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WORKING PAPER NEW SERIES

Monitoring the management’s impacts of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Giulio Mondini e Alessio Re

Dipartimento di Economia “S. Cognetti de Martiis”

International Centre for Research on the Economics of Culture, Institutions, and Creativity

(EBLA)

Centro Studi Silvia Santagata (CSS)

Working paper No. 5/2012

Università di Torino

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Title: Monitoring the management’s impacts of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Authors: Giulio Mondini, SiTI, director, gmondini@siti.polito.it Alessio Re, SiTI, consultant, alessio.re@polito.it (contact author)

Keywords:

World Heritage; cultural site’s management; management plan; economic impacts

Abstract:

Background The World Heritage Convention is knowing an increasing attention by analysts and scholars, but still many important issues related to its functioning and its potential are not adequately addressed. This gap is evident, for instance, in relation to the setting up of effective and efficient programs for managing the listed sites, and measuring and evaluating the managemnet impacts on local economic systems. Managing World Heritage cultural Sites implies in fact, at the present state of the art, many questions and challenges to be faced, including the functioning of the organization structures, the mitigation of pressures and threats on sites, the necessity to drive programs and policies towards generating positive and durable social and economic impacts for the communities living in and around the same sites. The aim of this paper is to present the results of some ongoing activities and researches on this specific topics with a special reference to the management plan tool as it is defined by the same UNESCO reccomendations. Objective On the basis of those factors, the overall objective of the research presented with this paper is to develop methods aimed at measuring and monitoring the effects and impacts produced by the management of UNESCO world heritage sites on single properties as well as in relation to their territories and communities in terms of local sustainable development. The proposal is presented on the basis of the growing literature investigating at a global scale the impacts generated by an effective and efficient management of heritage sites, and is based on the research activity and field projects carried on in this field by SiTI (Higher Institute on Territorial Systems for Innovation) working groups, including in particular:

- Research on the monitoring of the management plans of italian world heritage sites (in collaboration with MIBAC); - Preparation of management plans for registered sites as the Trulli of Alberobello or sites under nomination process, like the Vineyards landscape of Piedmont, the Venetian fortresses in the Mediterranean, and the Marittime Alps/Mercantour protected areas.

Ongoing experiences In 2002, to emphasize the importance of a proper management of heritage, the World Heritage Committee adopted, during its 26 th session, the "Budapest Declaration" calling on all partners

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to support the preservation of World Heritage through key strategic objectives, trying to secure a proper balance between conservation, sustainability and development. At the national level some single nations have taken various initiatives to respond to the specific need for sites inscribed on the World Heritage List to have a management plan focused on the programming of measures to maintain the integrity of the values of sites in order to properly preserve them for future generations. There is already a consistent literature and research experiences on that issue, according to the worldwide growing interest around the same concept of world heritage and its implications. According to those researches, the UNESCO recognition when properly managed, shows its capacity to influence relevantly territories in relation -above all- to two main phenomena. The first is the one known as cultural tourism, absolving a function of attractive brand and garancy of the quality of single sites. The second one see the UNESCO recognition functioning as catalyst of attention, and may be referred in particular to the sites under pressure or at risk, for instance those ones interested by the World heritage list in danger, or the Reactive monitoring procedures. Among the most recent constributions on this subjects it is worth to recall the text by Leask and Yeoman (2004), Harrison and Hitchcock (2005), van der Aa (2005), Cleere, (2006), Leask and Fyall (2006), Frey and Pamini (2009, 2010). In particular were mainly studied until now the aspects related to the nomination process, the stakeholder participation, the tourism impacts of the inscriptions (Tunney, 2005; Cochrane and Tapper, 2006); the visitor management (McKercher and Cros, 2001; Shackley, 2006); the identification of the conditions in which the World Heritage List brings benefits and, on the contrary, when it may cause risks and threats (Frey e Stainer, 2010). There are also many case studies on single sites (for Hadrian’s Wall De La Torre, 2003; Stonehenge, Mason and Kuo, 2006; Machu Picchu Regalado-Pezúa and Arias-Valencia, 2006; the Yellow Mountain in China Li Fung and Sofield, 2006; Assisi Borchi, 2008; for Hanoi in Vietnam, UNESCO, 2008; the puppets district of San Gregorio Armeno in Naples Santagata, De Caro e Marrelli, 2008; Jurassic coast, 2009; Shirakawa-Mura in Japan, Jimuara, 2010. And more: for the English sites, DCMS, 2007; for the scottish sites, The Scottish natural heritage/Hambrey consulting study, 2007; for some case studies in Italy, Santagata, 2011); for comparative international studies: a Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, 2007, Prud’homme et al., 2008; WH Status, 2009. At a more general level, available data clearly show how the sites branded by UNESCO are recognized as absolute valuable icons. To be not included in the World Heritage List represent a relevant gap, for instance to promote a place as a cultural tourism destination. Donors are much more motivated to finance projects, for instance in recovering dangers, on sites that can guarantee a worldwide return in terms of visibility. Many countries have set up policies and financial programs to sustain their world heritage sites Such effects are also measurable in terms of generation of positive externalities, of attention received by the media and policy makers, in terms of comparison with other sites not listed (Peacock and Rizzo, 2008). Despite this picture, managing properly world heritage still represent a big question to be faced, and a large part of the mentioned potential is completely under estimated in management policies and projects. If we take a look to the studies carried on for defining indicators for the evaluation of management efficiency, they are mainly focusing on the project’s implementation, without exploring the impacts and effects generated by their execution. Experience on this regard were made at the international level through some trials in the field of natural sites registered to the World Heritage List. Among these, probably the most relevant is the research published in 2008 by the IUCN WH Paper # 23, Enhancing our Heritage (EOH project). It remains largely open the issue related to the monitoring of cultural sites and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of management, in terms of performance/ impact results .

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Contents To face this gap, the methodology adopted to face the objectives of the research is structured on three main steps. After the first literature review phase, the second one consists in the screening of the present situation in regard to the phenomena observable in WH sites and in defining their relation with the UNESCO status. A common database - mapped with a Geographic Information Systems - has been set up, including data on all the 936 (at 2011) WH Sites, classified by various socio-economic and cultural variables. Trough a quali-quantitative filter a panel of 40 cases from all the continents was created from this general database (see map in annex). Those sites have been studied according to an analytic model defined to detect the main trends of site’s management. Such model has been drafted taking in count the ones utilized for other similar researches (phase one of literature review) and the UNESCO main recommendations (above all, the Operational guidelines and the 5 C’s). The table in annex shows as sample the draft case study of San Augustin Archeological Park in Colombia. At a third stage, three different branches/lines are explored, according to some of the main issues concerning the management of cultural sites, namely: the first one (A) –main object of this presentation- is dedicated to the monitoring and evaluation of the management structure and the impacts generated by the managing process. The management structure of each case study has been monitored, with a specific questionnaire, in the organization model and in the impacts generated on the territory, sub-divided into knowledge, conservation, cultural and economic valorization and communication, with the final aim to evaluate the effectiveness of each of the actions put in place. The other two lines complementary to this research are dealing respectively: - with the monitoring of cultural and natural sites in danger(B), using innovative technologies such as remote sensing to assess, survey and map damages and potential threats; - with the definition of the economic impacts generated by the inscription on the WHL (C). Expected results of such ongoing research (deadline april 2012) have to be related to:

• a contribution to key areas of UNESCO world heritage policies at the international level; • production of knowledge in order to create innovative models for monitoring the

Management Plans for UNESCO sites in relation to the effects they have at local level, on the development and on the protection of the territory protection, and on the social and economic development of cultural districts;

• establishment of an innovative model for monitoring and assessing the impacts of management of the cultural sites, tested on case studies, that has to offer genuine support in monitoring the responses generated on the territory by the management plan, applicable internationally;

• definition of a checklist of indicators useful to the periodic verification of the impacts of the management of cultural sites, also applicable to situations other than those involving UNESCO;

• production of a flow of information on the state of the art and, consequently, on the effectiveness of individual management plans in the international UNESCO context;

• provision of methods to develop virtuous processes of management, protection and promotion of cultural heritage.

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Main bibliographic references

UNESCO, ICOMOS, IUCN and other UN agencies documents:

UNESCO, World Heritage Centre, Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Parigi 1972 ICOMOS/ WTO, Tourism at World Heritage Sites: The Site’s Managers Handbook. 2nd ed. Paris / Madrid, 1993 UNESCO (1994) Expert Meeting on the ‘Global Strategy’ and Thematic Studies for a Representative World Heritage List (20–22 June 1994). World Heritage Committee – 18th Session (12–17 December 1994). Paris: UNESCO WHC-94/CONF.003/INF.6, B.M. Feilden, J. Jokilehto, Management guidelines for world cultural heritage sites, ICCROM, Roma, 1998 ICOMOS, International Cultural Tourism Charter. Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance. 12th General Assembly in Mexico, October 1999 Committee on the Preservation, Development and Utilization of Cultural Landscapes Associated with Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; (Monuments and Site Division, Cultural Properties Department, Agency for Cultural Affairs Japan/UNESCO, 2003). Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali – Commissione Nazionale Siti UNESCO e Sistemi Turistici Locali, Il modello del Piano di Gestione dei Beni Culturali iscritti alla lista del Patrimonio dell’Umanità – Linee Guida. Documento presentato in occasione della Seconda Conferenza nazionale Siti italiani UNESCO, Paestum, 25-26 maggio 2004 P. Micoli, M.R. Palombi (a cura di), I siti italiani iscritti nella lista del Patrimonio Mondiale dell'UNESCO: esperienze e potenzialità, Atti della Prima Conferenza nazionale dei siti italiani UNESCO, Noto, 9-10 maggio 2003, Diffusioni Grafiche, Alessandria, 2004 ICOMOS, The World Heritage List: Filling the Gaps – An Action Plan for the Future. ICOMOS, Paris, 2004 P. Micoli, M. R. Palombi (a cura di), La strategia per la gestione, Atti della Terza Conferenza Nazionale dei siti italiani UNESCO, Torino, 20 – 22 maggio 2005, Villanova Monferrato, 2006 M.R. Guido, M.R. Palombi (a cura di), Dai Piani di Gestione ai Sistemi turistici Locali, Atti della Quarta Conferenza Nazionale dei siti italiani UNESCO, Siracusa, 10-12 marzo 2006, Villanova Monferrato, 2007 IUCN, The World Conservation Union, Protected Areas Programme, Parks Vol.16 No 2, The Visitor Experience, Challenge, 2006 UNESCO WHC, WH Paper 10, Monitoring world heritage, 2006 B.M. Feilden, J. Jokilehto, The W.H.L: filling the gaps: an action for the future, ICOMOS 2007 UNESCO WHC, WH Paper 23, Enhancing our heritage, 2008 UNESCO, World Heritage Centre, Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, ed. 2008 UNESCO WHC, World Heritage papers n. 27, Managing historic cities, 2010 G.Araoz, Scoping the Road Ahead for ICOMOS: protection of intangible-based heritage categories, presentation at the ICOMOS International Committee meeting on Conservation’s theories and philosophy, Prague, may 2010 Researches and reports on the UNESCO status impact C.Tisdell, C.Wilson, World Heritage Listing of Australian Natural Sites: Tourism Stimulus and its Economic Value. In Economic Analysis and Policy, 32,pp.27-49, 2002 M.De La Torre, Hadrian’s wall World heritage site, The Getty Institute, English heritage, 2003 Bart J.M., Van der Aa, Preserving the Heritage of Humanity? Obtaining World Heritage Status and the Impacts of Listing, Amsterdam: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, 2005 Leask, Fyall, Managing world heritage sites, BM, 2006 DCMS, The Costs and benefits of WH Site Status in UK, 2007 Prud’homme et al.,Les impacts socio economiques de l’inscription d’un site sur la liste du patrimoine mondial: trois etudes, 2008 Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, The costs and benefits of UK world heritage status, 2007 Hambrey Consulting, Social, economic and environmental benefits of World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Geoparks. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No.248 (ROAME No. F06NC05), 2007 W. Santagata, S. De Caro, M.Marrelli, Patrimoni intangibili dell’ umanità. Il distretto culturale del presepe Napolitano, Napoli, Guida Editore, 2008 UNESCO WHC, Cultural Tourism and Heritage Management in the world Heritage Site of the Ancient Town of Hoi An, Viet Nam, IMPACT publication, 2008

A.Borchi, L’Impatto dello statuto “Patrimonio Mondiale” sullo sviluppo turistico di un sito: il caso di AssisiMaster in “Valorizzazione dei Siti Culturali”. Università Paris 1, Pantheon Sorbonne, 2008K.Norman, World heritage for the nation. Identifiyng, protecting and promoting our world heritage,Heritage, 2009 Rebanks Consulting Ltd, WH Status. Is there an opportunity of economic gain?the socio economic impact potential of Jurassic Coast WHS, An economic, social and cultural impact study on the Jurassic coastB.S. Frey, P.Pamini, Making World Heritage Truly Global: The Culture Certificate Scheme, in 4, 1-9, 2009 B.S. Frey, P.Pamini, World Heritage: Where Are We? An Empirical AnalysisSeries. Munich: IFO, 2010 B.S. Frey, P.Pamini, L.Steiner, What Determines the World Heritage List? An Econometric AnalysisZurich: Institute for Empirical Research in CSS, Rapporto sull’impatto economico e culturale del marchio “Patrimonio Mondiale UNESCO”, SiTI-MIBAC, Rapporto sul monitoraggio della gestione dei siti Unesco italianiWH Review n.58, World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism

Annexes:

1.The map below shows the current state of WH sites included in the research.

L’Impatto dello statuto “Patrimonio Mondiale” sullo sviluppo turistico di un sito: il caso di AssisiMaster in “Valorizzazione dei Siti Culturali”. Università Paris 1, Pantheon Sorbonne, 2008

World heritage for the nation. Identifiyng, protecting and promoting our world heritage,

WH Status. Is there an opportunity of economic gain? Research and analysis of the socio economic impact potential of Unesco WH site status, 2009

An economic, social and cultural impact study on the Jurassic coastMaking World Heritage Truly Global: The Culture Certificate Scheme, in

World Heritage: Where Are We? An Empirical Analysis, CESifo Working Paper

What Determines the World Heritage List? An Econometric AnalysisZurich: Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, 2010

Rapporto sull’impatto economico e culturale del marchio “Patrimonio Mondiale UNESCO”, Rapporto sul monitoraggio della gestione dei siti Unesco italiani, 2011

World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism, WHC, 2011

The map below shows the current state of WH sites included in the research.

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L’Impatto dello statuto “Patrimonio Mondiale” sullo sviluppo turistico di un sito: il caso di Assisi. Master in “Valorizzazione dei Siti Culturali”. Università Paris 1, Pantheon Sorbonne, 2008

World heritage for the nation. Identifiyng, protecting and promoting our world heritage, English

Research and analysis of

An economic, social and cultural impact study on the Jurassic coast, 2009 Making World Heritage Truly Global: The Culture Certificate Scheme, in Oxonomics,

CESifo Working Paper

What Determines the World Heritage List? An Econometric Analysis,

Rapporto sull’impatto economico e culturale del marchio “Patrimonio Mondiale UNESCO”, 2011

The map below shows the current state of WH sites included in the research.

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2. The table below (draft) shows the analityc model to identify the main trends in the case studies

of the research.

General informations Name of the site: San Augustin Archeological Park (1995)

Country : Colombia Document creation date: 10/2011

Sources of information Web:

- UNESCO site: http://whc.unesco.org/

- Colombian tourism site: http://www.colombia.travel/en/international-tourist/vacations-holidays-where-to-go/recommended-weekend-destinations/san-agustin

- Wikipedia, English page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Agust%C3%ADn,_Huila

- ICANH (Instituto Colombiano de Antropologia e Historia): http://www.icanh.gov.co/

Bibliographic sources:

- Advisory Body Evalution N. 744 (ICOMOS, 1994) http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/744.pdf

- Decision - 19COM VIII.C.1 - Inscription: San Agustin Archaeological Park (Colombia) http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/3083

- Decision - 33COM 7B.134 - San Agustín Archaeological Park (Colombia) (C 744) http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1926

- Decision - 35COM 7B.122 - San Augustin Archaeological Park (Colombia) (C 744) http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4530

- Di Gustavo Politis,Benjamin Alberti, Archeology in Latin America, Routledge, London 1999. http://books.google.it/books?hl=it&lr=&id=IgqYsoC2iwsC&oi=fnd&pg=PA185&dq=san+agustin+archaeological+park&ots=ybnNavMQtC&sig=-H8VMsk5gGxWdein4ad6y-4I5KE#v=onepage&q&f=false

- Dwier, E. B. (1974), Ethnology: San Agustin: A Culture of Colombia. GERARDO REICHEL-DOLMATOFF. American Anthropologist, 76: 127–128. 1974 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aa.1974.76.1.02a00590/references

Contact (name and institution): Clemencia Vernaza- Wall painting and Stone Conservator

Management Management system/body: ICANH (Instituto Colombiano de Antropologia e Historia)

Management plan: A management plan does not exist but it is in progress. The ICANH has not finished it yet.

Pressures/Threats and Risks Natural: yes (erosion)

Anthropic: yes (unauthorized building, grave robbers )

Trend analysis Growth, enhancement, enforcement (or other forms of variation) of the phenomenon specified in the box sector, observed at the date of editing the document

YES/NO Type

Intensity of the phenomenon

Territorial scale of impact

Actors involved

Relation with the status of World Heritage Status

NOTES

Public

secto

r

Private

se

cto

r

Civ

il socie

ty

Simple (S) Complex (C) ⃰ ⃰ (e.g.: it is simple if the phenomenon it is translated into actions with a limited temporal scale and a low level of complexity; it is complex if it is organized in a long term scale, it guarantees long-term outcomes and it is structured in multiple actions)

High (H) Medium (M) Low (L)

Site (S) Context/neighbourhood (C) Region (R)

Knowledge of the site

Awareness of values Y C H C X - - The awareness of the values precedes the inscription.

Studies and researches run about the site

Y C M s X N There are several researches about the archeological area. Many archeological discoveries

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have been followed one another during the last century.

Cultural exchanges (e.g. with

other sites) N

Presence of a collection point of existing studies/data (e.g. library, museum)

Y S L S X There is a small Archeological Museum which provides some information.

Preservation of the site

Projects of conservation related to the site

Y C H S X Conservation studies on the tombs; conservation studies on Lavapatas.

Conservation policies Y C H S X A management plan is about to be ready. See also: “Heritage/tourism related training”

Cultural valorisation Visitor services provided on the site

Y C H C X X Several tourist services on the area (guided tours by car and by horse, information points, paths around the park, a museum)

Cultural offer related to the site n.d.

Cultural events related to the site

Economic valorisation Economic sectors

Accomodation Y C H C X Y In the Archeological Park there are not any hotels. Many hotels are in the surroundings and in a village near there. The economy of the area is based on tourism.

Traditional crafts

Y C M C X X Artisans make stone-made products which are sold to tourists. The products are inspired by the archeological finds.

Agriculture N - - - N Agriculture is not allowed in the Archeological Park. In the neighborhood sugar there is plenty of sugar plantations.

Trade/commerce

N - - - - - - - There is no evidence of this sector.

Environment Policies and laws for environmental preservation and improvement

Y C L R X Y Specific rules related to the environment of the area do not exist. The environment is protected by national lows.

Policies for the landscape conservation

N - - - - - - - Specific policies do not exist. The landscape is indirectly protected by the environmental lows.

Improvement of the quality of life

Y C H C X The increasing tourism let the local economy grow up.

Sense of belonging to the site

N C - - - - - - The locals (mostly Hispanics) do not feel the archeological finds as a part of their history and culture.

Economic development

Business attractiveness

Y C L S - X - Tourism is now San Augustin's most important industry. A number of restaurants, inns, hotels and shops exist to service the tourist trade.

Real estate market

N - - - - - - -

Facilities and public services

N - - - - - - -

Urban and landscape regeneration

n.d.

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process Employment opportunities

Y C M C X New employment opportunities were created by increased tourism.

Communication and marketing

The place marketing N - - - - - - - A strategy of marketing does not exist but the site is very famous in Colombia and at the international level as well. Such a strategy is not felt as important.

International fame Y C M R X X X San Augustin is one of the main touristic destinations in Colombia.

Presence on national and international media

Y C H R X X

Partnerships N - - - - - - - There’s no evidence of partnerships.

Community involvement, education, capacity building

Cultural associations n.d.

Participation N - - - - - - - Citizens are not directly involved in decisions.

Heritage/tourism related training Y S M S X Specific training were organized for the guardians.

Main topics in relation with the World Heritage Status The anthropic threats are partially due to a weak sense of belonging to the place: the Hispanic people do not feel the archeological area as a part of their History. However, the site is considered one of the main destinations of the Colombian tourism and the site is very famous. As a matter of fact the economy of the area is based on the tourism related to it.