Managing World Heritage Properties: the role of Statements of Outstanding Universal Value and...

Managing World Heritage Properties: the role of Statements of Outstanding

Universal Value and attributes

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Luisa De MarcoICOMOS

Meeting of the Mediterranean European Focal Points for World Heritage16 - 19 September 2013, Florence, Italy

Good morning everybody, after Alexandra’s presentation on the state of the art concerning the retrospective Statements of OUV exercise in the sub‐region, ICOMOS’ contribution intends to focus on the usefulness of this exercise for management purposes.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide some food for thought concerning how the statement of OUV and particularly the retrospective SOUV can be used for management purposes ‐

The presentation will provide some introductory remarks on general concepts – what is OUV, authenticity and integrity, SOUV, what and How attributes can contribute to guide management – and then some case studies will be examined‐ they have been selected to show different level of development of the work done by sites – in some cases only the elaborations of SOUV for management scope (and monitoring) will be examined in other cases we will see how management plans have built upon the SOUV in its new approved format.

None of the selected examples do illustrate ‘the best of the best’ in term of management – all properties have their own issues – bigger or smaller – to be addressed or solved nor the MPs here shortly referred to in the presentation should be intended as models to be imitated, rather they should be meant as ‘source of inspiration’ . The cases have been considered interesting in that each of them shows the efforts made to translate the Statement of OUV ‐ in relation to the analysis of the factors affecting the properties (also on the base of the information deriving from the previous PR cycle and/or SOC reports) ‐ and to identify attributes (and components/features) in detail so as to make them directly used for management purposes (i.e. elaborating the vision for the WH property, establishing goals, objectives, identifying corrective actions, developing monitoring frameworks and indicators).

World Heritage Convention 1972for the protection of World’s Cultural & Natural Heritage

The WH Convention recognises properties of ‘outstanding universal value’.

• The notion of OUV is substantiated by applying the criteria set out in the Operational Guidelines

• Conditions of Integrity & Authenticity have to be met by the attributes of the properties conveying OUV

• An adequate protection and management system must be in place


In the heritage realm, the term value is used to indicate rather different things:

•The significance, interest, importance of a certain object for an individual/ a cultural group/ society at large because of a variety of reasons

•criteria, principles, or other ideas that serve as guides to action (individual and collective)”.

•“the qualities and characteristics seen in things, in particular the positive characteristics (actual and potential)” (Mason, 2002).

In the WH context the notion of OUV has been constructed over time and to be present, the points you see in the slides need to be assessed.

Understanding of OUV and criteria evolve over time, but what the World Heritage Committee accepted as a justification of OUV has been ‘fixed’ in the decision – it may be rather difficult to ‘reconstruct’ what was the understanding of the property at the time of inscription but is exactly what the retrospective SOUV exercise is about.

The Statement of OUV defines the thinking/ understanding (of the notion and of the property) at the time of inscription (i.e. in the criteria in force at time of inscription).

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OUV & Attributes

The World Heritage Convention a property-based convention,

therefore• It is sites or properties that are inscribed on the

List (and not values or ideas)• Those properties need to express OUV, and• It is attributes that convey OUV

Attributes are physical elements, and tangible or intangible aspects or processes

of the property that make manifest OUV


To retain/sustain OUV, correct understanding and care towards attributes of the property are necessary and the following steps are preliminary:

‐accurate identification of relevant attributes making manifest OUV is fundamental for the future of the property

‐protection, conservation and management of the property must focus primarily on relevant attributes

their correct identification helps in declining in a way that is specific to the property both conditions of authenticity and integrity – by which we mean how and to what extent attributes make manifest OUV.

Attributes are crucial in the assessment of the conditions of authenticity and integrity for the property and orient vision/goals/objectives/actions.

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Value-based management (VBM)

• in the heritage realm VBM refers to processes in which the values of a property and related attributes are identified, made explicit, and clearly put at the basis of conservation and management activity.

• Values-based approaches require that identified values be ‘codified’ in a declaration - the ‘statement of significance’– in which attributes in conveying the significance of the

property need to be indentified and their role clarified– The Statement of Significance becomes the

reference for any future action.Meeting of the Mediterranean European Focal Points for World Heritage

16 - 19 September 2013, Florence, Italy

Which type of management do we talk about in the World Heritage context?

We do not deal with management tout court but we speak about a particular type ofmanagement in which at the very centre – the core business, we may say – of management activity is the conservation/sustenance/transmission of the values that are expressed by the property. This type of management is known also as «Value‐ Based Management». It has to take into account the values of the heritage property but also needs orientation principles to imbuethe vision for the future of the property and to orient the management strategy/ action/activities (i.e. sustainability, durable development, inclusiveness, public participation, gender equality…). We should be aware that the protection, conservation and sustenance ofOUV may be achieved through a variety of strategies (i.e. top‐down vs bottom‐up approaches) that help or (do not contribute to) gain other – not less important – conservation‐relatedobjectives (i.e. public awareness and support, social resilience, respect of human rights…) whichmay be part of a wider agenda (i.e. within UNESCO heritage protection is not a goal in itself – or at least it not the only one – but is considered instrumental – a vehicle – also to achieve othergoals related to the promotion of wider human values).

In the WH context SOUV plays the role of the Statement of Significance (that is the justification for which a specific property is significant and deserve protection).

a clear and shared understanding of what OUV is for WH properties and how properties make OUV evident/ manifest/

understandable is essential

Today when World Heritage Committee inscribes a property on the list, a Statement of OUV (SoOUV) is approved

SoOUV encapsulates why the property is considered to be of OUV:– How it satisfies criteria– What are the attributes that make manifest OUV– How/ to what extent attributes convey OUV

(conditions of authenticity – integrity)– Which are the needs/ arrangements for

protection and management to sustain OUV

Value-based management in the WH context


The Statement of OUV thus overarches the whole management and conservation of the WH property.

The SoOUV provides great benefit to the State Party and to all stakeholders involved in the conservation and management of property

It allows not only a clear understanding of what was inscribed on the List, and why it has OUV, but also gives direction to management through indicating what attributes of the property need to be maintained in order to sustain OUV.

For the World Heritage Committee and the Advisory Bodies, the SoOUV has become essential reference point for:

MonitoringPeriodic ReportingPotential reactive monitoring (SOC)Possible Danger listingEventual possible deletion

Obviously nobody wishes to reach this final stage and we may say that a robust SOUV may help managers of the properties to work better and to avoid misunderstanding and situations that may harm the attributes of the property and eventually its OUV.

SOUV is a vey synthetic document and therefore constructing its wording should take particular attention so as to cover all relevant aspects that need to be detailed in management activity –

We will see through the cases how SOUV has been used as a basis for management and reference document in identification of attributes and related objectives and in management plans.

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Authenticity in the WH Context

Authenticity is looked at two levels:

• ‘Authentication process’ (at the time of nomination)attributes of the property should credibly and truthfully

reflect the proposed OUV (SP proposal and ABsassessment)

• Declination of the character/ specificity of the property in relation to its OUV (selected criteria) as expressed by its attributes, result of the history/evolution of the property (useful for management)


Conditions of authenticity:

Depending on the type of cultural heritage, and its cultural context, properties may thus 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, including …

•Form and design

•Materials and substance

•Use and function

•Traditions, techniques and management systems

•Location and setting

•Language and other forms of intangible heritage

•Spirit and feeling

• other forms of intangible heritage

Showing a much broader recognition of the different attributes that might make manifest OUV.

The list above indicates generic attributes ‐ in fact categories of attributes – that need to be declined in a specific manner for each property, taking into account its history/ phases/ evolution.

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“The ability to understand the value attributed to the heritage depends on the degree to which information sources about this value may be understood as credible or truthful.” (OG, 2012)

• Authenticity thus relates to how credibly and truthfully attributes reflect OUV

“The statement of authenticity should assess the degree to which authenticity is present in, or expressed by, each of these significant attributes.”(OG, 2012)

it needs to say briefly whether the attributes that carry OUV convey their message credibly and truthfully.

Authenticity in the WH context: current Op Guidelines


If attributes do not reflect/convey in a credible manner OUV, conditions of authenticity are not met and OUV is demonstrated/ undermined/ compromised.

At this point It is worth recalling the Venice Charter ‐ “Imbued with a message from the past, the historic monuments of generations of people remain to the present day as living witnesses of their age‐old traditions. People are becoming … conscious of the unity of human values and regard ancient monuments as a common heritage.[…] It is our duty to hand them on in the full richness of their authenticity.” (Venice Charter, 1964) –

I think that particularly relevant is this phrase is the wording “in the full richness…” heritage carries a wide spectrum of values that must be recognised, retained and sustained through a complex set of strategies/ actions.

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For properties nominated under criteria (i) to (vi), the physical fabric of the property and/or its significant features:

• should be in good condition (intactness)

• and the impact of deterioration processes controlled(absence of threats)

• A significant proportion of the elements necessary to convey the totality of the value conveyed by the property should be included (wholeness)

• Relationships and dynamic functions present in cultural landscapes, historic towns or other living propertiesessential to their distinctive character should also be maintained (functional/structural/visual integrity)

(para. 89)

Integrity in the WH context: Current Op Guidelines


According to the OG for the implementation of the WH convention, Integrity is a measure of the wholeness and intactness of the natural and/or cultural heritage and its attributes. Examining the conditions of integrity[…] requires assessing the extent to which the property:

a) all elements necessary to express the outstanding universal value of the property are included in the boundaries;

b) the property is of adequate size to ensure the complete representation of the features and processes which convey the property’s significance;

c) it does not suffer from adverse effects of development and/or neglectThis should be presented in a statement of integrity. (para.88, OG WHC. 12/01)

The condition of integrity refers to different aspects of the state of a property acquired through time that contribute to recognition of value and sustenance over time.

Beyond integrity of material and form/design, we may talk of:

1.the socio‐ functional integrity.

2.the structural integrity,

3.the visual integrity. (Jokilehto)

Defining the conditions of integrity will provide a fundamental reference to monitoring a site as part of the conservation management process.

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Case studies


• 1 EEA funded Research Project on“Improvement of the existing protection and management systems for sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Preparation of statements of outstanding universal values and monitoring indicators, based on Norwegian and Polish experiences”Selected examples: 1 WH historic city (Historic Centre of Kraków) and 1 industrial property and its associated landscape(Røros Mining Town and the Circumference)

•3 World Heritage properties:•Transboundary: The Curonian Spit (Lithuania, Russian Federation), 2000, C (v)•Cultural Landscape: Loire Valley, •Archaeological Site: Stonehenge, Avebury and associated sites

The first case is an applied research conducted jointly by Poland and Norway.The goals of the research were to define a methodology that allow identification of relevant attributes that make manifest OUV and connect attributes to monitoring through appropriate indicators so as to ensure the measurement of change taking place in the attributes and ultimately in the property.The project examined six properties in Poland and six in Norway that could be usefully compared – here only two of them have been selected because of the interesting work done on the systematic and detailed work for the declination of the attributes of the OUV in a manner useful for management –

The other three cases are examples of WH properties for which the MP has been drafted or developed and implemented and include:•A trans‐boundary property•A cultural landscape •An archaeological site (with relevant landscape aspects)

In all examined cases particular attention was given to how to translate into management terms (objectives, challenges and monitoring indicators) the SOUV, attributes, factors vis à vis with goals/ objectives, and action plan.

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Historic Centre of Kraków (Poland), 1978

Criterion: (iv)

Statement of OUVThe historic layout of Cracow, with Wawel and Kazimierz, is one of the most outstanding examples of European urban planning, characterised by the harmonious development and accumulation of elements representing all architectural styles from the early Romanesque phase up to Modernism. The importance of the city is evident in the urban layout, numerous churches and monasteries, monumental secular public buildings, the remains of medieval city walls, as well as urban palaces and town houses designed and built by high-class architects and craftsmen. The value of the ensemble is determined by the extraordinary accumulation of monuments from various periods, preserved in their original form, with authentic fittings, which combine to create a uniform urban ensemble in which the tangible and intangible heritage is preserved and nurtured to the present day. The dominant point of the urban ensemble, Wawel Hill, is the symbol of the crown, a necropolis documenting the dynastic and political links of medieval and modern Europe. Cracow, one of the largest administrative and commercial centres in Central Europe, was a centre of arts and crafts, a place where Eastern and Western culture and art met. The importance of Cracow as a cultural centre of European significance is reinforced by the existence of one of the oldest universities of international renown, the Jagiellonian University. The picture of the city’s cultural richness is supplemented by Jewish monuments of Cracow’s Kazimierz.

The statement of OUV for Krakow has been approved in 2009.Krakow was inscribed in 1978 when procedures were different and no official SOUV was required and WHC inscription decisions were not accompanied by comments of statements.The major challenge in this case was that the nomination file was only few pages long and the ICOMOS evaluation only a few phrases ‐ no wording for the criterion was proposed in these documents and therefore through an ‘historical’ reconstruction of what at that time was the understanding of the property and the level of knowledge and assessment the retrospective SOUV has been elaborated.The research project helped define in detail what was OUV and its attributes – the work has included:‐supplementing the comparative analysis so as to better define the specificity of Krakow in respect of other historic cities so as to qualify its OUV;‐Identifying different scales of observations / analysis to identify attributes and their components – here four/five different progressive scales have been defined: landscape geographical scale, urban scale, monument scale, architectural / interior scale.Today we have the guidance for drafting Statement of OUV issued in 2010 which sets out how Retrospective SOUV should be drafted –this was not the case in 2009 therefore this SOUV is one of the first being approved as a retrospective document. Its structure is as a matter of cat slightly different from those that are currently being approved.You can see that the description of the property mentions all the different aspects/ features (attributes in the WH vocabulary) that make evident and substantiate OUV –Hisotric layout of CracowWawel‐ Kazimierz‐ urban planning‐ Accumulation of elements‐Different Architectural styles‐…

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Criterion (iv): Cracow is an urban architectural ensemble of outstanding quality, in terms of both its townscape and its individual monuments. The historic centre of the town admirably illustrates the process of continuous urban growth from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The text of the criterion declines why/ how the property has OUV and explains how the attributes contribute to make evident OUV.It should clarify the role of attributes in making manifest OUV.

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Issues / threats / factors affecting the property (from Periodic ReportingExercise):

• Development pressure, environmental pressure, natural disasters, visitor/tourism pressure

• A tendency of buildings proposed to be erected on the few available plots to exceed the size of existing Old Town buildings

• Unfinished transport investment projects and lack of strategically located car parks which would allow to remove all vehicle traffic from the inscribed area

• Sporadic possibility of flooding development of tourist infrastructure (hotels)

• Transport related natural environment pollution

All properties selected have issues to be addressed – what is presented here has been taken from official documents included in the whc website database

MPs as a document may help address and overcome threats and issues because they help clarify and organise strategies and actions but it is management (that is an activity) which may achieve the goals included in MPs. Having a MP alone does not ensure the achievement of any goal without implementation. The MP is a starting point.

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Historic Centre of Kraków

In the case of Cracow, attributes have been grouped in categories – each comprising several attributes for each of which specific characteristics have been described. Attributes are complex and should be synthetic in their description in the SOUV – but then a more detailed identification of what contributes to attributes is necessary for management purposes – the exercise developed with the EEA project aimed at addressing this point: from the synthesis of OUV to the analysis needed for good management (which requires also identification of other values/attributes than OUV) and from attributes to management objectives and monitoring indicators so as to ensure that change is under control and OUV is retained and sustained. It has resulted a wide and articulated spectrum of physical features and intangible characteristics that make up attributes.

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See previous slide

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Attributes and their components have also been mapped through photographs and comments as a base for further work at the management level. Mapping and inventorying attributes and their components provides useful baseline data to establish sound reference for the management of the property and for monitoring.

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See previous slide

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Røros Mining Town and the Circumference (Norway), 1980, 2010 (extension)

Criteria: (iii), (iv), (v)

Røros Mining Town and the Circumferenceare linked to the copper mines, established in the 17th century and exploited for 333 yearsuntil 1977. The site comprises the Town and its industrial-rural cultural landscapes; Femundshytta, a smelter with its associatedarea; and the Winter Transport Route. […] Røros contains about 2000 wooden one-and two-storey houses and a smeltinghouse. […] Surrounded by a buffer zone, coincident with the area of privileges (the Circumference) granted to the mining enterpriseby the Danish-Norwegian Crown (1646), the property illustrates the establishment and flourishing of a lasting culture based on copper mining in a remote region with a harshclimate.

Roros Mining town was inscribed in 1980 – the management history of the property has led to its extension in 2010 to include further areas necessary to an improved understanding of the its OUV and of the historical process that made possible Roros to exist.In this case the text of the SOUV has been approved by the WHC.The brief description explains what the property is made up and why is important –which are the relevant attributes of this extended property.

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Criterion (iii): From the time copper ore was found in the mountains at Røros in 1644 until the copper works went bankrupt in 1977, with German miningtechnology as a starting point, employing German, Danish, Swedish immigrants, and Norwegian nationals, a unique culture developed to extract the valuablecopper in a remote and sparsely inhabited area. Today there is no mining in the area, but Røros Mining Town and the traces of mining, smelters, transport, and water management systems bear unique witness to the adaptation of technology to the requirements of the natural environmentand the remoteness of the situation.

The texts of the criteria clarifies also how attributes decline and make manifest OUV –reference to attributes may also be found in the justification of criteria, so as to specify their role in expressing OUV.

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Criterion (iv): Røros townscape and itsrelated industrial and rural landscapes, withtheir interlinked industrial activity and domestic and agricultural accommodationwithin an urban environment, illustrate in anoutstanding manner how people adapted to the extreme circumstances in which they had to live and how they used the available indigenousresources to provide shelter, produce food fortheir sustenance, and contribute to the nationalwealth of the country. Technologically, theirbuildings and installations evolved throughthe use of available indigenous materials tofunctionally satisfy the combined approachof mining and agrarian practices whilst at the same time accommodating the consequences ofdealing with extreme climatic conditions.

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Criterion (v): Røros Mining Town and the Circumference constitute a totalitythat is an outstanding example of traditional settlement and land-use. The various activities that have been carried out in the area constitute a coherent and interdependent unit. These activities have shaped a cultural landscape thatprovides a unique picture of how the mines and the mining town functioned as a complex and at times vulnerable system that verged on the limits of what waspossible in an inhospitable environment with a harsh climate.

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Issues/ threats / factors affectingthe property (from I PeriodicReporting Exercise)

• Development pressure, environmentalpressure, agricultural/forestry regimes

• Deposits from the processing of copperore are a source of poisonous leakage, especially to water.

• The cultural landscape is dramaticallychanging as the vegetation isspreading (farming abandoned).

In this case the I Periodic Reporting Cycle helped understand that what was proposed for inscription in 1980 and inscribed – that is the town – was insufficient to ensure that the OUV of the property inscribed at that time could be retained – sustainedHence, a proposal for extension was suggested and then developed, so as to widen the scope of the property and to reflect better the complex processes that made possible the existence of Roros and to manage the property better through an extended set of attributes to be taken into account in management.

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Røros Mining Town and the Circumference

From the SOUV a set of 14 attributes have been identified and for each attribute a number of components and of their related features (tangible) and characteristics (intangible) have been further inventoried.This has been done analytically for each attribute and component. This is used as a basis for management and a reference for conservation objectives and monitoring (in this case indicators included only those that could be measured and give a number as a result).At the moment – for this property it does exist a document which describes the management framework in place for the property connecting legal, planning and specific management instruments to achieve the sustenance of OUV. A MP has been required by the WHC.

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See previous slide

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Attribute Component Feature/ Element

See previous slide

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cultural landscape - Criteria: (v)SOUV (in draft form)The Curonian Spit landscape is a unique vulnerable sandy wooded cultural landscape of the coastal spit with small Curonian lagoon settlements formed and still being formed by the sea, wind and human activity. Rich with abundance of unique natural and cultural properties, it has retained its social and cultural importance. The Curonian Spit cultural landscape reflects changes in the natural environmentand local community, and the need to choose and implement the appropriate actions over time in order to survive in the changing environment. […] The most valuable elements and qualities of the Curonian Spit cultural landscape are the uniquesize and general spatial structure […] expressing harmonious coexistence between humans and nature […] characteristic powerful panoramas and silhouette from the Curonian Lagoon; cultural formations […] the remains of postal tracks, trade villages of 10–11th centuries, historic fishermen villages and other archaeological heritage covered by sand; the spatial-planned structure and architecture of ancient fishermen villages turned into resort settlements: ancient wooden fishermen houses, professionally-designed buildings of the 19th century: lighthouses, piers, churches, schools, villas; elements of marine cultural heritage. Natural and man-made formations include the distinctive Great Dune Ridge and individual dunes, relicts of ancient parabolic dunes; man-made protective coastal dune ridge; relicts of moraine islands, seacoast and littoral forests, littoral capes; ancient forests, mountain pine forests and other unique sand flora and fauna, bird migration path; Social-cultural traditions, spirituality, social perception of the area […] are of high importance.

Curonian Spit (Lithuania, Russian Federation) - 2000

The first actual example is the Curonian spit a trans‐boundary cultural landscape where natural phenomena and the management of natural components (i.e. forests, sand dunes, etc.) have particular importance to maintain the fragile and dynamic balances of the property.The yellow area does not represent the actual WH property ‐ it is meant only as indicative of the size of it. Available maps are too detailed to be used here.The description clarifies the nature of this property: why it is of OUV which are the factors that made possible its existence and which have threatened it to disappearance, how readdressed human activity has reverted the destiny of the property to make it survive along with its communities, which are the attributes relevant to make manifest its OUV.

The preparation of the joint SOUV by Lithuania and Russian Federation follows the preparation of the first joint report on SOC of the propertyThe preparation of the SOUV proceeded along with the drafting of the MP and this is reflected in both documents – in the Integrity and Authenticity Sections as well as in the Protection &Management sections, key requirements to ensure optimal conservation and sustenance of OUV have been set out.Following slides will make this clearer.

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cultural landscapeCriterion (v) The Curonian Spitis an outstanding example of a landscape of sand dunes thatis under constant threat fromnatural forces (wind and tide). After disastrous humaninterventions that menaced itssurvival the Spit was reclaimedby massive protection and stabilization works begun in the 19th century and stillcontinuing to the present day.


The wording of the criterion, although very synthetic, contains what is needed to decline the relevant points of why the property is OUV.Also the texts of the other sections – Integrity, authenticity – beyond a description of the nature of the conditions of both ‘qualifying conditions’ and how and to what extent attributes convey OUV, include also information on vulnerabilities of the property.

Integrity

[…] The boundaries of the World Heritage property are adequate to contain the attributes of Outstanding Universal value. Some of these attributes […] need a careful maintenance and an appropriate repair. […] The property as a whole is very sensitive to pressures such as climate change, severe weather events, fire, excessive development and tourism.

Authenticity

[…] The cultural, natural and man‐made formations and other valuable elements and qualities of cultural landscape comprising the current structure of the Spit landscape illustrate well the most important features of its formation through their shapes, volumes, materials, purpose and functions. […]

As well, in the Protection&Mngmt section, the current situation is described but also mid‐ and long‐ term goals for the conservation of OUV have been included

Protection & Management requirements

[…] For effective management of the Outstanding Universal Value closer collaboration of all institutions and other stakeholders in the States is needed as well as between States. […] Different attributes of the property require different protection regime and management activities. […] the preparation of a common single territorial (spatial) planning document for the management of the area and ensure conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value of Curonian Spit in Lithuania is foreseen […] Preparation of this Plan is essential and should include a Tourism Management Plan …

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Issues/ factors affecting the property (from SOC reports):

• potential pollution from the oil exploitation of the D-6 oil field in the Baltic Sea by the Russian Federation;

• Lack of bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and the Russian Federation including joint assessment of environmental impact of the D-6 project;

• Impacts of sewage spill accident which took place at Klaipeda Water Treatment Station (Lithuania);

• New and possibly illegal constructions;• Sand dunes erosion;• Possible tourism economic zone in

Kaliningrad (programmes cancelled - ?)

The serious issues that the property has been facing since years and the transnational cooperation existing at the site level on tangible activities have been strengthened through the preparation of EIA, SOUV, development of Management Plan.This allowed a shared and clear understanding of the values of the property, its attributes, threats, and priorities – beyond emergency or conservation priority actions a wider scope for cooperation, including education, business and tourism, and a more territorial approach to management have been gained.The management plan is still in a draft form and it needs some work – in particular on description / identification of attributes and the articulation of priorities and challenges but it represents already a valuable document and a significant step forward.

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The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes(France), 2000

Criteria: (i), (ii), (iv) - Cultural Landscape

The second example is a very large and complex evolving cultural landscape, the Val de Loire.The SOUV has been submitted by the State Party but has not been approved yet by the WH Committee.

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Criterion (i): The Loire Valley is noteworthy for the quality of its architecturalheritage, in its historic towns such as Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular in its world-famous castles, such as the Château de Chambord.Criterion (ii): The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape along a major river which bears witness to an interchange of human values and to a harmonious development of interactions between human beings and theirenvironment over two millennia.

Criterion (iv): The landscape of the Loire Valley, and more particularly its manycultural monuments, illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design.

The wording of the criteria as well as its description have been carefully constructed so as to clarify why the property exhibits OUV, which attributes and how they contribute to make manifest OUV.The texts encompass all relevant components of the property thus helping the detailing of the attributes for management purposes.

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inventory threats

The different scales adopted for landscape analysis has been used also to examine and to make an inventory of the threats and vulnerabilities – on the base of the detected vulnerabilities a range of measures and objectives have been identified and compiled together.These have formed the basis for the guidelines for shared management.

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inventory threats

Se previous slide

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1inventory threats

Issues/ factors (as identified in the MP)

See previous slide

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Issues/ factors (as identified in the MP)

See previous slide

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1. Structure of the Management Plan• The Oustanding Universal Value of the property• Loire Valley: a model of spatial organisation shaped along centuries• Landscapes shaped by economic activities• Natural character of the river and its beauty

2. Threats and vulnerabilities• Landscape an public policies• Loire Valley landscape patterns and components• Analytical grid• Inventory of threats• Themes and areas of intervention

3. Guidelines for a shared management

4. Specific Actions by the State• Protect the emblematic spaces of the property• Integrate the landscape issues/ challenges in the public planning policies• Integrate the landscape issues/ challenges in the management of the river

domain• Promote the elaboration of the landscape plan• Ensure the monitoring of the MP

The OUV of the property and its attributes have been thoroughly described in section 1 of the MP ‐ they have been also organised according to themes reflecting aninterpretation grid elaborated to articulate the OUV of the property.

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3. Guidelines for a shared management• Preserve and valorise remarkable heritage and spaces• Maintain the open landscapes and the views of the Loire Valley• Master the human settlement• Organise the urban development• Integrate new equipment in the setting• Valorise the entrances and discovery axes of the property• Organise a sustainable tourism• Favour the understanding of the OUV b local actors• Accompany decision makers through the council and the

permanent participation

To know more check at http://www.valdeloire.org/Actions/Grands-projets/Plan-de-gestion-du-site-inscrit/Plan-de-gestion-des-orientations-communes-pour-agir

Each guideline is articulated into specific objectives and actions. A sort of identity card has been developed for all foreseen action ‐Identity cards of the measures have been prepared. They include the problem identified, the threats, the actions proposed as well as examples of actions already carried out, if present. Possible actors for each corrective measure proposed are also identified.

For the easy communication and understanding of the content of the MP a summary of it – 13 pages – has been elaborated.

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Management Plan – Cahiers pratiques

Sinthetic handbooks ‐ booklets for landscape maintenance have been developed within the MP framework these have been prepared by the DREAL centre that is to say the Direction regionale de l’environment, de l’amenagement e du logement with a view tocommunicate to the wide public which are the main threats / vulnerabilities to the property and which are the measures put in place by the responsible authorities.

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Management Plan – Cahiers pratiques

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Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites (UnitedKingdom), 1986Criteria: (i), (ii), (iii)

Statement of OUV – Brief DescriptionThe Stonehenge, Avebury, and Associated Sites World Heritage Site is internationally important for its complexes of outstanding prehistoric monuments. Stonehenge is the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world, while Avebury is the largest in the world. Together with inter-related monuments and their associated landscapes, they help us to understand Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial and mortuary practices. They demonstrate around 2000 years of continuous use and monument building between c. 3700 and 1600 BC. As such they represent a unique embodiment of our collective heritage.

Stonehenge was inscribed in 1986 and in 2008 a minor boundary modification was approved.At the time of inscription the WH Committee did not provide any formal declarationexplaining the reasons for inscription but commented only on the issue posed by the A344 road passing through the property.It had its OUV approved in 2013 – the reviewed MP was issued in 2009Also in this case the brief description illustrates what the property which has been further articulated to reflect specifically the landscape approach that has been adopted to illustrate the property and why is important.

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Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites (UnitedKingdom), 1986

Criterion (i): The monuments of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites demonstrate outstanding creative and technological achievements in prehistoric times. Stonehenge is the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world. It is unrivalled in its design and unique engineering, featuring huge horizontal stone lintels capping the outer circle and the trilithons, locked together by carefully shaped joints. It is distinguished by the unique use of two different kinds of stones (Bluestones and Sarsens), their size […] and the distance they were transported […]. The sheer scale of some of the surrounding monuments is also remarkable:

the Stonehenge Cursus and the Avenue are both about 3 km long, while Durrington Wallsis the largest known henge in Britain, […], demonstrating the ability of prehistoric peoples to conceive, design and construct features of great size and complexity. Aveburyprehistoric stone circle is the largest in the world. The encircling henge consists of a huge bank and ditch 1.3 km in circumference, within which 180 local, unshaped standing stones formed the large outer and two smaller inner circles. Leading from two of its four entrances, the West Kennet and Beckhampton Avenues of parallel standing stones still connect it with other monuments in the landscape. Another outstanding monument, Silbury Hill, is the largest prehistoric mound in Europe. Built around 2400 BC, it stands 39.5 m high and comprises half a million tonnes of chalk. The purpose of this imposing, skilfully engineered monument remains obscure.

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Criterion (ii): The World Heritage property provides an outstanding illustration of the evolution of monument construction and of the continual use and shaping of the landscape over more than 2000 years, from the early Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The monuments and landscape have had an unwavering influence on architects, artists, historians and archaeologists, and still retain a huge potential for future research. The megalithic and earthen monuments of the World Heritage property demonstrate the shaping of the landscape through monument building for around 2000 years from circa 3700 BC, reflecting the importance and wide influence of both areas.

Since the 12th century when Stonehenge was considered one of the wonders of the world by the chroniclers Henry de Huntington and Geoffrey de Monmouth, the Stonehenge and AveburySites have excited curiosity and been the subject of study and speculation. Since early investigations by John Aubrey (1626-1697), Inigo Jones (1573-1652), and William Stukeley(1687-1765), they have had an unwavering influence on architects, archaeologists, artists and historians. The two parts of the World Heritage property provide an excellent opportunity for further research. Today, the property has spiritual associations for some.

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Criterion (iii): The complexes of monuments at Stonehenge and Avebury provide an exceptional insight into the funerary and ceremonial practices in Britain in the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Together with their settings and associated sites, they form landscapes without parallel. The design, position and interrelationship of the monuments and sites are evidence of a wealthy and highly organised prehistoric society able to impose its concepts on the environment.

An outstanding example is the alignment of the Stonehenge Avenue […] and Stonehenge stone circle on the axis of the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset, indicating their ceremonial and astronomical character. At Avebury the length and size of some of the features such as the West Kennet Avenue, which connects the Henge to the Sanctuary over 2 km away, are further evidence of this. A profound insight into the changing mortuary culture of the periods is provided by the use of Stonehenge as a cremation cemetery, by the West Kennet Long Barrow, the largest known Neolithic stone-chambered collective tomb in southern England, and by the hundreds of other burial sites illustrating evolving funerary rites.

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Issues/ factors affecting the property (SOC reports):

• closure of route A344 running close to the property not accomplished (promised since inscription)

• lack of adequate visitor facilities• threats to buried archaeological

remains caused by ploughing -reversion of arable land to chalk grassland (addressed)

• localised conservation problems to archaeological remains due to subsidence (addressed)

Major issues for the property are the following – the first two have been in place since inscription but the Spas not been in the condition until present to address them. In particular, the closure of A344 route, which passes through the WH property adjacent to Stonehenge, has also conditioned the relocation/ upgrading of the current visitor facility and parking – largely insufficient – visible in the image along the left vertical margin.

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Structure of the Management Plan

1. Description of the WHS, assessment of its OutstandingUniversal Value, policy and management context, assessment of the 2000 Plan

2. Key management issuesaffecting the WHS and monitoring indicators

3. Vision, long-term aims, short and medium-term policies

4. Action Plan for 2009-2015

Description of the WHS has received special attention: this has been articulated in several paragraphs focusing particularly on the landscape dimension of the archaeological site

The cultural heritage of the World Heritage Site

Perceptions of Stonehenge and the Landscape

Summary of historic environment values

The character of the WHS and its regional context

Regional Landscape Context

Landscape Character Classification of the WHS and its Environs

Key Characteristics of the Landscape

Landform

Modern features of the landscape

Trees and Woodlands in the Landscape

Agricultural Character

Outstanding Universal Value ‐ see statement of OUV

Identification of Attributes

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Attributes (follows in-depth description of each)1. Stonehenge itself as a globally famous and iconic monument.2. The physical remains of the Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary and

ceremonial monuments and associated sites.3. The siting of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary and ceremonial sites

and monuments in relation to the landscape.4. The design of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary and ceremonial sites

and monuments in relation to the skies and astronomy.5. The siting of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary and ceremonial sites

and monuments in relation to each other.6. The disposition, physical remains and settings of the key Neolithic and

Bronze Age funerary, ceremonial and other monuments and sites ofthe period, which together form a landscape without parallel.

7. The influence of the remains of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary and ceremonial monuments and their landscape settings on architects,artists, historians, archaeologists and others.

Identification of attributes has been made in detail on the base of the SOUV and wording of criteria but kept wide enough to accommodate further discoveries that archaeological research may yield. Attributes cover several dimensions as those exemplified in conditions of authenticity –for each attribute the MP assessed the conditions of integrity and authenticity.

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Excerpt from the 2009 Management Plan

Images help visualisation as well as recognition/ identification of both tangible and intangible attributes.

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Excerpt from the 2009 Management Plan

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47 management issues have been identified and the MP has addressed them as a basisfor developing a vision and objectives for management purpose.

Key issues have guided the formulation of the vision, along with management principles.

Priorities have been also identified for the next MP cycle (2009 – 2015)

Issues have been organised by 7 themes to which correspond 7 aims:

•Planning and policy framework

•Boundaries of the WHS

•Conservation of the WHS

•Visitors, Tourism and education

•Transport and traffic

•Research

•Long‐term Objectives for the WHS

•Management, liaison and monitoring

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On the base of the key issues 7 aims have been identified and specific policies set up to achieve them.

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Managing World Heritage Properties

Bibliographic references:• Jokilehto, J. (2006, June 21). Considerations on authenticity and integrity in

World Heritage context. City & Time [Online], 2(1). Available: http://www.ceci-br.org/novo/revista/rst/viewarticle.php?id=44

• Jokilehto, J. (2006, December 10). World Heritage: Defining the outstandinguniversal value. City & Time [Online], 2(2). Available: http://www.ceci-br.org/novo/revista/rst/viewarticle.php?id=45

• Stovel H. 2007, Effective use of authenticity and integrity as world heritagequalifying conditions. City & Time [online] 2(3). Available: http://www.ceci-br.org/novo/revista/rst/viewarticle.php?id=71

• C.Young, A. Chadburn, I.Bedu, Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009, English Heritage, 2009

• B. Szmygin (Ed.), Outstanding Universal Value and monitoring of World Heritage Properties, Polish National Committee of ICOMOS and National Heritage Board of Poland, 2011

• Val de Loire Patrimoine Mondial. Plan de Gestion, Référentiel commun pour une gestion partageée, 2012

• Val de Loire Patrimoine Mondial. Cahier pratique 1. L’entretien et la mise en valeur des berges de Loire, Mission Val de Loire 2011

• Official documents accessed at http://whc.unesco.org/

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Managing World Heritage Properties

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