager may judge his performance by the number of new itineraries
(outputs) offered to visitors at a property. But the new visitor itineraries may:
• be delivered late and miss the peak tourist season (timeliness),
• be unsuited to visitor interests in terms of thematic content (customer satisfaction),
• provide imprecise information about the property (accuracy),
• be too long for site wardens to supervise and visitors to complete (quantity and scope),
• be incompatible with conservation needs, concentrating visitor wear and tear excessively (quality).

These aspects, together with the number of itineraries, can be quantified to define the effective
success of the process (creating new itineraries) and its outputs (the new itineraries themselves),
and are known as ‘indicators’. (see 4.3, Process 3: Monitoring).

But to establish the real effectiveness of an initiative, the site manager should take a step back
and judge performance by:
• how the knowledge and attitudes of visitors have changed, thanks to the new visitor
itineraries,
• whether this has led to the property’s heritage values being better recognized and attracting
support for its care.

In other words, with the new visitor itineraries has the site manager delivered those outcomes
that achieve the broader objectives of the management system? Outcomes are a better measure
of achievement. They might be a direct result of a heritage process or a by-product of an output
of the management system.

Monitoring and assessing outputs and outcomes delivers feedback, the knowledge of those
corrective measures needed to improve the management system and reach all management
objectives more efficiently.

Result 1: OUTCOMES (achieving objectives)

Overview
The management system as a
whole works towards achiev-
ing certain objectives, known NITORING
MO
as ‘outcomes’. Outcomes are
L
often intangible achievements NA HERITAGE R
IO

ES

that relate to heritage values

UT

OU
INSTIT

RCES

or have repercussions for

OUTCOMES OUTCOMES
society (increasingly known
IM PL

IN G

as ‘heritage benefits’). They HERITAGE

Managing Cultural World Heritage

HERITAGE
EM

NN

usually emerge through the N

E

effect of outputs, the specific TA

TIO
LEG AL PL
N
actions accomplished and
products and services deliv-
ered by heritage processes
Diagram 15: Outcomes of a management system
(Result 2, see p.104).

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

People often look at outputs for judging performance since they are easier to control and
monitor than are outcomes. But activities tend to be assessed on what they achieve (outcome)
rather than what they produce (output). A school pupil will find it easy to answer the question
‘What did you learn today?’, but not to answer a question about its outcome: ‘How have
you/How will you use what you learned today?’.

This is true of the heritage sector and the World Heritage system in particular: the ultimate
outcomes for World Heritage properties are those of ensuring that OUV is protected (OG
para 7 and paras 96-97) and that heritage is playing a role in the life of communities.

The aim of focusing on outcomes is to check whether the management system is achieving
the objectives. Even a well-managed heritage property where all outputs are being achieved
can sometimes continue to lose cultural values.

OUTCOMES IN GENERAL

Approaches and challenges vary extensively

Outcomes can relate directly to property management, for instance whether or not the prop-
erty is maintaining its core values and, in the case of World Heritage, its OUV.

But outcomes often relate to broader issues beyond the confines of the heritage property.
Promoting compatible local development, for example, could be an important outcome, one
that in turn contributes to the sustainability of the heritage (more local support) and so
coincides with multiple management objectives. Similarly, ensuring that heritage promotes
cultural diversity in communities is an outcome that, by creating greater social cohesion, can
promote and protect heritage values and a greater identification with the heritage and sense
of local ownership, possibly thereby generating new forms of support. It is through outcomes
that the mutually beneficial relationship between heritage and broader society can be
improved, a goal vital to the future sustainability of cultural heritage (see 2.3).

Outcomes can be the most important but also the most difficult things to measure accurately.
There are many common objectives in the heritage sector but how they are achieved will
depend on the nature of the site and its social, environmental and economic setting.

Examples of heritage outcomes

The following table highlights some examples of the most common outcomes sought
from a heritage management system for a property. It also highlights the overlap with other
outcomes. For example, visitor satisfaction can also lead to new forms of support for the
property’s management. Effective engagement of the local community can ensure heritage
values are promoted and protected. Similarly the effective protection of heritage values will
increase visitor satisfaction and often contribute to local community well-being, as Table 10
shows. In order to achieve these outcomes, heritage processes (see Part 4.3) produce multiple
outputs, often in a variety of timeframes.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

Table 10. Typical outcomes sought for World Heritage properties

Outcome 1 Other outcomes influenced Outcome indicators

Establish if the objective has been
achieved

Objective: improved visitor Increasing visitor awareness and Quantity (length and number of
satisfaction support visits)
Promoting and safeguarding Quality (visitor satisfaction)
OUV and other cultural values

Outcome 2 Other outcomes influenced Outcome indicators

Establish if the objective has been
achieved

Objective: A thriving local Promoting and safeguarding Employment levels and other
community around the heritage OUV and other cultural values trends in local economic data
property which benefits the Trends in social / environmental
heritage property statistics e.g. crime, truancy,
vandalism
New forms of support for the
heritage
Nights spent in local hospitality
annually by visitors
Regional tourism, return visits

Outcome 2 Other outcomes influenced Outcome indicators

Establish if the objective has been
achieved

Objective: Safeguarding OUV and A thriving local community [In some cases, the level to which
other cultural values around the heritage property an objective has been achieved
which benefits the heritage can only be understood by
property assessing the processes and
Visitor satisfaction outputs contributing. See below]

Table 10 also highlights how some outcomes can be measured directly, the case of visitor
satisfaction. Other outcomes, such as the well-being of the local community, can be measured
directly but with indicators that that could be influenced by other factors – other visitor
attractions could be increasing overnight visitor presence in the local area – and are thus
unreliable (see Process 3, Monitoring). In some cases, an outcome is so broad that it is difficult
to identify an indicator that measures it directly. This is the case of the most important
outcome for World Heritage: safeguarding OUV and other cultural values.

Choosing indicators for monitoring and assessing outcomes

Indicators to monitor the outcomes should be selected during the planning process, following
the advice already offered on indicators (Process 3; Monitoring, 4.3). Appendix A describes
sample indicators that were adopted for assessing successful outcomes for Stonehenge (UK).
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Heritage processes and outputs can contribute to more than one outcome (see also below):
site improvements to manage visitors better can help to protect the OUV (multiple itineraries
and rotational visits that reduce wear and tear) while also contributing to the wider outcome
of a healthier local economy for surrounding communities (a greater number and variety of
visitors to the locality). See under ‘Result 2, Outputs’ on p.104.

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Greater attention is given to outcome indicators under ‘Result 3, Improvements to manage-

ment systems', p.110.

Key considerations for outcomes of the management system

Outcomes may be less tangible and more difficult to measure than outputs. Usually they can
be expressed as a trend on a graph that shows how performance has changed over time.
Using trend graphs to show target performance levels and relevant comparisons allows
information from monitoring outputs to be used to review and, if necessary, improve the
management system.

Since they are less tangible, effective communication policies should promote positive out-
comes as a catalyst for support from outside the primary management system. Support can
deliver precious feedback to reinforce the management system and its actions (see Result 3
p.110). If quantified and documented outcomes can be communicated to others to illustrate
the benefits of managing and conserving heritage. Greater public consensus for heritage
actions will put pressure on governments to guarantee appropriate legal and institutional
frameworks and to commit necessary resources for cultural heritage.

OUTCOMES FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 Monitoring and assessing outcomes needs careful planning to avoid unnecessary costs and
time commitments and, where possible, it should draw on existing monitoring data.
䊳 The assessment of outcomes often depends on analysing the status of several indicators in
relation to agreed thresholds and past performance. Indicating graphically whether the status
of the indicator is stable, improving or declining over time will illustrate trends.
䊳 Understanding the wider repercussions of heritage actions often requires involving a broader
selection of specialists than those typically involved in the heritage processes. Architects,
conservators, geologists and engineers will need reinforcing with economists, sociologists,
environmental scientists, tourism operators and perhaps others.

USEFUL
U S E F QUESTIONS
U L Q U E S T I O N S TO
T O AASK
SK

䊳 It is a good idea continually to question current circumstances so as to check whether the

management system has defined sufficiently broad objectives for a property and has given
due attention to heritage benefits (see Part 2):
䊳 Is there cooperation with neighbouring property-owners and users?
䊳 Is there regular contact between managers and neighbouring property-owners and users?
䊳 Do local communities resident in or near the property have input to management decisions?
䊳 Are there programmed initiatives that consider local people’s welfare whilst conserving the
property’s values?
䊳 Is the impact of wider development being constantly monitored?

OUTCOMES IN THE WORLD HERITAGE CONTEXT

Managing Cultural World Heritage

Key considerations
The principal outcome for World Heritage is conserving the property’s OUV. However, other
outcomes can be particularly pertinent to World Heritage properties.

Management planning, a tool widely adopted for World Heritage, is described in Appendix
A and focuses on the principal outcome of protecting OUV. However, the management
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

planning process also contributes to achieving some broader outcomes for cultural properties,
some of which may require planning processes that are not solely property-based.

The following list of examples of other outcomes for World Heritage is by no means exhaustive:
• Helping to make the World Heritage Convention better known and creating a stronger
interest in it amongst a variety of audiences,
• Promoting cooperation between States Parties and other organizations in the World
Heritage system,
• Furthering one or more of the Strategic Objectives of the World Heritage Committee
(Credibility, Conservation, Capacity-building, Communication, Communities),
• Ensuring that lessons learned at specific World Heritage properties are shared with the
World Heritage system as a whole and with non-World Heritage cultural heritage,
• Addressing needs identified through the Periodic Reporting process at the property and/or
regional levels,
• Capacity-building through new learning environments and advocacy activities, by targeting
appropriate audiences and reinforcing the capacities of practitioners, institutional frame-
works and communities and networks, and creating links to a regional or subregional
capacity-building programme,
• Assuring World Heritage properties play a role in sustainable development and securing
heritage benefits for the property and its stakeholders.

With regard to the last point, the OGs place great emphasis on adopting a participatory
approach for the management of World Heritage sites. A good measure of whether a
participatory approach is being effective is whether those stakeholders not directly responsible
for the day-to-day running of the site have benefited from it.

Some World Heritage properties collect data on the status and condition of some or all
heritage values, but for many properties this is a recent development (as a response to new
Periodic Reporting requirements). All World Heritage properties should aim to have or improve
their system for monitoring outcomes, a process that takes time and resources. They must
also ensure continuity since institutional and stakeholder commitment is vital, and have steady
funding sources so that human and financial resources are less vulnerable to interruption.

Result 2: OUTPUTS (deliverable results)

Overview
The aim of heritage processes
is to deliver results. Accom-
OUTPUTS
plished actions and delivered
NITORING
services in response to the MO
outcomes established are L
NA HERITAGE RE
known as outputs. They are
IO

SO
UT

UR
INSTIT

tangible results that can be

CES

shared with the local commu- OUTCOMES OUTCOMES

IM PL

nity and other stakeholders,

IN G

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
and often deliver direct sup-
Managing Cultural World Heritage

EM

NN

port to the heritage, to com- N

E

TA
TIO
LEG AL PL
munities and to stakeholders. N
They come together to con-
tribute to the achievement of
Diagram 16: Outputs of a management system
outcomes, the overall objec-
tives of the management
system.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

OUTPUTS IN GENERAL

Approaches and challenges vary extensively

Outputs are the results of planned work programmes which identify activities that are im-
portant for reaching specific management and conservation targets and, in turn, for achieving
the overall objectives set out by the management system (outcomes such as protection of
cultural values, OUV in particular).

Different types of outputs can be expected from the planning, implementation and monitor-
ing processes of the management cycle:
• the plans themselves (e.g. a completed management plan),
• the tangible results achieved on the ground (e.g. building repairs, information panels
installed),
• the data that those results, and the process of achieving them, can deliver to inform future
actions (e.g. visitors increased by one million over two years),
• services such as maintenance of fire-safety systems.

What outputs involve

Heritage processes will produce numerous outputs on a long- and short-term basis. Their
combined impact ensures that broader objectives can be reached and guarantees those
outcomes for the various stakeholders who represent the ultimate beneficiaries of the
management system.

An output may not directly satisfy a need, but forms the impulse for another process. For
instance, as part of visitor management strategies, the first output is perhaps the visitor man-
agement plan, arising out of the planning process. New signage on the property will be one
of several principal outputs during the implementation stage. The reactions of visitors,
recorded as they leave the property, are an output arising from monitoring that may become
an impulse for another process, namely corrective measures to make the signage better serve
visitor needs and thus achieve the outcome of visitor satisfaction.

Key considerations
Supplemented by external advice and information on the achievement of outcomes (see the
following sections), it is the analysis of outputs, and the processes that created them, that
make general management more effective (see Result 3, Improvements to management
systems, p.110).

Outputs help us to gauge the productivity of a management system. Documenting outputs

and monitoring the processes that create them (see 4.4, Process 3, Monitoring) are
inextricably linked and fundamental to understanding heritage processes and, in turn,
management effectiveness. Furthermore, the collected data provide important base material
for reporting on what has happened – they should be a central part of annual reporting
requirements, along with outcomes (see next section) – and, once evaluated, provide
feedback to improve the future management cycle (see 4.5, Result 3, Improvements to
management systems).

The results of planning and monitoring can themselves be outputs but should not be viewed
Managing Cultural World Heritage

as an ‘end product’, rather as a means to another process and another output which work
together towards making the management system operational and effective.

Plans are an example of outputs that are often shared widely but not communicated further
down the management line (after their implementation). Outputs must be documented so
that stakeholders can see the tangible results of their contribution and contribute further in
the event of a gap between targets and results.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

Understanding outputs versus outcomes (many-to-one relationship)

The relationship between processes, outputs and outcomes can be difficult to understand.
There will often be a ‘many-to-one’ relationship between processes and a particular outcome;
in other words, several outputs will correspond to one outcome.

The following table illustrates the difference between outputs and outcomes in a heritage process
by analysing in greater detail the three example of outcomes identified in the previous section.
The first example explores the visitor itineraries already mentioned in the introduction to 4.4,
and how they contribute to visitor satisfaction, amongst other things. The last example, safe-
guarding heritage values, highlights a process, environmental monitoring, with an output which
does not directly satisfy a need, but may form the input for another process and output.

Table 11. Examples to illustrate the relationship between outcomes, outputs and processes.
This amplifies Table 10 in the previous ‘Outcomes’ section

Outcome 1 Outcome Output(s) Process / Output Heritage

indicators Contributing to indicators process(es)
Establish if the outcome(s) Establish the effective- Producing outputs
objective has been ness of the process, the to achieve outcomes
achieved quality of the output
and role in achieving
wider objectives

Visitor satisfaction Quantity (length New visitor Quantity (length Quantity (length
and number of itineraries and number of and number of
Other outcomes visits) visits) visits)
influenced: Quality (customer Quality (visitor Plan, implement
Increasing visitor satisfaction) satisfaction, and monitor visitor
awareness and accuracy) itineraries
support Timeliness (in time (with signage,
Promoting and for the peak season) audio guides,
safeguarding OUV web-platforms,
Compatibility rotational opening,
and other cultural (reducing visitor
values etc.)
wear and tear)

Outcome 2 Outcome Output(s) Process / Output Heritage

indicators indicators process(es)
A thriving local Employment levels A series of Quantity (e.g. Identifying market
community around and other trends in heritage-friendly funds raised opportunities
the heritage prop- local economic business or number of related to the
erty which benefits data opportunities partners / heritage
the heritage Trends in social / New partnerships, recruits / jobs Attracting partners
property environmental new sponsors created) and and investment
statistics e.g. crime, frequency
Other outcomes Recruiting new (e.g. return visitors) Start-up funds for
truancy, vandalism talent to boost the new business
influenced: Quality
New forms of local economy initiatives
Promoting and support for the Timeliness
Improved urban Master planning
safeguarding OUV heritage environment Inclusiveness urban regeneration
and other cultural
Nights spent in Compatibility
values
local hospitality
Managing Cultural World Heritage

with heritage needs

annually by visitors
Scope and
Regional tourism, timeframe of
return visits commitment
Local community
satisfaction

•••
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

•••
Outcome 3 Outcome Output(s) Process / Output Heritage
indicators indicators process(es)
Safeguarding OUV [If no effective out- First output: Quantity (number Example 1:
and other cultural come indicators Repaired roofs and total area) Repair unstable
values found, resort to Second outputs: Effectiveness and leaking roofs
evaluating relevant Reduced long-term (design and threatening an
outputs and costs of site care lifespan) attribute of the
processes] property
Simplified Timeliness and establishing
maintenance Cost (fair pricing, long-term
procedures ease of access for maintenance
maintenance) access routes
Environment
(0km materials)

First output: Quantity (data, Example 2:

New data timeframes) Environmental
Second output: Quality (data monitoring,
Statistics, trends redundancy, followed by data
accuracy and analysis
Tertiary outputs:
Understanding relevance)
decay mechanisms Timeliness
Improved conserva- (seasonal
tion approaches fluctuations)
Cheaper and Cost (sustainable
simplified by routine funding)
maintenance Data access / usage

As Table 11 shows, in order to achieve a single or several outcomes, heritage processes (see
Part 4.3) produce multiple outputs, often in a variety of timeframes. When successful, the
combined impact of output identification and delivery ensures that the management system
reaches the objectives of interest to all stakeholders.

Monitoring and assessing outputs

The examples in the Table 11 illustrate the variety of outcomes that might be sought and the
diverse outputs that may contribute to them (also sequentially where a series of consecutive
outputs lead to the outcome). The table also identifies some of the possible output indicators
(using general advice already offered on indicators in Process 3, Monitoring, Part 4.3). Have
outcomes that are difficult to measure been achieved by measuring the extent to which
outputs have been delivered? See Appendix A for sample indicators adopted for Stonehenge
(UK).

Choosing output indicators

The outputs to be monitored should be decided in advance, preferably when the annual
work plan or the overall management plan is being developed (see Part 4.3 Planning, and
Appendix A on management planning).
Managing Cultural World Heritage

For assessing outputs, it is important to compare progress against the targets set in work pro-
grammes for a property. The more tangible nature of outputs, compared with other results of
the management system, makes it fairly easy to identify impartial indicators that measure this
annual ‘productivity’. (By ‘impartial indicators’ we mean that the same information would be
collected, irrespective of the collector, and therefore would not be subject to personal bias).

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

The changes, products or services that make up outputs can themselves be ‘measurable’ results
(i.e. indicators), for example, extensions to the buffer zone area, expressed in square metres.
But a series of indicators (rather than one only) is usually more effective for quantifying and
qualifying an output.

a. Where possible, output indicators will be quantified in terms of:

- Physical outputs (e.g. number of security cameras installed, number of brochures pro-
duced or distributed and number, total area and value of roofing repairs completed),
- The volume of work (e.g. number of meetings held with local communities or the number
and value of external partnerships activated),
- Users (e.g. the annual number of visitors or rentals, audio guides used or answers given
to enquiries).

b. Output indicators may sometimes qualify the impact of an output by offering data that
show statistical trends relating to:
- The effectiveness of physical outputs, e.g. the relative lifespan of roofing repairs,
- The quality of work done, e.g. the national diversity of partners, or the opinions of
external target groups,
- The profile of users, e.g. the distances travelled by visitors to the property.

c. Output indicators will sometimes assess work in financial terms – actual versus planned
expenditure – in order to provide financial information for the purpose of accountability
to management authorities, donors and others.

OUTPUTS FOR HERITAGE IN GENERAL

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 In industry and commerce, outputs are only produced (or should only be produced) because
there is a ‘customer’ of the process who specifically wants them. Although not directly appli-
cable to the heritage sector, this way of thinking helps to differentiate between achieving
concrete results (outputs) and broader objectives (outcomes), and recalls the importance of
ensuring that annual work programmes do target genuine needs.
䊳 Indicators chosen to assess outputs should be the fewest necessary to determine success,
measurable in a consistent way and, above all, ‘SMART’ (a popular mnemonic used to set
management objectives):75
– Specific to the product or service they are supposed to measure
– Measurable (either quantitatively or qualitatively)
– Attainable in terms of cost and consensus (buy-in from stakeholders)
– Relevant to the information needs of managers
– Time-bound – so we know when we can expect the output to be achieved
Indicators will assess specific outputs but the choice of indicators for each output will be
influenced by the broader outcome (or outcomes) to which the output is contributing.
䊳 National or international control standards might offer objective criteria for qualitative
indicators (management quality,76 environmental). Moreover, the development of internal
monitoring protocols can help to standardize approaches and maintain quality and credibility.
•••
Managing Cultural World Heritage

75. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria
76. The ISO 9000 family of standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (www.iso.org), and
available through national standards bodies.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

••• 䊳 Some management approaches interpret ‘outputs’ and ‘outcomes’ in a slightly different way
and this should be checked. For example, some schools of thought divide ‘output’ into two
levels: a series of ‘results’ (e.g. laying drainage networks, mending roofing and gutters) which
come together for a specific ‘purpose’, which is nevertheless a tangible result (e.g. improving
rainwater collection and disposal).77
䊳 The natural heritage sector has made good progress in assessing heritage processes and
outputs with their ‘Framework for Assessing Management Effectiveness’ (see Appendix B),
and, in particular, ‘Tool 10: Work/Site Output Indicators’ proposed in the Enhancing our
Heritage Toolkit is of interest.78

OUTPUTS IN THE WORLD HERITAGE CONTEXT

Key considerations
In the World Heritage context, outputs should come together to contribute to the protection
of OUV as a primary outcome, but also to other outcomes such as benefits to society.
Whether they are steps taken to protect attributes, authenticity and integrity, or services
delivering benefits to the local community, outputs are chosen as part of the planning process
(or within management planning, see Appendix A). They will be based on, amongst other
things, an assessment of factors affecting the property and its stakeholders.

The additional challenges created by inscription can lead to new outputs being required, such
as multiple plans (Part 4.3) or elaborate institutional frameworks (Part 4.2) linked to World
Heritage properties. Other World Heritage processes, such as Reactive Monitoring and
Periodic Reporting, may affect the intended outputs and the systems should be ready to cope
with such situations.

In the case of specific projects aimed at changes to properties or their management to comply
with World Heritage requirements, an inclusive approach to monitoring and assessing
heritage processes and their outputs (as well as planning them) is particularly important.
Projects need to be ‘owned’ by local stakeholders and local implementing partners and their
information needs are of primary importance. Indicators should not reflect only what the
‘donor’ would like to know, but what local managers, the local community and other
stakeholders need. It is therefore important to understand how local information systems
work, and to ensure that local stakeholders take a lead role in defining relevant indicators.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

77. European Commission. 2004. Aid Delivery Methods. Volume 1. Project Cycle Management Guidelines. Brussels,
European Commission. p.82. https://www.aswat.com/files/europeaid_adm_pcm_guidelines_2004_en.pdf
78. Hockings, M., James, R., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Mathur, V., Makombo, J., Courrau, J. and Parrish, J. 2008. Enhancing
our Heritage Toolkit. Assessing management effectiveness of Natural World Heritage sites. Paris, UNESCO World
Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Papers 23) pp.58-59. http://whc.unesco.org/en/series/23/
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

Result 3: IMPROVEMENTS TO MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Overview
Management systems aim at achieving outcomes through diverse actions developed
in the form of outputs. To achieve outcomes and outputs effectively, the three
elements and the three processes mentioned above should provide the necessary support.
Previous sections on elements and processes have explained how secondary management
systems help the manager to achieve necessary outcomes and outputs. If they are not
achieved, then good management must make changes that will result in an improved man-
agement system and the achievement of the necessary outcomes and outputs. This section
explains how improvements can lead to long-term changes in management systems.

Developing potential improvements lies in identifying where the three elements and three
processes of the management system are falling short and then taking corrective measures.
Improvements can be made by monitoring heritage processes, assessing outputs and out-
comes and assessing the adequacy of the three elements. They may consist of small changes
to existing components or have an external origin in the form of substantial reinforcement
from secondary management systems.

OUTPUTS
NITORING
MO
AL RE
ON SO
TI HERITAGE
UR
ITU

CE
INST

OUTCOMES IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS OUTCOMES

IM PL

IN G

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
EM

NN

N
E

TA
TIO
LEG AL PL
N
Diagram 17: Improvements
IM to a management system
PROV S
EM ENT

External inputs may come from a variety of sources (see Part 2). For instance, in many
countries, culture is attracting new forms of support (public and private), thanks to its
increasing contribution to social agendas (education, outreach and community development
work). This may call for substantial changes to existing management systems, some of which
are centuries-old, together with a demand for evidence-based, transparent decision-making
for cultural heritage (see Part 4.3 – Monitoring).

IMPROVEMENTS TO MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN GENERAL

Approaches and challenges vary extensively

If planning, implementation and monitoring processes do not lead to the desired outputs
Managing Cultural World Heritage

and outcomes, this may at first appear to be due to external factors. But the real cause may
be shortcomings in the existing management system (a good management system should
have contingency mechanisms for handling even the least foreseeable risks). How to identify
these shortcomings is the subject of this section.

Shortcomings may be due to gaps in the legal and institutional frameworks, to insufficient
or poor deployment of resources, or to inadequacies in the processes themselves. Outputs

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

will then be unsatisfactory and outcomes achieved partially or not at all. The solution may
be quite simple (for example, better deployment of resources). But if direct remedies are not
possible in the short term (for example resolving inadequacies in the legal frameworks),
solutions might be found in other areas of the management system. Less direct remedies
may require imaginative approaches.

Resolving the shortcomings must become a positive input. Changes to the management
system may require days, months or years. Distinguishing the timeframes that are necessary
and ensuring sufficient tenacity to deliver long-term improvements can represent a challenge.

What do improvements to management systems involve?

Gathering feedback and delivering improvements can be a multiple-step exercise:
1. Identifying gaps in the primary heritage management system that hinder its effectiveness
and efficiency,
2. Where the primary system cannot deliver solutions, resorting to secondary sources (see
the template in Part 4.5, p.118) to bring about change in the management system and
increase effectiveness and efficiency (e.g. Herculaneum case study below).
3. Changing the primary management systems, a task that may be time-consuming and need
strong political backing.

Improvements that come from the outside may derive from consulting specialist literature or
from setting up an information-gathering project that might achieve multiple benefits. For
example an oral history project could harness the experience of retired workers who main-
tained the site in the past, collecting information that fills gaps in the intellectual resources
of the management system or that has been lost with a shift to outsourcing. The very process
(from the bottom up) could help to overcome the drawbacks of legal and institutional frame-
works that often fail (from the top down) to facilitate a participatory approach. There may
also be new knowledge in the heritage sector relevant to developing heritage management
systems.
CASE STUDY

Partnership to improve an existing management system without major legal or

institutional reforms

The archaeological site of Herculaneum, part of the serial World Heritage property known as the
Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata (Italy) is a significant case study for
the use of partnership to create what is essentially a temporary management system to achieving lasting
improvements to the existing management system, and without major institutional or legal reforms.

The towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum and their associated villas, buried by the eruption of Vesuvius
in AD 79, provide a complete and vivid picture of society and daily life at a specific moment in the past
that is without parallel anywhere in the world. Public-owned and public-run, until 1997 these archaeo-
logical sites were run by a centralized public system and chronically underfunded for the last decades
of the 20th century. The local heritage authority was given financial and administrative autonomy
from the ministry in 1997 (law no. 352/1997) which boosted funding (ticket income no longer went to
the central ministry for redistribution) and reduced bureaucracy. However, the management reform
was incomplete and human resources remained tied to the central Ministry of Culture and therefore
inflexible and inadequate for local needs. Furthermore, the complexity of many national public works
Managing Cultural World Heritage

procedures continued to hinder efficient operations.

In 2002, Herculaneum was cited at the PisaMed conference in Rome as perhaps the worst example of
archaeological conservation in a non war-torn country; in 2012 it was a positive model ‘whose best
practices surely can be replicated in other similar vast archaeological areas across the world’, which
was the conclusion of UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova following her visit.
•••
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

•••
CASE STUDY

This dramatic change in circumstances has been in part due to a public-private partnership known as
the Herculaneum Conservation Project79 which has been supporting the conservation and manage-
ment of Herculaneum since 2001. Multiple factors have contributed to the success of the initiative,
which was able to build on positive steps already being taken by the local heritage authority. Choices
made responded to precise inadequacies in the existing management system, with contributions to all
nine components aiming to secure lasting improvements in management efficiency and effectiveness.
Here are some examples:
• The imaginative use of a legal framework intended for commercial sponsorship (laws no. 42/2004 art.
120 & 30/2004 art.2) which finally allowed private partners (in this case philanthropic) to offer opera-
tional support – actions and improved organizational flexibility – not just financial help – donations –
to the public partner. The heritage authority was under capacity in organizational not financial terms.
• A collaboration that unfolded ‘within’ the host organization, the local heritage authority, ensuring
genuine partnership and an opening up of the existing management system to new ways of work-
ing, and a greater sense of ownership for those who would take the approaches forward.
• The creation of a series of responsive and flexible partnerships (rather than a dedicated legal entity),
thereby responding well to new phases of the project as the needs of the site and the host manage-
ment system evolved. In over ten years the project has shifted from ambitious works in areas of the
site at risk to planning new museum facilities, urban regeneration initiatives for residential areas
adjoining the site and capacity-building activities for the other Vesuvian sites with a view to gradual
project withdrawal.
• The creation of an interdisciplinary team of national heritage specialists and specialist contractors
(many local) to reinforce heritage staff and archaeological conservation activity.
• The creation of a network of local and international research partners to reinforce intellectual
resources, but also contribute to advocacy for the site and deliver a multiplier effect for the other
sites in this serial World Heritage property.
• A project management approach which introduced an objectives-based work culture and strong
emphasis on efficient heritage processes.
• Importance given to activities that would enable the existing management system to sustain site
management with public resources beyond the project’s lifetime into the future. Examples are
infrastructure and conservation measures to reduce long-term costs and simplify site management,
testing and refining approaches for programmed maintenance cycles and securing long-term
research partnerships.
• Recognition of the need for the site to re-establish a role and identity in the life of the modern town
and harness the reciprocal heritage benefits which emerge. A sister initiative, the Herculaneum
Centre, was created to build bridges with the local civic authority and other stakeholders and
improve the relationship of the ancient and modern towns long into the future.
© HCP / Sarah Court
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and

Torre Annunziata (Italy)

79. A Packard Humanities Institute initiative in partnership with the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di
Napoli e Pompei (the local semi-autonomous heritage authority) and the British School in Rome.
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Key considerations for improvements to management systems

Management planning is a widely adopted tool for World Heritage, placing as it does great
importance on identifying gaps for improving the management system (see Appendix A).
Even in the absence of a management plan, a management system benefits from assessing
progress against targets (outputs) and broader objectives (outcomes), and then analysing
discrepancies and their causes. Improving a management system depends on rigorously
evaluating it: whether the three elements are supporting the three heritage processes, and
delivering target outputs and achieving all desired outcomes.

The information derived from monitoring outputs and outcomes by means of indicators
helps to define and prioritize future processes of the management system. It can also be the
basis for making substantial improvements to some or all of the nine components of
the management system. The next section, Part 4.5, proposes a template for documenting
and assessing heritage management systems. In the template, the ninth component,
‘Improvements to management systems’, brings together all the gaps or opportunities that
have been identified under the other eight components. It then proposes changes to either
overcome or embrace them, identifying, where appropriate, suitable management tools.

IMPROVEMENTS TO MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 Improvements are sometimes referred to as ‘inputs’, but this can lead to confusion with
human, financial and intellectual resources which are also referred to as ‘inputs’.
䊳 Ensuring the upward spiral of continuous improvement that is central to good management
depends on skills to identify gaps and applying them appropriately. Such skills can be devel-
oped by means of simple capacity-building initiatives (see Part 3.8)
䊳 As a result of its isolation, the cultural heritage sector has a greater shortage of critical skills in
practical project and stakeholder management than some other sectors80. This weakens the
heritage management system for a property while also holding back the system from evolving.
䊳 Isolation also requires a better understanding of other sectors and improvements to the
primary management system.81
䊳 Increasing pressures on cultural heritage and the new demands that society places on it
(see Part 2) often requires new disciplines to be involved: economists, sociologists and
environmentalists, for example.

IMPROVEMENTS TO MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD HERITAGE

CONTEXT

Key considerations
Identifying gaps and trying to address them is part of improving the management system for
a property in terms of productivity, efficiency and ability to achieve principal outcomes (the
protection of OUV) and other objectives. The need for compliance places additional pressures
on inscribed sites. Appendix A explores how management planning contributes to achieving
these goals.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

80. Deputy Prime Minister’s Office. 2004. Skills for Sustainable Communities. London, RIBA.
http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/11854/1/Egan_Review.pdf
81. Brundtland, G.H. 1987. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future.
Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, Incorporated. Chapter 7. ‘Merging Environment and Economics in Decision
Making’, paragraph No.75.
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

For instance, the participatory approach recommended by the Operational Guidelines

(OG para 108) depends on stakeholder involvement at all stages of the management process,
i.e. involving those affected by the productivity, efficiency and ability of the management
system to achieve certain outcomes.

IMPROVEMENTS FOR WORLD HERITAGE

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 For the management authorities of a cultural property, inscription on the World Heritage List
brings additional obligations and new challenges. This in turn requires the States Parties to
revisit and improve their management systems. On the other hand, the World Heritage system
offers access to diverse networks of experience and expertise through the World Heritage
Committee, its Advisory Bodies (ICCROM, ICOMOS, IUCN), Regional Centres and other
associated organizations (see the World Heritage website) that can be useful in the process of
improving management systems.

4.5 Documenting and assessing a heritage management system

A ‘COMPLETE’ HERITAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The management system framework at national and property levels

The nine components highlighted in Parts 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 come together to form a complete
heritage management system (MS), as illustrated in the diagram below.

OUTPUTS ELEMENTS
NITORING PROCESSES
MO
RESULTS
AL RE
ON SO
TI HERITAGE
UR
ITU

CE
INST

OUTCOMES IMPROVEMENTS
MS IMPROVEMENTS OUTCOMES
IM PL

IN G

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
EM

NN

N
E

TA
TIO
LEG AL PL
N
IM S
PROV
EM ENT
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Diagram 18: The nine components of a heritage management system

Dividing heritage management systems into nine components provides a common framework
of reference for all who use one: heritage practitioners who manage properties, policy-makers
who define institutional frameworks, and communities and networks who, to be involved in
heritage, need transparency over how decisions are made.

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

As mentioned in Part 4.1, a heritage management system, as a primary system operating

at a national or regional level, may have a legal mandate to oversee core tasks such as
identifying and recording heritage properties. But its adequacy is put to the test when managing
a property (conservation, interpretation, visitor management, linking to development, etc.),
often reinforced by external contributions. It is then that the support of the secondary
management systems (or their components) is usually needed. This section of the manual
explains how to document and assess whether the primary heritage management systems
are adequate, and what is the role of the secondary management systems.

A national or regional heritage management system may appear to be standard for certain
categories of cultural properties, but it should be tested by reference to a specific property
or group of properties, each with its own nature and setting which will shape its manage-
ment. Of the nine components, the approach to processes and the results are most influenced
by the specific case. This is explored later.

1. A group of cultural properties 2. A single cultural property

OUTPUTS OUTPUTS
NITORING NITORING
MO MO

HERITAGE HERITAGE

OUTCOMES IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS OUTCOMES OUTCOMES IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS OUTCOMES

IM PL
IM PL

IN G
IN G

HERITAGE
HERITAGE
EM
EM

NN
NN

N N
E
E

A
A

TA
TIO PL TA
TIO PL
N N
IM S IM S
PROV PROV
EM ENT EM ENT

Diagram 19: How the elements of an apparently uniform (primary) heritage (national) management system
will be supported by local circumstances for a group of properties or a single property

The three elements are also affected by the constraints and opportunities presented by the
specific property or properties. Diagram 20 provides some examples, which also show how
components from other management systems can be useful.

HERITAGE
AL
HERITAGE
HERITAGE R
N
IO

ES
I NS T I T U T

OU
R CE S

Diagram 20: Use of

secondary manage-
HERITAGE
HERITAGE HERITAGE ment systems or their
HERITAGE HERITAGE
LEGAL HERITAGE components to
strengthen primary
management systems
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Legal framework Institutional framework Resources

• Local land use by-laws • Reinforcement from local NGOs • Target region for capital funding
• Legislation from other sectors • Overlap with local civic (e.g. World Bank, European
(e.g. tax relief, pollution authorities Commission)
standards, coastal protection) • Varying levels of public • Strong community consensus
• Established land use or access and private ownership and and volunteering
rights management control • Continuity in local skills and
knowledge

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

The purpose of the heritage management system framework

The framework has three principal functions for those involved in the conservation and
management of cultural heritage:

Purpose 1: A framework for defining and documenting a heritage management system and
communicating how it works to others
The nine-component framework offers a common language to facilitate and standardize the
monitoring of heritage management systems and the reporting of their results to third parties.
In the case of World Heritage, this forms part of the nomination process (section 5 of the
Format) and, after inscription, part of Periodic Reporting analysis and State of Conservation
(SOC) Reports.

The World Heritage nomination process specifically requires that the heritage management
system in place for a property or a group of properties (OG paras 130 and 132.5)82 be
formally documented. The nomination dossier can constitute a substantial contribution to
property management and act as a baseline against which to measure the management and
state of conservation of the property in years to come.83

Purpose 2: A framework which places each heritage concern in a broad context and illustrates
the need for an integrated approach to heritage management
The heritage management system operates in a wider environment which can place pressures
on the cultural heritage property and vice versa. But this relationship also presents a series of
opportunities (see Part 2). Good management of the pressures and opportunities can benefit
the property and neighbouring communities while also increasing cultural, social, economic
and environmental values.

Of the nine components, ‘improvements’ and ‘outcomes’ are those most affected by direct
contact with the wider context (represented by the inverse arrows in the diagrams). But all
components of a heritage management system depend on that context and should involve
its representatives.

The framework places each heritage concern in a broad context and promotes an integrated
approach to heritage management. It illustrates what the management system needs and
what it achieves, and what other management systems contribute to it (see Part 4.1). By
facilitating transparency and dialogue, the benefits to society are widely recognized and
stakeholder involvement and feedback is more effectively harnessed.

Purpose 3: A framework for assessing and improving a heritage management system

(with other management systems)
It is well known that, as the management cycle advances, it becomes more difficult to
evaluate how effective are heritage management processes and results (see below).
Managing Cultural World Heritage

82. This overview of the management system may be delivered on its own or as part of a management plan.
83. UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. 2011. Preparing World Heritage Nominations. (Second edition). Paris, UNESCO
World Heritage Centre. (World Heritage Resource Manual) p.91.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/643/ (English web page).
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

Planning Implementation Output Outcome

Monitoring, evaluation and feedback increasingly difficult

Diagram 21: Evaluation increases in difficulty through the management cycle

It can be even more difficult to assess whether what is the backbone of the management
system, namely the legal and institutional framework and the approach to resources, is being
effective.

Heritage processes can demonstrate that the management system of a given property or
group of properties is failing to reach its objectives or is achieving them inefficiently, and can
identify specific strengths and weaknesses. But it is less easy to understand their implications
for other areas of the management system.

It may prove necessary to change the management system, either because of requirements
associated with gaining and/or maintaining World Heritage inscription (OG paras 117 and
132.5) or because of alterations (whether desired or not) in the property or group of prop-
erties that need addressing (see Appendix A). Any change is likely to have repercussions
throughout the management system.

The nine-component framework provides checklists to analyse the strengths and weaknesses
of the current management system, and a logical structure for making any recommendations
when change is necessary in order to protect values, above all the OUV. It makes it easier to
review the needs and achievements of the management system at different management
levels (local, national, regional, international).

Documenting and assessing the heritage management system

A standard template for using the framework

Table 12 is a template designed for using the nine-component framework to document (see
for instance 5e of the nomination format, OG Annex 5) and assess a heritage management
system. It helps the user to identify whether all nine components fall entirely or partially
within the primary heritage management system or, if not, which are contributions from
other management systems. The examples of World Heritage properties discussed below
Managing Cultural World Heritage

will clarify this. Annex 5 of the OG describes requires the management system for a World
Heritage property to be documented.

A Word format of the template is included for users of this manual. When completing the
template users are requested to refer to relevant sections and respond to question prompts
and checklists when documenting a heritage management system.

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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

Table 12. The heritage template for documenting a management system

Documenting and assessing the adequacy of a heritage management system for a specific cultural
property

1. Site name and location:

2. Brief description of site:

Key attributes:
Authenticity:
Integrity:

3. World Heritage criteria:

4. Documenting and assessing the management system for the cultural property

The management • Describe the primary • Assess its adequacy: • Outline existing
system framework: management system existing gaps and new additional support
3 areas, for the cultural opportunities identi- from secondary /
9 components property fied (based on the other management
nature of the property systems or tools in
Where necessary
and after referring to place to address gaps
highlight key and
relevant sections of this and to strengthen the
relevant features
manual) primary management
or attach relevant
system
references
• Identify additional
measures / tools
required

Legal framework
ELEMENTS

(or ‘mandate’)

Institutional
framework

Resources
PROCESSES

Planning

Implementation

Monitoring

Outcomes
Managing Cultural World Heritage

R E S U LT S

Outputs

Improvements
(including a sum-
mary of additional
measures required)

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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

The following example is an attempt to document an existing management system that has
evolved over a period of time since the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Table 13. Example of a heritage management system

Documenting and assessing the adequacy of a heritage management system for a specific cultural
property

1. Site name and location: Sacred City of Kandy, Sri Lanka

© James Gordon
2. Brief description of site:

Quote from SOUV

Authenticity
Quote from SOUV

Integrity
Quote from SOUV

Sacred City of Kandy

(Sri Lanka)

3. World Heritage criteria: (iv) (vi)

4. Documenting and assessing the management system for the cultural property

The management • Describe the primary • Assess its adequacy: • Outline additional
system framework: management system existing gaps and support from
3 areas, for the cultural new opportunities secondary / other
9 components property identified (based on management systems
the nature of the prop- or tools in place to
erty and after referring address gaps and
to relevant sections of to strengthen the
the manual) primary management
system
• Identify additional
measures / tools
required

Legal framework The ‘Antiquities Ordi- Need to control areas The site was brought
(or ‘mandate’) nance’ 1940, revised in beyond the monuments under the ‘Urban
1988, governs the and in the Buffer Zone Development Authority
protection and manage- (UDA) Law’ and
ment of heritage in the Need to attract more Municipal Council
ELEMENTS

entire country funding regulations, permitting

better control of the
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Part of the property is larger area

owned by the Buddhist
Community and The site was brought
governed under the under the ‘Central
Temple ordinance Cultural Fund (CCF)
Law' 1981, increasing
funds and the capacity
to implement activities
•••
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4 Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems

•••
Institutional The Department of Need for a mechanism World Heritage Sacred
framework Archaeology (DOA) to bring all relevant Site Committee with
is the responsible stakeholders together the City Mayor as
institution Chairperson and all
Need for the monks to relevant stakeholders as
Temple authorities be more involved in committee members
headed by a chief decision-making was created
guardian are in change
of the Temple of the
Tooth Relic (daily rituals,
annual pageant, etc.)
ELEMENTS

and its management

Resources Human: Mostly the Inadequacy of DOA CCF taking over

employees of the DOA staff and the need for conservation work
greater flexibility in
Financial: Annual funds employing diverse range Outsourcing started
from central govern- of professionals
ment. Collections form CCF brought additional
entrance fee from Need to outsource funds
foreign tourists by the activities
temple Further improvements
Financial shortage still to be made
Intellectual: The accrued
knowledge within the Need to bring new
Department. knowledge particularly
related to OUV

Planning Planning for conserva- Need to plan for long Use of the new commit-
tion by the DOA on an term with a view to tee created to lead a
annual basis. guarantee the safe- new planning approach
guarding of the OUV using participatory
process and using all
Lack of greater partici- resources from different
patory process within stakeholders
the DOA
Concept of OUV was
Values-led approach to discussed for the first
planning is new time within the Sacred
City Committee
PROCESSES

Tool known as Sacred

City Planning used since
1949

Implementation Implementation of Need to outsource In the absence of a com-

projects by the DOA activities prehensive management
staff plan, implementation of
Need to utilize the each project developed
support of other by the Department or
stakeholders the Committee is under-
Managing Cultural World Heritage

taken by the relevant

Planning control institution(s) with their
has to be led by the own funding
Municipality which
exercises the power of Planning controls are
the UDA Law done by the Municipality
with the team from all
relevant agencies
•••
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Defining, assessing and improving heritage management systems 4

•••
Monitoring Monitoring practices Need for greater Joint Committee with
established by the DOA monitoring efforts in DOA, CCF, UDA and
for the work being a larger area Municipality for
PROCESSES

carried out approval and control

Need to safeguard all of the development
DOA conduct regular attributes that reflect
inspections on illegal the OUV Progress of work is
construction at the discussed at monthly
property Need to have a greater meetings of the
control on the property Committee while
and the Buffer Zone individual agencies
monitor their work

Outcomes DOA is committed to Lack of awareness Protect and sustain

protect heritage values among the community OUV through greater
including the OUV about the OUV of the participation
property
Monks in charge of Delivery of benefits of
religious property the WH property for the
committed to facilitate community
ritual activities

Outputs Conservation of archae- Need to conserve / Delivery of a programme

ological sites, buildings control privately owned to conserve privately
and paintings of parts of the property, owned parts of the
R E S U LT S

selected components develop infrastructure property aiming at

of the property that will facilities for ritual economic benefits to
ensure the protection activities the community
of OUV
Provision of
Continuity of religious infrastructure according
activities by the monks to the plans prepared
and the lay guardian
that will enhance the Provision of facilities
OUV during festivals

Improvements It was felt that the Sacred City Committee needed legal authority; a draft law
(including a to empower the Committee is under preparation.
summary of
additional
measures required)
Managing Cultural World Heritage

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Appendix A
A framework for developing, implementing
and monitoring a management plan
Appendix A expands the discussion of the ‘planning’ process in Part 4.3. Its purpose
is to provide help for developing the management plan that is required under
Section 5 of the World Heritage nomination format. Management planning is an
increasingly popular tool for protecting cultural values and, in particular, Outstanding
Universal Value within the World Heritage process. Preparing and implementing a
management plan requires contributions from all nine components of a heritage
management system (see Part 4) and is an opportunity to document in a structured
way the management system(s) at a property. It also helps to identify any gaps in
the existing system which, in turn, provides feedback to change or improve it. This
information is also needed for Sections 3.1 e, 4.5, and 6 of the nomination format.

The Appendix is organized under the following headings:

A.1 Introduction: management plans within management systems
A.2 The management planning process
A.3 Contents of the management plan.

A.1 Introduction: management plans within management systems

Management planning: an overview

‘Management planning’ has undoubtedly become one of the most familiar tools within the
World Heritage system. States Parties, members of the World Heritage Committee and the
Advisory Bodies use management planning as the tool to evaluate the State Party’s commit-
ment to maintain the OUV of a given property and also guarantee that the benefits are
delivered to society. The term ‘management plan’ is used more frequently and emphasizes
the planning outputs of the tool instead of the management approach and process that it
constitutes.

Management planning and the management plans that it produces should, however, be
understood in relation to the host management system(s) as described and elaborated
in Part 4 (see also pp. 89-91 of the Nomination Manual). A management plan should be a
reflection of the entire management system. As a tool that documents the overall manage-
ment system, it constitutes an opportunity to describe and assess a given management
system, and thus can demonstrate how the State Party is going to maintain the OUV of a
property.

In the case of World Heritage, protecting the attributes that reflect OUV will be a primary
objective but cannot be the sole one. As described below in the ‘management planning
process’, a management plan will address the overall cultural values of a property and the
changes in the immediate vicinity of the property that might have an impact on them. This
inclusive approach is one of the qualities of the management planning approach since it
requires links with other plans (such as local or regional land use planning or development
plans) and stakeholders outside the heritage system.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Management planning beyond the physical confines of the property aims to better protect
the OUV and other cultural values, and to secure those benefits to society that heritage can
offer and that the property can gain from greater community involvement (see Part 2.3 on
sustainable development).

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Appendix A

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 The preparation of a management plan is closely linked to the preparation of a nomination

dossier. Once OUV has been established, it would be a good idea to start assessing the man-
agement systems in relation to Section 5 of the nomination format (OG Annex 5) and to start
the process outlined below. Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the format (OG Annex 5) should be com-
pleted, using the information gathered for the management plan.

The principal objective of the management planning process is the strategic long-term
protection of cultural heritage sites. A fundamental part of this is developing a framework
for decision-making and for managing change at a particular cultural heritage property. When
this framework is documented, along with the management goals, objectives and actions
that are determined by the collective effort of those involved in managing the cultural
heritage property, it is referred to as a ‘management plan’. Essentially, a management plan
is the guidance document developed within, and describing, a particular management
system. It is an important tool for all phases of the management cycle (planning, implemen-
tation, monitoring) at a cultural heritage property and needs to be periodically reviewed and
renewed.
CASE STUDY

Management plan as an integral part of the management system

The primary management system of Vizcaya Bridge operates at provincial level. It is legally protected
by the Basque Government (a provincial government in Spain). The body legally responsible for the
direct protection and management of Vizcaya Bridge is Bizkaia Provincial Council: the provincial
authority responsible for the Province of Bizkaia in which the bridge is located. Required resources
are also generated or provided by the same institutions. A commission for the conservation of the
monuments has been established to bring all relevant stakeholders and a management plan has been
elaborated. This is also an
© UNESCO

interesting example of
outsourcing of ordinary man-
agement and maintenance to
a private company. It is also an
example of a single industrial
heritage monument being
managed to contribute to a
broader attempt to develop
the entire city of Bilbao in a
different direction as its heavy
industrial past came to an end.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Vizcaya Bridge (Spain)

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Appendix A

Management plan

A management plan is a relatively new tool which determines and establishes the appropriate
strategy, objectives, actions and implementation structures to manage and, where appropri-
ate, develop cultural heritage in a effective and sustainable way so that its values are retained
for present and future use and appreciation. It balances and coordinates the cultural heritage
needs with the needs of the ‘users’ of the heritage and the responsible governmental and/or
private/community bodies.

The context and nature of a management plan vary considerably, depending on the type of
property. For example, a management plan for an archaeological site or an urban centre
would be more complex than that for a single building. The management plan will also
depend on the character of its primary management system. The plan will specify how the
OUV (or potential OUV in the case of a nomination) will be sustained through protection and
conservation and demonstrate practically effective measures for achieving on-ground
conservation outcomes.

As explained before, producing a management plan is the result of a collective and partici-
patory approach, and provides:
• In the case of World Heritage, an official commitment to further the obligations of the
World Heritage Convention;
• Opportunities for all stakeholders,84 especially property owners and managers, to be
involved and have a shared understanding of the property, leading to strong support for
the plan;
• A clear description of the property as the basis for assessment of its values, particularly its
OUV;
• A transparent description of how the existing system functions and how it can be improved;
• A Statement of OUV of the cultural property, as agreed by or proposed to the World
Heritage Committee, identifying attributes to be managed and the conditions of
authenticity and integrity that need to be maintained;
• An assessment of the other values of the property since these will need to be taken into
account in its management;
• An overview of the current condition of the property and various factors that may have
positive or negative effects on attributes, authenticity and integrity;
• A collective vision for the management of the property (e.g., where it should be in the next
20-30 years);
• A range of management policies and/or objectives to achieve the vision, over a period of
usually about five years;
• A series of actions (for conservation, interpretation and presentation, contributions to
society, etc.);
• An implementation strategy, including monitoring and review;
• Integration as necessary of multiple plans or systems, or ensuring that they are
complementary;
• Heritage benefits to society which in turn secure benefits for the property (enhancing all
values, securing new forms of community support).
Managing Cultural World Heritage

A management plan can:

• Describe the overall management system for the property;
• Provide a structure for analysis of complex processes;

84. In this context, stakeholders may include local people, indigenous peoples, property owners and managers,
government at all levels, commercial interests including tourism, and NGOs.
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• Provide a framework to make informed decisions and to manage change;

• Provide guiding principles for coordination of activities / responsibilities on the site;
• Help to manage collaboration among different interest groups in the public and private
sectors;
• Ensure that interventions are thoughtfully designed to protect OUV and other values as far
as they are compatible with protecting OUV;
• Help to rationalize existing resources and facilitate funding.

The plan should also reflect:

• Participation by key stakeholders and the wider community from the time of the preparation
of the nomination, a shared understanding of the concept of World Heritage and of the
implications of listing for property management;
• A shared understanding of the current management system (the legal and regulatory frame-
work, management structures and approaches), development plans and policies, as well
as land uses which currently exist at the property;
• A shared understanding among stakeholders of the OUV of the heritage property, the
conditions of authenticity and integrity, and the factors affecting the property;
• Shared responsibility and support among all stakeholders for the management approaches
and actions required to maintain the property’s OUV;
• An inclusive approach to planning, sharing the task between all relevant authorities and
stakeholders to draw up a feasible framework for decision-making that will ensure the
sustainable management of the property into the future;
• Management structures are in place to implement the plan and a readiness and the capacity
to achieve the management actions required. In this way the plan is a ‘means to an end’
(and not an end in itself which can be a danger in the planning process).

Its contents must:

• Focus on protecting the OUV of the property while responding to management issues of
local relevance;
• Provide baseline information on the state of conservation of the property, including an
adequate description of it;
• Describe the management system: legislation and regulatory and policy protection meas-
ures, management structures and practices at the property (those actually in force, not only
those applicable in principle);
• Be accessible and easily understood by all stakeholders, avoiding excessive use of jargon;
• Present a vision and long-term goals for the World Heritage site and actions required to
achieve these goals;
• Outline the status of the management plan in relation to other plans (development /
conservation) in force at the property;
• Be useful for the purposes of education and sustainable development;
• Take risk management into account;
• Be strategic in its approach: make use of lessons learned from past actions to anticipate
the direction of management into the future;
• Describe how the plan and management system will be implemented, monitored and
reviewed;
Managing Cultural World Heritage

• Outline the final plan and its expected achievements directly linked to the resource.

Producing a management plan involves two complementary tasks; the process (planning and
development) and the contents (outputs and outcomes - the plan as a management tool).

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Appendix A

© Nomination file/ Robert de Jong

CASE STUDY

Purpose of a management plan

The objective of the management plan

for the 17th-century canal ring area of
Amsterdam within the Singelgracht

The management plan describes how

the parties with governmental responsi-
bility are to preserve the unique cultural
and historical value of Amsterdam’s
17th-century ring of canals within the
Singelgracht as World Heritage.

The management plan is a guideline for

the conservation and management of
Seventeenth-century canal ring area of Amsterdam inside the
the property – the 17th-century ring of Singelgracht (the Netherlands)
canals and the buffer zone within the
Singelgracht designated for its protection. The plan combines the policy of the various responsible
parties to create a single shared vision on the long-term management of the intended World Heritage
site. The shared vision and agreements on protection and management are set down in two covenants
made among the jointly responsible authorities: the City of Amsterdam (Gemeente Amsterdam), the
Central Amsterdam District (Stadsdeel Amsterdam Centrum) and the Amstel, Gooi and Vecht Water
Board (Hoogheemraadschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht). The signed covenants make up part of the
management plan, as does a Declaration of Intent made by the stakeholders concerned with the
property.

Basic principles

The management plan for 17th-century canal ring area of Amsterdam within the Singelgracht must
satisfy the conditions laid down by the World Heritage Committee. Specifically, it must conform to the
following four basic principles:
• Effectiveness – the plan should ensure realization of the objective;
• Coherence – the outlook, objectives, measures and tasks should be consistent;
• Functionality – the plan should be workable;
• Realism – the plan should be achievable and implementable.

In order to satisfy these basic principles, the management plan describes:

• A declaration signed by property manager, responsible authorities and stakeholders (as partners
in the site) detailing their direct involvement in, their shared outlook on, and their agreement to
combine efforts in protecting and conserving the property and the buffer zone. This will supplement
the nomination dossier.
• A cycle of planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, adjustment and reevaluation of the
management plan, set down by the property manager and coordinated by the World Heritage Office.
• Allocation of resources: provision of sufficient manpower, relevant expertise and sufficient time will be
estimated and prepared for operation in the project plan to be drawn up for the World Heritage Office.
• Financing by the World Heritage Office: a project plan drawn up for this purpose by Central
Amsterdam, with sections on implementation. A balanced and transparent description of the
implementation of the management system (management plan, specifically Chapter 4, agreements
on tasks, competences and responsibilities, and Chapter 3 Section 3.6, improving management:
Managing Cultural World Heritage

operational plan and action plan).

• It is the task of the yet to be established Amsterdam World Heritage Office to realize the
implementation of the plan and to direct and coordinate its execution.
• The operability of the management plan will be assessed in practice and adjusted where necessary.

(Kingdom of the Netherlands 2009, ‘The 17th Century canal ring area of Amsterdam with the
Singelgracht’, Nomination document. p.53).

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Appendix A

A.2 The management planning process (various stages)

The management planning process

This section outlines several stages in the process of preparing a management plan for World
Heritage.

The process is as important as the final product for developing a collective understanding
of the OUV, for gaining the consensus of all concerned and for sharing responsibility for
protecting the property. The plan is a tool for maintaining a dialogue with stakeholders and
for continuously reviewing the protection of the OUV and other values.

The management planning process may start under one of three different scenarios: 1.
while preparing a nomination, 2. for a property already inscribed, 3. revising an existing
management plan/master plan/conservation plan. For the first scenario, following every
step in this section systematically will help in completing Sections 3.1 e, 4.5 and 6 of the
nomination format.

For scenarios 2 and 3, some of the steps will already have been covered. For example, a
Statement of Outstanding Universal Value is now a necessary part of the nomination process
but, for a property already inscribed on the World Heritage List, it may already exist and
cannot be changed.

As for revising a management plan, it is essential to evaluate comprehensively the successes,

failures and weaknesses of the existing plan(s) and to address them (see Part 4.5). Few earlier
management plans were grounded on approved Statements of Outstanding Universal Value
since these were not required until 2007; and only in 2005 was the condition of integrity
introduced for the management of World Heritage cultural heritage properties. The impacts
of these two innovations are unlikely to be reflected in earlier management plans.

The development of a management plan has the following stages:

STAGE ONE: Preparation
STAGE TWO: Data/information gathering
STAGE THREE: Significance/condition assessment
STAGE FOUR: Developing responses/proposals

These are explored in more detail below. The planning process that they represent is based
on the values-led approach referred to in Part 2 and Part 4.3 of this manual:

Table 14. The values-led approach for World Heritage Management planning

Collecting data / information

▼
Assessing significance
Managing Cultural World Heritage

(SOUV: Values, Attributes, authenticity, integrity; local values and attributes)

▼
Assessing conditions
▼
Planning for conservation / management

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Appendix A

The planning process required by management planning is neither linear nor top-down (as
in diagram 22 below) but circular as in figure 2, ideally an iterative process as in figure 3, in
which each stage constantly refers back or forward to other stages. For instance, while
assessing the condition of a property, it might be necessary to go back to the data-gathering
stage to collect supplementary information. This interaction is illustrated in the Diagram 22.
The planning process, on the other hand, has strong links to implementation and monitoring
and they can unfold in parallel, because the management plan is not a static document but
requires constant review. Implementation and monitoring are separate processes, but they
are identified in the diagram as number 5 in order to illustrate their continual linkage to the
planning process.

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

1
1 1
2
5 2 5 2
3

4
4 3 4 3

5
1 Preparation 2 Data / information gathering 3 Significance / condition assessment
4 Developing responses / proposals 5 (implementation and monitoring)

Diagram 22: Nature of the planning process

STAGE ONE: PREPARATION

This stage can be viewed as the preplanning stage when the groundwork is laid and consen-
sus gained on the aims of the management planning process and on who should be involved.

The preparatory steps

Managing Cultural World Heritage

The preparation of a management plan should be authorized by a relevant institution and

have the support of the key stakeholders who will have to approve its adoption and enable
its implementation and updating. The approval of the plan may also require a sign-off from
property owners or from the World Heritage Committee, or an official endorsement from
multiple organizations (government or private) brought together for the purpose (in the case
of World Heritage, possibly as part of the nomination process).

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It is often policy at a national level that leads to management planning being adopted and
to it becoming a requirement. But the impetus to initiate and draft it should be at the property
level (or at a local level in the case of a group of properties). This is vital to ensure that stake-
holders participate on an equal footing and develop a sense of ownership of the process and
the plan that it produces.

Project management skills are very useful at this point to define the critical path or schedule
of the management planning process and to control its timing and budget once it has begun.
A person or a team (in the case of a complex property or group of properties) should be
identified and assigned the responsibility for managing the ‘project’ (i.e. the management
planning process) at this point.

Who leads and delivers the plan?

The lead organization(s) of the primary management system (Part 4.1), in consultation with
others, should assemble a project team with a competent leader who can coordinate different
skills to start the process and identify the required financial, institutional and human resources
to prepare the plan. The leader coordinates the activities of others and is the main driver
behind the preparation of the plan, giving priority when assembling the team to in-house
specialists and/or those who will implement the management plan.

In some countries, external consultants are employed to lead the process. In that case, their
role should be only to guide the process, with the stakeholders also leading the process and
feeling ownership in the plan. The terms of consultancy appointments or job descriptions
must be clear. The team working on the plan must be well-acquainted with the existing
management system applicable to the property (or properties) in question. In some countries
a steering group oversees the development of a management plan, its implementation and
review.

GOOD
G O TIPS
OD TIPS

䊳 A steering group comprising top officials from the primary management systems and others
who are engaged in the nomination process can present progress and request any needed
support.

The project team and its responsibilities

The team leader needs to assemble a working team of members whose competencies are
multidisciplinary and which collectively amount to:
• An understanding of the requirements of the World Heritage Convention and the World
Heritage Committee,
• Detailed local knowledge of the property and its heritage values and a good understanding
of the factors affecting them,
• An understanding of management systems for heritage and of the particular system(s)
Managing Cultural World Heritage

operating for the property under consideration,

• An understanding of the property under consideration, in both technical conservation terms
and historical background,
• An understanding of the legal / regulatory / policy framework within which the property
must be managed,
• An understanding of the social and economic issues that affect the property, its surround-
ings and its stakeholders (and how the property affects social and economic issues),
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Appendix A

• Abilities in preparing costed programmes of actions,

• Skills in communicating effectively (both in writing and orally),
• Expertise in information management,
• Negotiating / advocacy and facilitation skills,
• Political sensitivities and an ability to build rapport and credibility with others,
• Flexibility / tolerance and a willingness to recognize the needs of others,
• Project management skills,
• Direct knowledge of / involvement with ‘end-users’ (e.g. visitors, local communities).

At the preplanning stage the team leader, in consultation with the other members of the
working group and the relevant authorities, should decide on the relative weighting to be
given to the four basic elements of a project: resources (human and financial), time, quality
and scope – so that they are adjusted as project objectives are clarified. These elements are
all interrelated and must be managed effectively to ensure the success of the management
planning process. The preplanning stage must first outline the scope of the project (in this
case the property or properties that are the target of the management planning process and
a first outline of the objectives to be achieved). Once the scope has an associated timeline
and budget, human and financial resources can be deployed.

The team leader therefore has to:

a. Define the scope of the activity and develop a programme,
b. Assess the skills required,
c. Identify other stakeholders,
d. Define the nature of the consultation process (participatory approach),
e. Prepare a timetable,
f. Identify financial, human and technical equipment, etc.) resources required.

A steering group consisting of representatives of key stakeholders should be assembled to

oversee planning and implementation processes. For World Heritage nominations, this should
be set up earlier than the preplanning stage.

A steering group is essential for properties that extend beyond one administrative area (nearly
always the case for cultural landscapes and for serial properties) or countries (transboundary
properties). It should be assembled at the earliest possible stage and a calendar drawn up
for its regular meetings and consultations.

Identifying stakeholders

A stakeholder is any person or organization that can be affected by the plan or that could
influence its success. Other stakeholders are those who have an entitlement resulting from
an obligation or from the requirements of the law. They fall into four broad categories:
• Those engaged in the primary heritage management system (institutions owning heritage
sites and managing them),
• Private owners of heritage sites,
• Those from other management systems which provide secondary sources for managing
Managing Cultural World Heritage

heritage (e.g. a city council with the legal power to control buffer zones),
• Communities and other interest groups.

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CASE STUDY

A property being managed for both cultural and natural values and jointly
by the government and the Maori community

© UNESCO/ Ali Tabbasum

‘In 1993 Tongariro became the first
property to be inscribed on the World
Heritage List under the revised criteria
describing cultural landscapes.
The mountains at the heart of the
park have cultural and religious
significance for the Maori people and
symbolize the spiritual links between
this community and its environment…
When reviewing the park manage-
ment plan World Heritage status acts
to assist prioritization of protecting
natural and cultural values. The new
park management plan emphasizes
the values of World Heritage and the
need to ensure that management
Tongariro National Park (New Zealand)
policies do not impact on these
values.’

Tongario is an interesting model with property management jointly led by the government and the
Maori community.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/613/

The importance of working with stakeholders

The management planning process takes for granted that stakeholder understanding and
‘ownership’ of heritage helps the stakeholders and the responsible agency to protect the
heritage property. Working with stakeholders provides the opportunity to share information,
increase stakeholder commitment, engender collective responsibility and gain their knowl-
edge, consent and support for those actions that will protect and enhance the property’s
heritage values, authenticity and integrity.

But the process of being inclusive must remain manageable to be effective. The number of
stakeholders may be very high, for example in urban centres. There are more than seven
hundred owners of Hadrian’s Wall, which is part of the transnational Frontiers of the Roman
Empire World Heritage property. In such cases, stakeholder involvement needs to be kept
manageable from the start of the process.

Participatory process
Managing Cultural World Heritage

In a participatory approach, all stakeholders at different levels take part in the decision-making
process. The management team must develop a strategy for this during the preplanning
stage.

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Decision-making processes

With the involvement of more stakeholders and other management systems, a new decsion-
making mechanism has to be evolved and this process can be led by the primary management
system. A very clear decision-making process, identification of roles and responsibilities
during the planning process and at the implementation stage, has to be agreed upon at this
preparatory stage.
CASE STUDY

Participatory decision-making

Extracts from the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. Management Plan 2010-2020
1.3 Planning process
Section 366 of the EPBC Act requires that the Director of National Parks and the Board of Manage-
ment (if any) for a Commonwealth reserve prepare management plans for the reserve. In addition to
seeking comments from members of the public, the relevant land council and the relevant state or
territory government, the Director and the Board are required to take into account the interests of the
traditional owners of land in the reserve and of any other Indigenous persons interested in
the reserve.

The Uluru-Kata Tjuta Board of Management resolved that consultations be undertaken with Anangu
to seek comments on issues related to the management of the park. These meetings covered a range
of park management issues including decision-making procedures; natural and cultural resource man-
agement; visitor management and park use and Anangu employment. A number of Board meetings
were also conducted to enable the Board to consider the draft management plan and submissions
received from members of the public.

Other stakeholder groups and individuals that were consulted during the preparation of this
management plan include:
• tourism industry representatives, scientists, photography interest groups, representatives from
Australian Government and Northern Territory Government agencies, and local community
organizations
© Emmanuel Pivard

• the Central Land Council

• Parks Australia staff.

(Director of National Parks.

2010 Uluru Kata Tjuta
National Park. Management
Plan 2010-2020. Tjukurpa
Katutja Ngarantja. p.21)
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Uluru Kata Tjuta World Heritage site (Australia)

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Appendix A

STAGE TWO: DATA/INFORMATION GATHERING

Information-gathering can be such an open-ended process that those involved can easily get
lost. It is therefore important to identify at the start what type of information is required,
how it will be obtained and how to manage it. Information is required for assessing values
and the OUV of the property, for identifying attributes that embody those values, and for
evaluating authenticity and integrity. Other information will be needed for assessing the
significance of the other values for which a property has to be managed; for understanding
and defining the property and for planning purposes; and finally for assessing the physical
condition and factors that could affect the OUV and other values. This information may
form the basis for future monitoring. Additional information can always be collected to
support decision-making at later stages of the management planning process.

Some of this information may have been collected for the preparation of the nomination
dossier, or included in the ICOMOS evaluation of the nomination. How useful this inherited
information will be for the management planning process will depend on how long ago the
property was inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Probable sources of information

The property itself is the principal source of information. It may involve collecting material
from existing sources or seeking new information (including carrying out research).

Existing sources may be: archives, surveys, building records, museum collections, photograph
archives, mapping / cartographic agencies (national survey offices), libraries, site files, other
ministries / agencies / organizations and stakeholders (often a good source for old photo-
graphs, among other things). The traditional knowledge systems of stakeholders can also be
drawn upon.

New information needs may include: new mapping / cartography, surveys, geophysical
surveys, recording buildings, photographs (regular, rectified, etc.), detailed inventories,
developing databases, physical (visual) surveys, written or oral surveys of various kinds,
interviews and oral histories, commissioning of in-depth studies and research (e.g.
comparative studies).

A basic checklist

The following information will be the minimum that is required:

1. Information to assess the (potential) OUV, authenticity, integrity and other values of the
property;
2. Information on the physical conditions (impacts from various factors, risks and vulnerabilities)
3. Information on boundaries and the surroundings (including adjoining land use and devel-
opment activities and plans);
4. General (explained in Part 4, checklist)
Managing Cultural World Heritage

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Checklist for information gathering

Part 1 – Information to assess the (potential) OUV, authenticity, integrity and other
values of the property

Theme Sources

Values, significance and history • Written / oral histories

• Photographs
• Interviews / discussions with stakeholders
• International comparisons
• Past analyses, often archaeological or building
analysis
• Map regression, etc
• Traditional knowledge systems

Current uses of the site • Land use maps or plans

• Written descriptions
• Current ownership information including
indigenous and traditional owners
• Different uses – rituals, practices, etc.

Stakeholders’ views and • From interviews, discussions with stakeholders

concerns

It may prove necessary to collect information and go ahead with assessing the potential OUV
while still collecting other information. It will then be easier to recognize the important
attributes that carry those values and to define authenticity and integrity, followed by an
assessment of the physical condition of the attributes, authenticity and integrity and of the
impacts affecting them.

Condition recording will identify positive and negative impacts, current and future impacts,
and their source, whether from within the site or outside it (see below).

Checklist for information gathering

Part 2 – Information on the physical conditions (impacts from various factors, risks
and vulnerabilities)

Theme Sources

The state of conservation • Visual records

• Scientific studies
– Effects on materials • Current monitoring practices
(decay, etc.), structures • Previous conservation records
(deformation, etc.), sites
(landscapes, functions)
Managing Cultural World Heritage

State of conservation • Some possible factors impacting on heritage

(buildings and development, transportation
– Factors impacting on heritage infrastructure, utilities or service infrastructure,
and their effects pollution, biological resource use/modification,
physical resource extraction, local conditions
affecting physical fabric, social/cultural uses of
heritage, •••
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•••
Theme Sources

other human activities, invasive/alien species or

hyper-abundant species, management and institu-
tional factors, climate change and severe weather
events, sudden ecological or geological events,
• Studies, reports, development plans, international
studies, e.g. sources of information on the
(potential) effects of disasters:
- Records of disasters in the recent and more
distant past, and of current risks / threats
- Information on potential changes which could
cause disasters
- Information on existing plans for mitigating risks
and managing disasters for the heritage or more
generally
- Information on agencies assigned disaster risk
management
- Information on current monitoring practices for
disaster risks

The state of conservation, • Existing approaches, plans (conservation, master

current activities plans) written reports
• Ongoing activities of conservation
• Traditional practices if being used

Interpretation, presentation • Reports on existing approaches/plans for

and visitor management interpretation and visitor management
practices • Existing facilities for visitors (ticketing,
refreshments, bathrooms, etc.)
• Surveys on visitor perceptions, their impacts
• Available educational resources
• Any current proposals for improvements

Monitoring • Existing policies, procedures

Checklist for information gathering

Part 3 – Information on boundaries and the surroundings, (including adjoining

land use and development activities and plans);

Theme Sources

Boundaries and physical • Maps and plans of the site and its surroundings
features • Architectural or archaeological drawings
(if applicable)
• Aerial photographs
• Applicable heritage and planning legislation
• Other planning instruments that impact on site
Managing Cultural World Heritage

• Details of indigenous/traditional ownership

Other planning instruments • Land-use plans

relevant to for the site • Zoning plans
• Infrastructure schemes
• Resource use plan/extraction of minerals, etc./
agriculture/indigenous usages
•••
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•••
Theme Sources

Local, regional and national • Municipal or regional planning activities and

planning and development applicable regulations, e.g. land use plans for the
activities vicinity
• Mineral and other extraction plans
• Environmental protection plans
• Local, regional and national development plans
• Legislation related to relevant activities, e.g.
agriculture
• Infrastructure development

Checklist for information gathering

Part 4 – General

Theme Sources

Current legal and institutional • All legal instruments influencing the site (national,
frameworks, planning provincial, local and site specific)
processes, resources, both • Organizational chart (at different levels)
those available and potentially • Written descriptions of decision-making and
available planning processes
• Job descriptions for those carrying responsibility
• The human, financial, intellectual resources
available
• Annual budgets
• More detailed budgets for specific sectors
• Information on extra-budgetary projects
• Information of past funding sources
• Information on current monitoring practices
• Existing stakeholder responsibilities and
contributions
• Potential stakeholder responsibilities and
contributions
• Other related stakeholder problems or issues
• Details of special units to deal with World
Heritage, if any

Elements of traditional • Written records (principles, monitoring methods

management systems through taboos, etc.)
• Oral traditions
• Methods of data gathering for decision-making
• Linking with larger administrative systems at
national and/or regional levels
(Recording some of these topics may encounter
restrictions)
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Elements of economic and • Sources that can bring social/economic benefits

social benefits such as potential employment

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STAGE THREE: SIGNIFICANCE/CONDITION ASSESSMENT

This stage involves assessment of the OUV (if it has not been done already), of other
values and attributes that manifest those values and the authenticity and integrity of those
attributes. (The following step will be condition assessment and identifying key management
issues.)

Value assessment

Assessing significance (see Part 3) should include assessing values that will describe the
potential OUV and other values that may not be part of the OUV but should be retained.
This can be done in two steps: (1) assessing the OUV and developing the SOUV that identifies
attributes that carry OUV and their authenticity and integrity; and (2) assessing other values
and identifying the attributes that carry those values. Assessment should be done together
with the relevant stakeholders.

As mentioned above, assessing OUV uses the values-led approach to the conservation and
management of heritage (for assessment of OUV, see the Nomination Manual).

Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (SOUV)

If not already adopted, a ‘Statement of Outstanding Universal Value’ must be drawn up,
based on the OUV and conditions of authenticity and integrity. This will be the key reference
for the effective protection and management of the property in the future, as described in
Part 3 of this manual and in the Nomination Manual. A SOUV identifies the attributes that
convey the OUV and the conditions of authenticity and integrity that need to be maintained.

Other values and the statement of significance

The SOUV is based on the OUV but properties invariably carry other values, both heritage
values and others (such as economic, social, environmental) that are of importance at local,
regional or even national levels. It is not practical to manage attributes that carry OUV in
isolation from those carrying other values, and can lead to values being prioritized where
there is potential conflict between them. As for social and economic values, if the property
has ongoing land use, for example, the concerns of farmers need to receive sufficient atten-
tion in order to manage agriculture. While the emphasis of this manual is on the protection
of OUV, authorities preparing management plans should formulate a comprehensive
Statement of Significance (see above) which captures OUV and these other values and use it
as the basis for managing the property.

Condition assessment

Now that we have identified the attributes, authenticity and integrity, the next step is to
assess the various factors affecting them, both positively and negatively. This exercise has
Managing Cultural World Heritage

come to be known as a ‘condition assessment’. Its purpose is to understand the various

factors impacting attributes, authenticity and integrity, with a view to managing them in the
long term. Another purpose is to identify and deliver benefits that can be derived from
heritage and other associated values by local communities and society at large. Condition
assessments identify the issues that will emerge and help in defining future management
objectives (sometimes known as ‘policies’) and actions.

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The Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre, in consultation with several States Parties
and site management authorities, have developed a list of factors that can affect heritage
(work undertaken for the Second Periodic Reporting Process, started in 2009 These have key
headings and a number of subfactors under each factor.
Buildings and development
Transportation infrastructure
Utilities or service infrastructure
Pollution
Biological resource use/modification
Physical resource extraction
Local conditions affecting physical fabric
Social/cultural uses of heritage
Other human activities
Climate change and severe weather events
Sudden ecological or geological events
Invasive/alien species or hyper-abundant species
Management and institutional factors
Other factor(s)

Section 4 of the nomination format refers to only some of the above factors but, for
developing a management plan, the broadest possible range of factors affecting a given
property should be considered.

At this stage, we try to assess the impacts of various factors on heritage and identify both
threats and opportunities. We can examine the causes or sources that can affect heritage
as well as the community. It is customary to look at the negative impacts on heritage caused
by various factors but not all of them have negative impacts. So we need to examine positive
impacts as well. For instance, tourism can have a serious impact on attributes (e.g. wear
and tear) and on the sacred environment of a church or a temple which may have been
identified as an important aspect of authenticity. However, in some cases, it can help to
create the income that is much needed to maintain such places. Similarly, the spirituality of
a sacred environment can have a positive impact on a community. Management and
institutional factors may also have negative or positive impacts. For example, adequate
conservation policy, regulations and resources can have positive impacts on heritage while
a lack of them can have negative impacts. If the institution is not willing or does not have
sufficient power to consult communities, decisions will be taken unilaterally by the experts
and will most likely have negative impacts on those communities. If decisions are made on
day-to-day matters by a central authority in the capital, an officer in charge of a remotely
located property will face difficulties.

At the same time, it is necessary to assess potential impacts as well as the current ones.
Tourism may not currently have a negative impact, but may increase dramatically with the
award of World Heritage status, potentially causing negative and/or positive impacts in the
future. It is not always possible to predict the potential impacts of tourism, but they should
be subjected to study. Not all factors will originate from within the property; for example, a
hotel development immediately outside the boundaries of a property can negatively impact
Managing Cultural World Heritage

its visual aspects, and proposals for interpretation at a property may have a negative impact
on underlying archaeological layers.

Identifying those broad factors and subfactors that affect heritage led to the following
template being developed to help with condition assessment:
Main factor:
3.8 Social and cultural use of heritage
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Appendix A

Sub-factors:
3.8.1 - Ritual/spiritual/religious and associative uses
3.8.2 - Society's valuing of heritage
3.8.3 - Indigenous hunting, gathering and collecting
3.8.4 - Changes in traditional ways of life and knowledge system
3.8.5 - Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community
3.8.6 - Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation

Table 15. A template used in the current Periodic Reporting process to assess the factors affecting
heritage

3.8.1 Ritual / spiritual / religious and associative uses

Name Impact Origin

Positive Negative Current Potential Inside Outside

3.8.1 Ritual / spiritual /

religious and associative uses

3.8.2 Society’s valuing of heritage

Name Impact Origin

Positive Negative Current Potential Inside Outside

3.8.2 Society’s valuing of heritage

Whether or not such a template is used, it is necessary to assess the impacts on heritage,
identifying both the threats and opportunities that the analysis reveals. These may be quan-
titative or qualitative or collective decisions of the stakeholders. Tools such as SWOT analyses
(‘strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats’) are being utilized to this end. They help
to isolate key issues that need to be prioritized and management actions to be taken. This is
explained in the stage four (p.140).

Some of the common issues are related to the following themes:.

• Management (structure, human resources, finance)
• Planning and urban design
• Infrastructure
• Conservation
• Maintenance
• Use
• Social and economic situation
• Site interpretation
Managing Cultural World Heritage

• Visitor management
• Natural and man-made risks and threats (disaster risk management)
• Relations with the community
• Special audiences
• Implementation and monitoring
• Research
• Specific World Heritage issues
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Appendix A

STAGE FOUR: DEVELOPING RESPONSES / PROPOSALS

To develop responses proposals, it is wise to think of the property in its overall context and
envisage its long-term future, perhaps potentially as a property on the World Heritage List
(if it is not already). A vision of where the site should be in the next 20-30 years would be
a useful starting point. This Vision Statement could provide the basis for elaborating
management policies, annual work plans, and an implementation strategy. A programme
for reviewing the plan should be agreed with the stakeholders.

A ‘Vision Statement’

A Vision Statement describes how the property will be in 20-30 years’ time and the steps
needed to safeguard the OUV and other values of the property, to transmit the benefits of
heritage management to the community at large, and to ensure a positive contribution to
sustainable development. The Vision Statement should be a result of collective effort by all
stakeholders and should guide the development of objectives and an action plan. If necessary,
it can be supported, or even replaced, by fuller ‘guiding principles’, to guide the development
of objectives.
CASE STUDY

Vision Statement

The Stonehenge World Heritage site is globally important not just for Stonehenge, but for its unique
and dense concentration of outstanding prehistoric monuments and sites, which together form a
landscape without parallel. We will care for and safeguard this special area and its archaeology
and will provide a more tranquil, biodiverse and rural setting for it, allowing present and future
generations to enjoy it and the landscape more fully. We will also ensure that its special qualities are
presented, interpreted and enhanced where necessary, so that visitors can better understand the
extraordinary achievements of the prehistoric peoples who left us this rich legacy.

Young, C., Chadburn, A. and Bedu, I. 2009. Stonehenge. World Heritage site Management Plan 2009.
London, English Heritage.
© UNESCO /Megumi Takimoto
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Stonehenge, Avebury
and Associated Sites
(United Kingdom)

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Appendix A

Objectives

The next step is to develop objectives or ‘outcomes’ (see Part 4.4) that will help to achieve
the vision through which OUV will be protected and benefits provided to society. (Some tend
to call them broader ‘policies’ under which actions are developed.)

The objectives underpin, elaborate and convey aspects of the Vision Statement in order to
address those key issues identified in Part 4. The objectives should be ‘SMART’: Specific,
Measurable, Attainable (or Achievable), Relevant, Trackable (or Time-bounded).

Action plan

The next step is to develop an action plan indicating how the objectives will be realized
through a series of specific actions delivering products or services. These tangible results are
also known as outputs (see Part 4.4). The action plan should define outputs in terms of
budget, the parties responsible for implementation, the time required for each action, the
other resources needed (human, intellectual, organizational, and equipment) and the
sequence in which the actions will be carried out. In other words, the action plan constitutes
the main opportunity to prioritize the activities and better utilize the resources available. An
action plan will set targets, outputs and indicators against which success or failure can be
measured. It should consist of annual activities and long-term activities.

An action plan can be a series of strategies, or plans such as a visitor management plan, a
conservation plan, a disaster risk management plan or a monitoring plan. These will help
respond to Sections 4, 5, 6 of the nomination format.

Implementation plan

The previous stage focused on the development of a vision, objectives (outcomes) and the
identification of a series of activities to deliver outputs. The next important stage in the
management planning process is developing a strategy to implement these activities (see
Part 4.3).

It is best to use an existing unit within the organization that is empowered to carry out
the implementation of the plan. In some cases, new units are also being established. If the
property is large and/or divided among many stakeholders, this unit may be focused more
on coordinating than directing it. It will initially revisit and reorganize the decision-making
process with the following aims:
• Have a strong leader or coordinator with the requisite authority.
• Establish a coordinating mechanism among the organizations involved (the diverse
components in the case of a serial property, or countries in the case of a transboundary
property).
• Obtain approval from the relevant owners/organization(s).
• Identify and allocate resources.
• Identify appropriate specialists, contractors and suppliers.
Managing Cultural World Heritage

• Identify appropriate procurement routes to ensure transparent and effective appointments

that respect the parameters of quality, cost and time for each action.
• After selecting specialists, contractors and/or suppliers, verify that contractual relationships
sufficiently protect the paying client and the wider interests of the stakeholders in the site
(see Part 2).
• After appointing staff and starting activities, implement a structured approach to team
reporting and meetings to optimize coordination and outputs.
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Appendix A

• Adopt a communication policy which ensures that all stakeholders and steering group
(if any) are well informed.
• Maintain links with the national authority responsible for international links (e.g. with the
World Heritage Centre).
• Engage in monitoring the state of conservation as well as implementation of the plan.

The action plan should include an annual work plan.

The form of the implementation unit will vary if there is a diverse range of stakeholders on
properties with serial components or on larger sites such as city centres or cultural landscapes.
A manager may be appointed solely for coordinating the stakeholders, with day-to-day
management devolved to different organizations and their respective leaders.

Monitoring in the context of the management plan

Monitoring is an essential step in the management process as it provides the information

necessary for the review, adaptation and updating of management actions. The monitoring
plan puts in writing the agreed strategy to measure:
a) the progress and,
b) the outcome/outputs
of the management plan in order to inform the management authorities about what is
happening at the property, how much of the planned programme (actions and their outputs)
has been implemented, and how effectively it has been implemented (outcomes achieved).
In other words, monitoring measures the implementation of the management plan in both
quantitative and qualitative terms, the latter being the sustaining OUV.

In addition, it is necessary to develop indicators against which changes can be measured (see
Part 4.3 – Monitoring). The results and information gathered from these assessments are
instrumental for future revisions or changes to the plan.

Measuring the progress of the plan in its implementation stage provides information on
whether the management plan is working and if it is being delivered according to the time
and budget set out in the plan (output evaluation). It tests the efficiency of the manager and
the plan. Outcome evaluation is the true test of management effectiveness.

Monitoring is a tool to observe, to gather information and to measure the rate of progress;
it is not an end in itself but rather the means to an end. It is an essential and ongoing part
of the management process and is used to measure and plan for change, allowing manage-
ment policies to be adapted and the management plan to be reviewed when necessary. Since
it can be a time-consuming and expensive process, managers need to be selective when
deciding which aspects of the plan require monitoring, identifying indicators and deciding
how these will be monitored.

Some properties have developed regular monitoring mechanisms, mainly to assess the
state of conservation. However, all monitoring strategies (in the case of World Heritage
Managing Cultural World Heritage

properties) should aim to provide information for achieving the principles outlined in the
Operational Guidelines and should be linked to World Heritage requirements such as State
of Conservation, Reactive Monitoring and Periodic Reporting processes.

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Appendix A

Monitoring:
Monitoring indicators

13.6.1 The purpose of monitoring is to assess how the values of the World Heritage site are
being maintained over time and to measure whether the objectives of the World Heritage site
Management Plan are being achieved. Measuring progress is essential to be able to adapt
and improve the management of the site. Identifying key threats early on is necessary to be
able to put in place remedial measures before the damage gets too great. Regular monitoring
is necessary to re-assess priorities in view of new issues and progress made. Monitoring indi-
cators need to be firmly linked to the values and objectives identified in the World Heritage
site Management Plan.

A set of nineteen monitoring indicators for the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage site
was produced jointly by the two coordinators, with input from a number of partners, and
endorsed by the Stonehenge WHS Committee in 2003. Their aim is to measure progress
with the protection, interpretation and management of the site. Although most indicators
are common to Avebury and Stonehenge, there are some minor differences reflecting the
specificity of each site. It was agreed that the indicators should be simple, meaningful, easy
to gather and constant, so that comparisons over time could be possible. Now that attributes
of OUV have been identified, it is essential during the lifetime of this plan to review the
indicators to see whether they should be made more relevant to them.

Extracts from Young, C., Chadburn, A. and Bedu, I. 2009. Stonehenge.

World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009. London, English Heritage.

See Table 16 for indicators

Table 16. Monitoring indicators – Stonehenge World Heritage site management plan

Objectives Key monitoring How and who? How often? In place?

indicators

Conservation 1. Existence Sites and Monuments Record As appropriate Yes

of archaeological of updated maintained by the Wiltshire
sites records for the County Council (WCC)
archaeological
sites Stonehenge Geographical Yes
Information System (GIS)
maintained by English
Heritage (EH)

2. Condition of WHS Condition Survey funded Every six years Yes

archaeological by EH
sites
Regular monitoring of sites by As appropriate Yes
National Trust (NT) volunteers
and EH Historic Environment
Field Assistants
Managing Cultural World Heritage

3. Hectares of Map and figures collated Annual update Yes

grass restoration by WHS Coordinator, Defra,
and number of National Trust
sites protected
from plough
damage

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Appendix A

CASE STUDY

An example of a site-specific monitoring activity

The diverse needs of the mix of buildings and gardens which make up the World Heritage property
have inspired an ambitious and rigorous monitoring programme led by the State Administration
for Cultural Heritage (SACH) and the Classical Gardens of Suzhou (China) World Heritage property
management authority.

© UNESCO / F. Bandarin

Classical Gardens of
Suzhou (China)

Review of the management plan

Preparing a management plan is an iterative and ongoing process and not a fixed or one-off
exercise. All stakeholders need to understand that the management plan will be regularly
reviewed (annually or biannually). Information obtained from monitoring processes should
be evaluated and used for reviewing the plan.

In addition to regular review, it may be necessary to review parts or the whole of the plan
due to the following circumstances:
a) When urgent attention is required, based on the results of the monitoring process,
b) When faced with a catastrophic situation (e.g. a disaster),
c) When the property is inscribed by the Committee on the List of World Heritage in Danger,
or
d) If major changes make implementation of parts of the plan impossible.

The review process must follow the participatory approach used in preparing the plan,
involving any new stakeholders as necessary (e.g. defence authorities if the property is
attacked by terrorists).

The review process must be part of the management plan and agreed with the stakeholders,
Managing Cultural World Heritage

particularly for the emergency scenarios mentioned above. The review process needs to be
articulated in terms of annual reviews, five-yearly reviews and major reviews, etc. as necessary,
with supplementary reactive reviews being carried out in the case of emergency scenarios.

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Appendix A

A.3 Contents of the management plan

Contents of the management plan

The final stage of the planning process outlined above is to draft the management plan. If
all the material is in hand, this is the moment to consider how to communicate the contents
effectively: how the final document is to be presented, its style, its structure and its hierarchy
of content headings. It should be in language that is easy to understand and have a simple
structure. If it contains any restricted-access information, its distribution may also have to be
controlled.

The plan should be internally consistent and describe systematically how the heritage site
will be managed and how its significance will be conserved and promoted for all those with
an interest in the property.

The plan may have the following contents:

Management plan: Contents

– Purpose
– Process (how it was prepared and who was involved), including a decision-making process
diagram
– Property description
– Significance (with OUV for World Heritage sites)
– Identification of key issues
– A Vision Statement/guiding principles, policies/objectives
– Actions to meet policies/objectives (including timing, priorities, resources and indicators)
– Implementation plan; annual work plan, project formulation, indication of resources
– Monitoring plan
– Timetable for review

Post-preparation actions

The success of a management plan depends on the authority given to it during its preparation
and after completion. The organizations which were identified at the beginning of the process
should now approve and commit themselves to the management plan, providing the
resources (e.g. staff for implementing it) that they pledged in the planning process and
obtaining additional ones. Where possible, the plan should be accorded a legal status within
the existing management system.

Once the plan receives authority, it should be implemented, following the implementation
plan previously prepared. The day-to-day management activities of the management planning
implementation now start.

Refer to the management plans associated with properties inscribed on the World Heritage
Managing Cultural World Heritage

List. (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/)

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Appendix B
Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit (IUCN)
Since the late 1990s a series of mainly voluntary tools has been developed to assess
the management effectiveness of protected areas. Such evaluations aim to assess
how well Protected Areas are being managed – primarily whether they are protecting
their values and achieving agreed goals and objectives. One of these tools, Enhancing
our Heritage, has been specifically developed for natural World Heritage sites.

Introduction to management effectiveness

The term management effectiveness reflects three main ‘themes’ of protected area management:
• design issues relating to both individual sites and protected area systems;
• adequacy and appropriateness of management systems and processes; and
• delivery of protected area objectives including conservation of values.
3
2 Relationships IUCN’s World Commission on
Identifying with
threats stakeholders 4 Protected Areas (WCPA) has
1
Identifying
values
Review of
national context
developed a Framework for
and objectives Assessing the Management
Desi
Effectiveness of Protected Areas,
gn
/P
lan
ni
which aims both to give overall
ng
Context: guidance in the development
status and threats
Where are we now? of assessment systems and to
encourage basic standards for
Outcome Planning
5
Assessing
assessment and reporting. The
Where do we want
11
Outcome
What did
we achieve? to be and how
management
planning
framework is a generic process
will we get there?
assement 12
Review of
6 within which the precise method-
Design
Delivery

Management
Effectiveness
assessment ology used to assess effectiveness
Assessment
Results
differs between protected areas
Output
10
Work / output What did we do Imputs 7 depending on factors such as the
and what products Management
implementation
or services
What do we need?
needs and inputs time and resources available, the
9 were produced?
Management importance of the site, quality of
plan implementation
Management
data and stakeholder pressures,
ss

process and as a result a number of

ne

How do we go about it? te

ia
pr assessment tools have been
p ro
Ap
y/ developed to guide and record
dequac
A
changes in management practices.
8
The WCPA framework sees
Management processes management as a process or
cycle with six distinct stages, or
Diagram 23: elements:
Relationship of 䊳 it begins with establishing the context of existing values and threats,
tools in the toolkit 䊳 progresses through planning, and
to the WCPA 䊳 allocation of resources (inputs), and
Management
䊳 as a result of management actions (process),
Effectiveness
Framework. 䊳 eventually produces goods and services (outputs),
Source: Hockings et al. 䊳 that result in impacts or outcomes.
(2008).
Managing Cultural World Heritage

Of these elements the outcomes – basically whether or not the site is maintaining its core
values – are the most important but also the most difficult things to measure accurately. The
other elements of the framework are all also important for helping to identify particular areas
where management might need to be adapted or improved.

Two globally applicable generic systems have been developed consistent with the WCPA
framework to carry out this type of assessment. The first is WWF’s Rapid Assessment and Pri-
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Appendix B

oritization of Protected Areas Management (RAPPAM), which provides Protected Area agen-
cies with a country-wide overview of the effectiveness of Protected Area management,
threats, vulnerabilities and degradation. The second is the WWF / World Bank Global Forest
Alliance’s Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT), which has been designed to track
and monitor progress towards worldwide protected area management effectiveness stan-
dards. Both these systems are relatively cheap and simple to use assessment tools which can
be implemented by Protected Area staff (or sometimes project staff), but neither provide a
detailed assessment of outcomes. Many of the elements and experience in use of the METT
became the inspiration for the revised Periodic Reporting format (see 6.3).

Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit

Of particular relevance here is the Enhancing our Heritage (EoH) Toolkit which uses the WCPA
framework to develop a range of more detailed assessment tools for managers of natural
World Heritage sites. The toolkit can be used to develop comprehensive site-based systems
for assessing management effectiveness. It was developed over a seven-year period, working
primarily with World Heritage site managers in Africa, Asia, and Central and Latin America.
There are twelve tools :

• Tool 1: Identifying site values and management objectives: Identifies and lists major site values
and associated management objectives, which together help to decide what should be monitored
and analysed during the assessment.
• Tool 2: Identifying threats: Helps managers to organize and report changes in the type and level
of threat to a site and to manage responses.
• Tool 3: Relationships with stakeholders: Identifies stakeholders and their relationship with the
site.
• Tool 4: Review of national context: Helps understanding of how national and international poli-
cies, legislation and government actions affect the site.
• Tool 5: Assessment of management planning: Assesses the adequacy of the main planning
document used to guide management of the site.
• Tool 6: Design assessment: Assesses the design of the site and examines how its size, location
and boundaries affect managers’ capacities to maintain site values.
• Tool 7: Assessment of management needs and inputs: Evaluates current staff compared with
staff needs and current budget compared with an ideal budget allocation.
• Tool 8: Assessment of management processes: Identifies best practices and desired standards
for management processes and rates performance against these standards.
• Tool 9: Assessment of management plan implementation: Shows progress in implementing the
management plan (or other main planning document), both generally and for individual components.
• Tool 10: Work / site output indicators: Assesses the achievement of annual work programme
targets and other output indicators.
• Tool 11: Assessing the outcomes of management: Answers the most important question –
whether the site is doing what it was set up to do in terms of maintaining ecological integrity,
wildlife, cultural values, landscapes, etc.
• Tool 12: Review of management effectiveness assessment results: Summarizes the results
and helps to prioritize management actions in response.

The toolkit is designed for those involved in managing World Heritage sites and aims
to provide both background information and specific tools that they can use to assess
Managing Cultural World Heritage

management of their sites. It aims to fit in with, rather than duplicate, existing monitoring,
so that only those tools that address issues not already being monitored will be applied. The
toolkit publication contains details of all the tools, advice about how to carry out an assess-
ment and a series of case studies on how the tools have been used in World Heritage sites
around the world. The toolkit is increasingly popular in World Heritage sites in all biomes
and is also starting to be used in cultural World Heritage sites.

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Contact information
Name and address Brief details Responsibilities
within the Convention

ICCROM ICCROM (International Centre for the The specific role of ICCROM in relation
Via di S. Michele, 13 Study of the Preservation and Restoration to the Convention includes:
I-00153 Rome of Cultural Property) is an intergovern- • being the priority partner in training
Italy mental organization with headquarters in for cultural heritage,
Tel: +39 06 585-531 Rome, Italy. Established by UNESCO in • monitoring the state of conservation
Fax: +39 06 5855-3349 1956, ICCROM’s statutory functions are of World Heritage cultural properties,
E-mail: [email protected] to carry out research, documentation, • reviewing requests for International
http://www.iccrom.org technical assistance, training and public Assistance submitted by States Parties,
awareness programmes to strengthen and
conservation of immovable and movable • providing input and support for
cultural heritage. capacity-building activities.

ICOMOS ICOMOS (International Council on Monu- The specific role of ICOMOS in relation
49-51, rue de la Fédération ments and Sites) is a non-governmental to the Convention includes:
75015 Paris organization with headquarters in Paris, • evaluation of properties nominated
France France. Founded in 1965, its role is to for inscription on the World Heritage
Tel: +33 (0)1 45 67 67 70 promote the application of theory, List,
Fax: +33 (0)1 45 66 06 22 methodology and scientific techniques to • monitoring the state of conservation
E-mail: the conservation of the architectural and of World Heritage cultural properties,
[email protected] archaeological heritage. Its work is based • reviewing requests for International
http://www.icomos.org on the principles of the 1964 Inter- Assistance submitted by States Parties,
national Charter on the Conservation and
and Restoration of Monuments and Sites • providing input and support for
(the Venice Charter). capacity-building activities.

IUCN IUCN (International Union for Conserva- The specific role of IUCN in relation to
Rue Mauverney 28 tion of Nature) was founded in 1948 and the Convention includes:
CH-1196 Gland brings together national governments, • evaluation of properties nominated
Switzerland NGOs, and scientists in a worldwide for inscription on the World Heritage
Tel: +41 (22) 999-0000 partnership. Its mission is to influence, List,
Fax: +41 (22) 999-0002 encourage and assist societies through- • monitoring the state of conservation
E-mail: out the world to conserve the integrity of World Heritage natural properties,
[email protected] and diversity of nature and to ensure that • reviewing requests for International
http://www.iucn.org any use of natural resources is equitable Assistance submitted by States Parties,
and ecologically sustainable. IUCN has its and
headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. • providing input and support for
capacity-building activities.

UNESCO World Heritage Established in 1992, the World Heritage Centre is the focal point and coordinator
Centre within UNESCO for all matters relating to World Heritage. Ensuring the day-to-day
7, place de Fontenoy management of the Convention, the Centre organizes the annual sessions of the
75352 Paris 07 SP World Heritage Committee, provides advice to States Parties in the preparation of site
France nominations, organizes international assistance from the World Heritage Fund upon
Tel: +33 (0)1 45 68 18 76 request, and coordinates both the reporting on the condition of sites and the
Fax: +33 (0)1 45 68 55 70 emergency action undertaken when a site is threatened. The Centre also organizes
E-mail: technical seminars and workshops, updates the World Heritage List and database,
Managing Cultural World Heritage

[email protected] develops teaching materials to raise awareness among young people of the need for
http://whc.unesco.org heritage preservation, and keeps the public informed of World Heritage issues.

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Wo rld Heritage Resource Manual

World Heritage R e s o u r c e M a n u a l
MANAGING
CULTURAL
WORLD HERITAGE

MANAGING CULTURAL WORLD HERITAGE

World
Heritage
Convention

For more information contact:

UNESCO World Heritage Centre

7, place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP France
Tel: 33 (0)1 45 68 24 96
Fax: 33 (0)1 45 68 55 70
E-mail: [email protected]
World
http://whc.unesco.org Heritage international council on monuments and sites
Convention