Sustainable preservation and accessibility to cultural heritage in India

Reconciling the Conservation of Cultural Heritage with Rural Development

Perishing Heritage:

<p>This thesis proposes a composite framework for the evaluation of the environmental impact of tourism development on host destinations. In this study, the environmental impact of tourism is considered as a social-ecological phenomenon that can be categorized into the two aspects of natural and social-cultural impacts. Ecotourism is introduced as a type of sustainable tourism in that its policies and principles for development are based on conservation of environmental heritage (including natural and cultural heritage) via engagement of local people and communities in the tourism development process. The proposed composite framework arises from the integration of an ecological and a cultural framework for the sustainable development of tourism. This framework places the conservation of natural resources as the main ecological outcome for eco-tourism. The proposed framework uses the ecological footprint (EF) of the main tourism activities and services (including transportation, food and accommodation services) as the ecological indicator for evaluation of ecotourism development to ensure it is ecologically compatible. Ecological footprint (EF) is a way of measuring environmental impact. It assumes that everything needed for living, including all energy, goods and services can be obtained from land, and that any wastes produced can be absorbed by land (Wackernagel and Rees, 1996:9). Because land productivity varies considerably around the world the average global productivity is the normal measure, and this is called global hectares (gha). The ecological footprint of a product or activity produced/ consumed and conducted by a defined group of people can be measured through the following equation: EF (gha) = Lifecycle energy use of a given group of people (product and activity pro-duced or conducted) Gigajoules (GJ) / carrying capacity of the Earth (GJ/gha). The above equation determines the area required to produce resources and to absorb pollutants like carbon dioxide generated in the lifecycle energy use of the product or activity through using fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). Through using an ecological perspective, this thesis views culture as a system that links a group of people or a community to their surroundings through their use of local mate-rials and energies, and the production and consumption of products from these. The proposed framework determines the main cultural outcomes for ecotourism development such as conservation of heritage and making the host people aware of their cultural values. In addition, it introduces related activities such as social events, conservation of heritage and producing and consuming local products as contributive activities for achieving the outcomes stated above. Furthermore it investigates and refines a number of indicators that can be used as tools for evaluation of the cultural footprint of the development of ecotourism. Within these, local gross domestic product (GDP) as a social-economic indicator arising from tourism activities is also considered. This thesis concludes by presenting a case study of ‘The Otago Central Rail Trail’ (OCRT) as an example of ecotourism. The OCRT was introduced in the New Zealand Tourism Strategy (NZTS) for 2015 as a successful model for community-based development of sustainable tourism. The investigation reviews the impacts of the OCRT on natural and cultural heritage by using the framework developed in the thesis and its related ecological and cultural indicators. Through using the proposed holistic framework and the model for sustainable development of ecotourism, this thesis finds that, influenced by the development of the OCRT, many cultural heritage items including 60 bridges, 3 tunnels, and 78 buildings (used as OCRT accommodation services) have been refurbished. The restoration of this heritage can be considered as a policy that contributes to awareness of OCRT residents of their cultural heritage and identity. Likewise, as a part of the educational process related to ecotourism, this also makes an opportunity for OCRT visitors to learn about the cultural values of their host people. As shown in Table 5.84, in 2011, the total EF of 11,788 OCRT visitors including the EFs of the four categories of transportation, food, accommodation and activities is 1,617 gha (0.138 gha /visitor). In comparison with the EF of 0.03 gha/ visitor for sustainable tourism (see Table 5.86), the overshoot portion of the EF of the OCRT is equivalent to (0.138 – 0.03) 0.108 gha/ visitor. Likewise the total overshoot EF of 11,788 OCRT visitors is (11,788 visitors × 0.108 gha) 1,273 gha (see Table 5.86). This overshoot EF of the OCRT indicates that although the project has already been considered as a successful sustainable tourism project, still needs to reduce its total EF by 1,273 gha to be environmentally sustainable. As determined in Chapter 5 (see Table 5.88), the overshoot portion of the OCRT is calculated as 127,310.4 GJ/year. Since the costs to generate 1 GJ of overshoot energy use through using renewable energy sources (in this case wind + solar) is NZ$ 19.8, consequently the total cost to generate the overshoot energy use of the OCRT through using the latter systems (wind + solar) is equivalent to (127,310.4 GJ × NZ$ 19.8) NZ$ 2,720,746. Table 5.90 shows that in 2011, the total GDP of the OCRT is NZ$ 6,245,289 This means the total cost that must be spent to generate the overshoot portion of the OCRT energy use in a sustainable way (NZ$ 2,720,746) is 43.6% of its total GDP (NZ$ 6,245,289). Consequently the sustainable portion of the GDP (GDPs) of the OCRT is (NZ$ 6,245,289 – NZ$ 2, 720,746) NZ$ 3,524,543. The results of this thesis demonstrate that using local products (e.g. home prepared foods) as a sustainable cultural behavior not only contributes to the ability of the host destinations located along the OCRT (such as Naseby and Cromwell, used as further case studies) to present their cultural products, but also contributes to reduce the environmental impacts and increase the economic outcomes of the OCRT. For example, producing 17% (13,346.4 kg) of the total of 65165.05 kg consumed food as home prepared food reduces by 5.5% the ecological footprint related to the food consumed by OCRT visitors. As determined in Chapters 5 and 6, in three case studies, producing home prepared food contributes in a sustainable way to the increasing of the economic outcomes by about NZ$3.5 / kg of food produced. This thesis indicates that in all three case studies, using refurbished buildings as accommodation services, which is considered as an activity that contributes to preserving the cultural identity of the host destinations also contributes to reducing of environmental impacts and increasing the economic outcomes related to OCRT. For example in OCRT using 12.9% of bed space as refurbished buildings reduces by14.5% (7.3gha) the total 50.5 gha ecological footprint of accommodation services compared with when all accommodation buildings are assumed as new buildings. Chapters 5 and 6 determine that in OCRT using 21,378 m2 of refurbished buildings as accommodation services (12.9% of total bed spaces) increases by 5% the sustainable portion of GDP related to accommodation services. In Naseby also using refurbished buildings as accommodation services has the same sustainable ecological, cultural and economic outcomes as for the OCRT as a whole. The framework indicates the use of open air areas as being a cultural-ecological indicator for evaluation of architecture as being sustainable. Through using the framework, it is determined that using open air areas including balconies and verandas as part of OCRT accommodation buildings exerts environmentally friendly influences on the host destination. For instance in OCRT using 387 square meters of veranda and balcony as part of the 80,356m2 accommodation buildings decreases by 1.5% the total ecological footprint (50.5gha) of buildings used as accommodation services in OCRT. The thesis results demonstrate that an architecture that will contribute to sustainable development through ecotourism has a cultural footprint area in which the architecture contributes to the host societies knowing and preserving their cultural identity, capitals and heritages. Simultaneously, it contributes to reducing the environmental impacts and increasing the economic outcomes of the host societies through ecotourism. This thesis determines that since all ecological, cultural and economic characteristics of sustainable architecture are linked together, a strategy to develop sustainable architecture is successful when it considers the linkage between all of these profiles and influences that they exert on each other.</p>

I. INTRODUCTION II. CULTURAL & NATURAL HERITAGE: AN OVERVIEW A. Cultural Heritage B. Natural Heritages C. Nature Conservation Strategies Worldwide D. The Links Between Cultural and Natural Heritage E. Characteristics of Sites of Overlapping Cultural & Natural Heritage III. The Present and Future of Integrated Cultural & Natural Heritage Management A. Challenges Posed to Protecting Cultural and Natural Heritage B. Existing Legal/Regulatory Efforts to Protect Cultural and Natural Heritage 1. Developed Countries a. The United States b. The European Union (1) England (a) National Parks (b) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (c) Conservation Areas (2) Dartmoor National Park (a) The Dartmoor Local Plan (b) Local Plan Aims (c) Local Plan Landscapes c. Canada 2. Developing Countries a. China b. Brazil IV. CONCLUSION A. Why Integrate Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection? B. Bridging Boundaries for Mutual Gain I. INTRODUCTION Formal legal efforts to protect cultural and natural heritage are not a modern phenomenon. In the developed and developing worlds, regional, state, and local governments undertake efforts to protect their cultural heritage and their natural resources. Most cultural and natural resource protection regimes, however, have evolved independently of one another. This is only recently beginning to change. As scholars, regulators, and activists increasingly recognize the links and overlap between areas of cultural and natural heritage, they are beginning to come together to develop new regimes for joint cultural and environmental protection. These early efforts jointly to protect cultural and natural heritage vary significantly in character and success. These variations reflect a still vague and evolving understanding of the interplay between culture and nature, the relationship between public and private land ownership, and significant regional differences in existing legal regimes, economic development, and environmental agendas. Further, there is currently very little comprehensive research examining global efforts to develop heritage protection areas that integrate both cultural and natural resource conservation. There is even less research analyzing how relationships between land ownership and social conceptions of culture and nature impact the development of future cultural and natural heritage programs. The goal of this paper is to contribute to and encourage the development of innovative, interdisciplinary approaches for the protection, preservation, and enhancement of natural and cultural heritage areas. The second section of this paper examines traditional notions and regulatory regimes for cultural and natural heritage protection, and delves into the links between cultural and natural heritage. Section three analyzes existing cultural heritage and environmental/natural protection laws, and provides examples of joint cultural and natural heritage preservation efforts. In particular, section three considers how current and prospective joint cultural and natural heritage protection efforts in developed and developing countries contribute to the social and economic development of communities and regions, and advance the principles of sustainable development by strengthening the historical continuity of a place and its people, and by guiding development in ways consistent with the characteristics of these cultural and natural resources. Additionally, section three examines case studies in the United States, Europe, Canada, Brazil, and China to demonstrate the challenges and critical elements integral to developing innovative and sustainable cultural and natural heritage preservation schemes. …

A highly developed industry used to be synon-ymous with Osijek and the entire Slavonija and Baranja region in the past, but in modern times the notion of industry has taken on a new meaning. Classic factories have disappeared, making room for the development of more modern and innovative industries, including cultural and creative industries. The problem of recognition and conservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, which is increas-ingly often at risk, has also come up in the ur-banisation process. Systematic efforts to con-serve and revitalise cultural heritage are need-ed in order to preserve the identity and the culture of the local community. Otherwise it will fall victim to uncontrolled urbanisation, and disappear. Cultural and creative industries are building ways for the development, con-servation and urban regeneration and revitali-sation of the cultural heritage. Repurposed industrial cultural heritage can serve as a re-minder of former glory, but also as a daily in-spiration for new entrepreneurs, creative pro-fessionals, and all other citizens. Local and national governments must make projects aimed at the revitalisation of all types of cul-tural heritage their priority. These projects are highly attractive. Even though they are also challenging and very expensive, they will con-tinue to bear fruit for many years after their implementation by reinforcing their city’s identity, but also through fast-growing cultural tourism. The main objective of this paper is to explore the potentials of the forgotten (invisi-ble) industrial (now cultural) heritage of Osijek within the sector of cultural and creative in-dustries. With this goal in mind, the authors carried out a survey to gauge public awareness of the economic potential offered by the devel-opment of cultural and creative industries, with a focus on the revitalisation of Osijek’s industrial cultural heritage. One of the objec-tives of the survey was also to identify the opinions of different age and education groups in the public about these matters. Regrettably, the awareness of the importance of conserving cultural heritage remains rather low. Educa-tional campaigns, written guidelines, projects and events are needed to educate the broader community in order for the development po-tential of cultural and creative industries to be really manifested.

Formulation of the problem. Nowadays in Ukraine there is a significant gap in the application of cultural-landscape approach and the lack of cultural and landscape zoning (CLZ) at different taxonomic levels, as one of the fundamental stages in the protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage, which is recognized in a number of international documents by the world community. The purpose of the article. The purpose of this study is to develop methodological approaches to CLZ in Ukraine. Analysis of recent research and publications. The study and analysis of the experience of differentiation and zoning of different level territories on the basis of cultural and landscape approach in some European countries showed the crucial role of CLZ in studying cultural landscapes and planning management actions for their protection, conservation and use. Methodology and results. The overall purpose of CLZ was to identify, define and differentiate integral natural and cultural systemic territorial formations of different levels, which form a set of interconnected cultural landscapes in a given area. The main factors of cultural-landscape differentiation of Ukraine at the macro level were natural-geographical, ethnographic, linguistic, historical-geographical, historical-political and administrative-territorial features and features of spatial localization and concentration of natural and cultural heritage - immovable and intangible. The information base for conducting the CLZ were researches that reflects the territorial differentiation of Ukraine by these groups of features and has developed appropriate zoning schemes with their cartographic implementation. The taxonomic system of the country's CLZ has been developed. It consists of two levels: 14 cultural-landscape regions and 52 cultural-landscape macro-districts; 26 cultural and landscape regions have been identified as a separate taxon, outside of the hierarchy, according to the administrative-territorial division of the country. The most important result of the study – the map "Cultural-landscape zoning of Ukraine", became one of the key topics of the electronic atlas "Population of Ukraine and its natural and cultural heritage". The development of the atlas was completed in 2020 by the Institute of Geography of NASU. Scientific novelty and practical significance. For the first time in Ukraine, CLZ has been developed at the macro level, thus starting to fill a gap of the absence of domestic developments of this kind. The study identified proposals on the main directions of development and practical application of CLZ in the field of protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage through inclusion in the systems of national and regional strategy, spatial development planning, research on integrated study of territory, mapping and development of CLZ regions and administrative districts, etc.

At present, incorrect or aggressive conservation efforts harm not only the building heritage, but also its cultural significance and authenticity. There is an urgent need to investigate existing studies that utilise proper methods and processes of the digital economy and technology to promote sustainable architecture and building heritage conservation and heritage tourism development and management to achieve the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). Hence, this paper aims to explore the role of digital economy technology, i.e., building information modelling (BIM), in promoting the harmonious development of cultural architectural and building heritage conservation and sustainable cultural heritage tourism, as well as to reveal the current state of the research and hotspots in BIM-driven cultural heritage conservation for sustainable cultural heritage tourism. A mix of a macro-quantitative bibliometric method and a follow-up micro-qualitative content analysis method has been employed to highlight the significance and promise of the interdisciplinary domains of BIM, cultural heritage conservation, and sustainable cultural heritage tourism to the attainment of SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) focused on three specific goals, i.e., enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanisation (SDG 11.3), strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage (SDG 11.4), and reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities (SDG 11.6); and SDG 17 (partnerships) regarding four issues, i.e., stakeholder relationships, public participation, heritage conservation experts, and management. Additionally, three categories of research themes have been identified: cultural heritage conservation, heritage and tourism management, and support of emerging technology. Furthermore, the relationships between BIM and sustainable cultural heritage tourism from the last 26 years (1997 to 2022) have been revealed with visualisations of future research trends in BIM, cultural heritage conservation, and sustainable cultural heritage tourism.

In smart cities, technology is never for its own sake, but for improving the lives of citizens. As culture is at the heart of well-being, it makes sense that technology should be employed to harness and magnify the incredible potential of local culture. This paper presents a brief survey of some tools and technologies that EUROCITIES smart cities are employing in cultural policy and practice. From crowd monitoring and neuroanalytic cameras, to platforms and videogames, cities in the ROCK project, funded under the Horizon 2020 program, are harnessing technology to improve access to and preservation of culture and cultural heritage. In smart cities, technology is never for its own sake, but for improving the lives of citizens. As culture is at the heart of well-being, it makes sense that technology should be employed to harness and magnify the incredible potential of local culture. This paper presents two ways in which European smart cities are using technology in cultural policy and practice. The first section focuses on data gathering: What technologies are cities using to gather data about cultural heritage engagement, and how are they using this data to modify their cultural policies? The second section focuses on the use of technology to create platforms for user-generated content on culture and cultural heritage: How are cities giving citizens the run of digital spaces to propose and disseminate culture and cultural heritage?

PurposeThe peoples living in the Balkan Peninsula over centuries have created a very rich cultural heritage and the constant political upheavals in the region have affected the development and preservation of their cultures. This paper aims to review the internet infrastructure and networked readiness levels of the Balkan countries, which are conducive to scientific co‐operation and preservation of digitised cultural heritage. It also explores the destructive effects of wars on the cultural riches of the region.Design/methodology/approachThe internet facilities and the scientific production of the Balkan countries were identified using published sources and Thomson's Web of Science database. A game‐theoretic approach was used to expound the consequences of wars and the adverse effects of the nation‐building process on cultural heritage artefacts.FindingsBalkan countries lack sound internet infrastructures, hindering their contributions to the world of science and stifling scientific co‐operation among themselves in terms of joint papers. The co‐ordinated efforts have yet to exist to streamline the digital preservation of the unique cultural heritage of the Balkan countries.Originality/valueThis paper discusses the impact of the nation‐building process on cultural and scientific heritage artefacts using the concepts of the “game theory”. It reinforces the fact that destroying the cultural heritage artefacts during wars is not a “zero‐sum game” in which the dominant culture wins and the “other” culture loses. It is not even a “lose‐lose game” in which both parties lose. Rather, humanity loses part of its whole cultural heritage forever.

Bergama'da 1878 de Carl Humann tarafindan arkeolojik kazilarin baslatilmasi ve her gecen gun onemli buluntularin ortaya cikmasi kentin baskin olarak arkeolojik ozellikleriyle anilmasi­ni saglamis ve saglamaktadir. Ornegin 1968 yilina ait imar planinda arkeolo­jik alan uzerinde yer alan geleneksel kent do­kusunun dondurularak gelismesinin kisitlan­masi ve zamanla bu alanlarin bosaltilarak arke­olojik kazilara terk edilmesi ongorulmustur. Antikcag yapilarina verilen onem, diger taraf­tan geleneksel konutlarin muhafazasina do­layli olarak katkida bulunmus; geleneksel ko­nut dokusu altindaki antik kentin zarar gorme­mesi icin, var olan yapilasma dondurulmus; yeni yapilasmalar icin bu alanlar disinda, gele­neksel dokunun guneyinde yeni iskân alanlari acilmistir. 1976 tarihinde Bergama'nin alanlari ve sinirlari Gayrimenkul Eski Eserler ve Anitlar Yuksek Kurulunca (GEEAYK) tescil edilmistir. ilani kararini takiben, Berga­ma'nin antik Pergamon kentinin kalintilari uze­rinde gelismis belli alanlari, korunmasi gerekli kentsel dokuya sahip olmasi nedeniyle ve Arkeolojik olarak 1983 yilin­da tescil edilmis ve 1984'te tekrar degerlendi­rilmistir, Bergama gibi cok katmanli kentlerde, tanimi konana kadar gecen surede, kurullari tarafindan yanlis ka­rarlarin alinmasinin yani sira tereddutler, dola­yisiyla karar uretememe durumlari soz konu­su olmustur. Bu tikaniklik, SIT tanimindan 20 yil sonra 1993'te Kultur ve Tabiat Varliklari Koruma Yuksek Kurulunun ilke kararindaki tanimi ve ko­sullarinin belirlenmesiyle asilmistir. Bergama'da da koruma amacli imar planina kadar gecerli olacak gecis donemi yapilas­ma kosullari m belirleyen karar, ilanindan 18 yil sonra, 2001 yilinda kentin bu alanlarinin, Izmir 2 numarali Kultur ve Tabiat Varliklari Koruma Kurulunca Kentsel Arkeolo­jik olarak ilan edilmesiyle alinmistir. Bu karara gore Bergama kenti alanlari. Kent­sel SIT, 1. derece SIT, 2. derece ve 3. derece olarak tanimlanmistir. Bu kararlar sonucunda, alani icinde yer atan evler, onarim dahi yapilamayan, harap an­cak ozgun yapilar olarak gunumuze ulasmistir. Kentin guneyinde yeni yapilasma alanlarinin olusturulmasindan sonra, alani icindeki geleneksel dokuda, evlerini birakmak isteme­yen, apartman yasamina uyum saglayamayan ve eski komsuluk iliskilerini surdurmek iste­yen yasli nufus kalmistir. Bu geleneksel doku­nun diger kullanicilari ise civar koylerden gelip buraya yerlesen dusuk gelir grubuna ait kulla­nicilardir. kultur varliklari envanter calismasiyla kentte harap fakat ozgun olarak gunumuze ulasmis onemli sayida konut oldugu, pek cok konutun enderlik degeri tasidigi ortaya kon­mustur. Bergama (izmir) Kultur Varliklari En­vanter Projesinin ucuncu ve son donem calis­masi 6-17 Eylul 2005 tarihlerinde Bergama da gerceklestirilen alan calismasiyla tamamlan­mistir. Pek cok uygarligi iceren, cok katmanli bir kent olan Bergama'da, sinirlan ve tanimi, bu envanter calismasi­nin basladigi 2003 yilindaki degisiklikler disin­da, Mart 2004 te izmir 2 numarali Kultur ve Ta­biat Varliklari Koruma Kurulunda alinan kararla, Kentsel + 3. derece olarak degistirilmis ve sinin guneye, Gazipasa Mahal­lesine dogru genisletilmistir (lev. 1: sek. 1). Kultur Varliklarinin yer aldigi mahalle­ler, Bergama Cayinin kuzeyindeki alanda Ulu-cami, Talatpasa, Kurtulus mahalleleri, Berga­ma Cayinin guneyinde ise Selcuk, Barbaros, Atmaca, Islamsaray, Turabey, Inkilâp, Gazipa­sa, Ertugrul ve Zafer mahalleleridir. 2005 yilin­da, Bergama Cayinin kuzeyinde Talatpasa ve Kurtulus mahallelerinde, Bergama Cayinin gu­neyinde ise Selcuk, Atmaca, islamsaray, Tu­rabey, Inkilâp, Gazipasa, Ertugrul ve Zafer ma­hallelerinde envanter calismasi gerceklestiril­mistir (lev. 2: sek. 2). Bergama Kuttur Varliktan Envanteri yapilirken calisma alanimizin sinirlan (lev. 1: sek. 1), Kultur ve Tabiat Varliklari Koruma Ku­rulu tarafindan onaylanmis sinirlari disinda, eski yerlesim dokusunu gosteren belgelerden de yararlanilarak belir­lenmistir. Bergama'da 2005 yilinda. 2003 ve 2004 yilla­rinda gerceklestirilen alan calismalarinda oldu­gu gibi Bergama Cayinin iki yakasinda, iki ayri grup tarafindan catisma gerceklestirilmistir. 6-17 Eylul 2005 tarihleri arasinda 7 kisilik ekip­le toplam 100 yapi adasinda calisilmis, 713'u anit olmak uzere, 814 adet envanter formu hazirlanmistir. 102 yapinin plan krokisi yapil­mis, 4440 adet dijital fotograf cekilmistir. Boy­lece 2003 yilindan itibaren, uc yillik envanter calismasi sonucunda 160'i yerlesme, 1501'i anit envanteri olmak uzere, toplam 1661 adet envanter formu hazirlanmis, 390 adet plan krokisi yapilmis ve 9718 adet dijital fotograf cekilmistir. kultur varliktan envanter calismasin­da, konutlarin yapim tarihleri ve mimari ozel­likleri bir arada degerlendirildiginde Berga­ma'daki konut mimarisinin gelisim sureci or­taya cikmaktadir. 2005 yilina ait alan calisma­sinda, nitelikli ve korunmaya deger Cumhuri­yet devri konut yapilarinin, onceki yillarda cali­silan alanlardakinden daha yogun olarak yer aldigi saptanmistir. Geleneksel kent dokusunun yeni yapilasma alanlariyla birlestigi yerdeki yogun yok edilisi­ne bagli olarak, kultur varligi sayisi azaldigin­dan, Bergama kentsel kultur varliklari evanteri ongorulenden daha once tamamlanmis bu­lunmaktadir. Envanteri yapilan kultur varliklari sayisi, mevcut tescilli yapi sayisinin yaklasik uc katidir. Bergama kentsel kultur varliklari envanteri dogrultusunda, alanlarinin bo­yutlarinda ve niteliklerinde degisiklikler yapil­masi gerekecektir. 2003 yilinda baslayan Bergama kentsel kultur varliklari envanter calismasi 2004 yilinda de­vam etmis ve 2005 yilinda sonuclanmistir. En­vanterlerin Kultur-Kitap veritabanina aktaril­masi ise 2006 yilinda tamamlanmistir.

Because of the numerous types of world heritage that currently exist, UNESCO divides them into four categories: cultural heritage, natural heritage, cultural and heritage dual heritage, and cultural landscape heritage. Taiwan’s Cultural Heritage Preservation Act stipulates that tangible cultural heritage include monuments, historic buildings, commemorative buildings, groups of buildings, archaeological sites, historic sites, cultural landscapes, antiquities, and natural landscapes and natural monuments, whereas its intangible cultural heritage include traditional performing arts, traditional craftsmanship, oral traditions and expressions, folklore, and traditional knowledge and practices. Because of continually increasing tasks associated with cultural heritage management, this study adopted research approaches such as compilation of relevant laws and regulations and interviews with managers to identify their needs in managing cultural heritage. This study posited that digital-based information management is highly conductive to managing cultural heritage. Thus, a dynamic cultural heritage management system was developed to help managers perform various heritage preservation and management-related work. The proposed system enables digitalizing related documents to facilitate their preservation, provides diversified functions that allow managers to conduct remote interactive management, and enables establishing various economical monitoring functions. This study used actual cases of cultural heritage preservation and input data collected from various management tasks into the proposed management system. Accordingly, the management functions of the system were verified successfully. The proposed system can help relevant departments manage cultural heritage, diminish the occurrence of problems concerning heritage management, reduce unnecessary waste of resources, and elevate the management quality of monuments and historical buildings.

The project demonstrates the use of modern technologies for preservation and presentation of the cultural and historical heritage. The idea is a database of cultural and historical heritage sites to be created applying threedimensional laser scanning technology and a combination of geodetic and photogrammetric methods and shooting techniques. For the purposes of carrying out this project, we have focused on some heritage sites in the central part of Sofia. We decided to include these particular buildings because of the fact that there is hardly another city in the world where within a radius of 400 m are located four temples of different religions - Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic. In the recent years, preservation of cultural heritage has been increasingly linked to objectives of sustainable development. Today, it has become clear that cultural heritage is also an economic resource that should be used for further economic development (through compulsory preservation of its authentic cultural values). There has been a more active public debate on the role of cultural heritage, regarding the following topics: improving the quality of life through development of cultural tourism, leading to an increase of the employment rate, constantly improving the business climate, etc. Cultural heritage preservation is becoming one of the priority objectives of the urban development policy. The focus has been shifted to new ways of preservation, mainly combinations of sophisticated technological solutions and their application for the purposes of preservation and dissemination of the cultural heritage.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to overview the current state of affairs of the Indian heritage treasures, which are being identified, restored, preserved and promoted by various organizations at national and international levels with an emphasis on its documentation aspect. Lack of information about the heritage sites, structures and its significance, especially unprotected and unidentified, leads to its permanent loss. One of the prominent measures to safeguard from such irrevocable cultural deprivation is its documentation. Further, the study aims to examine the significant challenges associated with identifying unrevealed heritage assets of the country in the context of its preservation, documentation and promotion. As a suggestive measure, the study aims to propose the need for developing a comprehensive cultural heritage register assisted with technological aids focusing on community participation in taking stock of the heritage items they possess and enable them to effectively document.Design/methodology/approachThe present study extracts the cultural heritage data available with the UNESCO belongs to Indian heritage assets inscribed in its World Heritage portal. The collected data has been analyzed and interpreted to overview the country's recognition at the global level. The data collected from the official portal is further explored and customized to have a lucid account. The details about the organizations and institutions working on heritage conservation and preservation activities in India are also collected. A review of published literature on the related areas has also been performed to identify the issues and challenges associated with the documentation of heritage assets to support this study. The study also included the researcher’s experience in working with cultural heritage documentation.FindingsIndia holds a substantial quantity of cultural as well as natural heritage items. However, an exhaustive effort to document them at the national level is not being accomplished to its full potential. Many of the assets, inheritances or sites of cultural importance have not been fully identified, preserved or documented; hence, it is unrecalled forever once lost. Some organizations and individuals working on cultural heritage lack clarity in its function and do not follow any common standards in its documentation. For any conservation activity, documentation is prime, and the local community's support is also essential. Means of international collaboration for managing and promoting the heritage are required to be encouraged. Findings of the study demand the need for utilizing digital technologies to assist the documentation process. It emphasizes the requirement of having a web-based single window online gateway where an individual or community can dispense the knowledge and resources they possess hence contributing to heritage conservation, preservation and sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThe study limited to Indian scenario and the data on the heritage sites are collected from UNESCO's World Heritage portal. Only the documentation and promotional aspects of the cultural heritage are discussed. There are many lesser-known and unprotected cultural heritage in different parts of the country with artistic value. The unique characteristics that have not been recorded anywhere are to be documented systematically to reduce the frequency and severity of losses. The implication of the study highlights the present scenario of cultural heritage documentation in India and the need for a comprehensive heritage information gateway supported with a register facility to precisely document and retrieve.Practical implicationsAspects of culture which are inherited from the past to the present are to be preserved for future generations. Digital archives of cultural heritage and the use of digital tools to document them are effective mechanisms to protect and store the data on endangered heritage items. For any such conservation effort, documentation is its first step. Developing and facilitating access to an exclusive database of cultural heritage at risk boast its sustainability and can be enriched by the involvement of local communities. Public access to such a database would greatly support administrators, tourist departments, culture departments, development administration and conservation activists to gather the details of unprotected heritage items of the country, its present condition, risk of damage, etc. which further helps in its preservation, conservation, sustainability and promotion in a constructive manner.Originality/valueTo the authors' best knowledge, no such single and comprehensive mechanism in the country allow the individuals to contribute to the inventory list holding information about the identified, unprotected and unidentified heritage assets which are having a risk of damage, threat, decay, vulnerable, neglect, lack of use or inappropriate maintenance and development. Developing such a system with technological and data infrastructure helps to pool all the cultural heritage resources under one umbrella. It imparts the value and significance of protecting and promoting heritage inheritances and a safe haven of them from the risk of its chronic loss. The system can also support all the activities related to heritage protection and bring the local community to timely support and initiate such heritage conservation activities.

Aim: Reclamation is a complex and costly process that involves technical and biological activities aimed at restoring degraded areas for specific future uses. The effectiveness of reclamation depends on the chosen direction, which influences whether the land can immediately serve its intended function or requires further development. Beyond environmental benefits, reclamation and development efforts support economic growth, job creation, and improved quality of life, while also contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage and sustainable development. The article presents the results of literature review focusing on answering the following questions: how is cultural heritage linked to the issues of the regeneration of degraded areas and how do different forms of regeneration use cultural heritage to counteract the effects of degradation of given areas? Design / Research methods: A secondary study was conducted focusing on reviewing existing research materials, concentrated on summarizing the obtained data. Conclusions / findings: The concepts of reclamation, rehabilitation, restoration, revitalization, recultivation, and revegetation were explained. The research part focused on four approaches to heritage in the context of revitalization: cultural heritage in areas after natural disasters; cultural heritage in areas damaged by human intervention; preparations for intervention in the event of natural disasters and disasters resulting from human intervention; and cultural heritage as a means/tool ​​facilitating the regeneration of given areas. Originality / value of the article: Materials devoted to the subject of heritage are related to four different aspects. Two of them are associated with the preservation of heritage in degraded areas, the third is related to the group of remedial and preventive actions, and only a small part is devoted to heritage as a tool and its role in revitalization processes. JEL: Q01, Q56, Z10.

SUMMARY: 1. Introduction to the role of UNESCO in defining, respecting and implementing Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: a general analysis - 2. The right to participate freely in cultural life: the specific UNESCO's involvement in the field of religious rights - 3. IHL Dimension linked to UNESCO's Legislative Powers to Protect the Cultural Heritage in the Event of Armed Conflict or Occupation - 4. UNESCO's Actions to Preserve the Cultural Heritage in Syria and Iraq: A comparative framework - 5. The Legal Status of Jerusalem and the management of the Holy Places: Jerusalem in a Nutshell - 6. UNESCO's past interventions in Jerusalem: a legal basis for future interventions - 7. The Mughrabi Gate Ascent - 8. The 2008 Action Plan for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem - 9. UNESCO, Resolution 200 EX/PX/DR.25.2:“Occupied Palestine” - 10. Conclusions. ABSTRACT: The current dissertation is mainly going to analyse the original contribution of UNESCO to the development of the concept of cultural rights through the proclamation and elaboration of normative instruments and strategies concerning the right to the protection of and access to the cultural (religious) heritage in contested areas. Since 1967, UNESCO has increasingly played a dominant role in the Old city of Jerusalem: it exercised its power in the field of the preservation of cultural heritage in a contested area, not only through practical plans, but also through legislative instruments and Resolutions. A peculiar political contest is still challenging the full exercise of its powers and the applicability of the main human rights treaty dealing with the preservation of cultural heritage in a contest of competing sovereignty. The essay, drawing on UNESCO's past restoration experiences in ancient (Aleppo, 1992) and post-conflict (Iraq, 2003) areas, focuses on the conciliation role that the Agency may potentially play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.