World Heritage Site

A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, island, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme which catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 190 states have ratified the Convention.

As of 2012, 962 sites are listed: 745 cultural, 188 natural, and 29 mixed properties, in 157 states. Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites with 47 sites, followed by Spain (44) and China (43). UNESCO references each World Heritage Site with an identification number.

History

In 1954, the government of Egypt decided to build the Aswan Dam, an event that would deluge a valley containing treasures of ancient Egypt such as the Abu Simbel temples. UNESCO then launched a worldwide safeguarding campaign. The Abu Simbel and Philae temples were taken apart, moved to a higher location, and put back together piece by piece and the Temple of Dendur was moved to New York City while the Temple of Debod was moved to Madrid.

The cost of the project was US$ 80 million, about $ 40 million of which was collected from 50 countries. The project led to other safeguarding campaigns. UNESCO then initiated, with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a draft convention to protect the common cultural heritage of humanity.

The United States initiated the idea of cultural conservation with nature conservation. A White House conference in 1965 called for a ‘World Heritage Trust’ to preserve "the world's superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future of the entire world citizenry." The International Union for Conservation of Nature developed similar proposals in 1968, and they were presented in 1972 to the United Nations conference on Human Environment in Stockholm.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. The Committee meets once per year to determine whether or not to inscribe each nominated property on the World Heritage List, and sometimes defers the decision to request more information from the country who nominated the site. There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one of them to be included on the list. Some of the criteria are as follows:

Cultural criteria

- represents a masterpiece of human creative genius;

- is an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural, or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates a significant stage in human history;

- is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture, or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change.

Natural criteria

- contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

- contains 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.

Notes:

the Aswan Dam – Асуанская плотина

deluge – затоплять

draft convention – проект конвенции

under the impact of irreversible change – под влиянием необратимых процессов

Answer the questions:

1. What is a World Heritage site?

2. What is the November 1972 notable for?

3. What country is at the top of the World Heritage Site List?

4. How many criteria are necessary for the site to be included in the list?

Note down word combinations from the text which are used to show the greatness and uniqueness of the world heritage sites:

be of special cultural or physical significance; an outstanding example of,….

Do you know?