DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/3315-1083

Organizer/Presenter/author Information // Informations sur l'organisateur / le présentateur / auteurs

Andrea L'Erario, Politecnico di MilanoFollow

Biographical Information // Informations biographiques

Andrea L’Erario is PhD Student in Preservation of the Architectural Heritage at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He graduated in 2012 in Architecture. He is specialist in Conservation in Architectural and Landscape Heritage. Since 2013 he has been collaborating with PaRID Research Group at Politecnico di Milano. He is professionally active in projects aimed at preserving and enhancing rural landscape as heritage. He is involved in the project of Politecnico di Milano regarding “Territorial Fragilities” with a PhD Research aimed at the identification of good practices of projects/policies for the safeguarding of rural landscapes in the South Regions of the World.

Keywords

Cultural Landscapes, Rural Heritage, World Heritage, rural heritage, large landscapes, Rural Environment

Abstract // Résumé

Since 1992 “Cultural landscapes” of outstanding value are recognized by the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Convention and some rural landscapes are inscribed as in the World Heritage List.

However, “ordinary” rural landscapes are present in several UNESCO Properties, also in “Natural” or “Mixed”. According to the approaches of the European Landscape Convention, regarding the importance of preserving both “ordinary” and “outstanding” landscapes, and of the ICOMOS-IFLA Principles regarding Rural Landscapes as Heritage, which affirms that rural landscapes are “one of the most common types of continuing cultural landscapes”, the overall protection of several UNESCO Properties can be reached by preserving the component related to “ordinary” rural systems, managed by local people with traditional methods. Their safeguarding becomes fundamental for the overall protection of the integrity of the UNESCO Properties.

For this reason, the need of providing an updated overview regarding presence and state of preservation of rural landscapes in all UNESCO Properties – Cultural heritage (monuments, groups of buildings and sites), Natural heritage and Mixed Sites – brought to a wide survey aimed at supporting the assessment of the effectiveness of the Management Plans or National policies for the UNESCO Sites conservation.

The research illustrates that rural systems, classified according the WRLI classification, are present in over the 30% of UNESCO Sites. The survey considers several kinds of rural systems (including gathering/hunting by indigenous people).

The research considers: 1. Rural landscape systems strictly related to the Sites management from a functional point of view (agro-environmental, cultural, economic, …); 2. Rural landscapes related to the protected Property from a perceptive point of view, in particular visual, whose preservation is fundamental for the integrity of the Site itself; 3. Relict rural landscapes.

This study is part of a wider research aimed at understanding the preservation level of rural heritage in UNESCO Properties.

Bibliographic References // Références Bibliographiques

Fowler, P.J. (2003). World Heritage Cultural Landscapes 1992-2002. World Heritage papers n. 6. Paris, France. UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Rössler, M. (2003). Linking Nature and Culture: World Heritage Cultural Landscapes. In UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Cultural Landscapes: the Challenges of Conservation, World Heritage papers n. 7 (pp. 10-15). Paris, France. UNESCO World Heritage Centre

ICOMOS-IFLA (2017). ICOMOS-IFLA Principles concerning Rural Landscapes as Heritage. 19th ICOMOS General Assembly, Delhi, 2017

Scazzosi, L. (2018). Rural Landscape as Heritage. Reasons for and Implications of ‘Principles concerning Rural Landscapes as Heritage’ ICOMOS-IFLA 2017. Built Heritage, 3/2018, 39-52

Luengo, A. (2013). World Heritage agricultural landscapes. World Heritage, 69, 6-13. Paris, France: World Heritage Centre UNESCO

Share

COinS
 

Panel 11. Paper 11.1: Rural landscapes and the World Heritage List

Since 1992 “Cultural landscapes” of outstanding value are recognized by the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Convention and some rural landscapes are inscribed as in the World Heritage List.

However, “ordinary” rural landscapes are present in several UNESCO Properties, also in “Natural” or “Mixed”. According to the approaches of the European Landscape Convention, regarding the importance of preserving both “ordinary” and “outstanding” landscapes, and of the ICOMOS-IFLA Principles regarding Rural Landscapes as Heritage, which affirms that rural landscapes are “one of the most common types of continuing cultural landscapes”, the overall protection of several UNESCO Properties can be reached by preserving the component related to “ordinary” rural systems, managed by local people with traditional methods. Their safeguarding becomes fundamental for the overall protection of the integrity of the UNESCO Properties.

For this reason, the need of providing an updated overview regarding presence and state of preservation of rural landscapes in all UNESCO Properties – Cultural heritage (monuments, groups of buildings and sites), Natural heritage and Mixed Sites – brought to a wide survey aimed at supporting the assessment of the effectiveness of the Management Plans or National policies for the UNESCO Sites conservation.

The research illustrates that rural systems, classified according the WRLI classification, are present in over the 30% of UNESCO Sites. The survey considers several kinds of rural systems (including gathering/hunting by indigenous people).

The research considers: 1. Rural landscape systems strictly related to the Sites management from a functional point of view (agro-environmental, cultural, economic, …); 2. Rural landscapes related to the protected Property from a perceptive point of view, in particular visual, whose preservation is fundamental for the integrity of the Site itself; 3. Relict rural landscapes.

This study is part of a wider research aimed at understanding the preservation level of rural heritage in UNESCO Properties.

 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.