Tourist-recreational impact on the Moscow–St. Petersburg macroregion: a multi-scale assessment using Big Data

Globalization has created new challenges and threats. The article identifies threats and challenges of globalization that have the most devastating effect on cultural and natural heritage. It analyzes efforts of the international community to minimize them. The article studies economic, foreign policy, environmental and cultural threats to the world cultural heritage. Heritage sites can be destroyed as a result of environmental and technological challenges, extremist movements and wars, uncontrolled urbanization, predatory exploitation of nature and cultural objects for commercial purposes, and rapid development of international tourism. All these factors have a negative impact on cultural and natural heritage sites. The problem of protection of natural and cultural heritage is of institutional and documentary nature. The UNESCO international organization deals with World Heritage issues, compiling a list of endangered objects of cultural and natural significance. It combines international efforts to preserve and popularize them because of their special cultural, historical or environmental significance. Damage or extinction of cultural objects is tragic for the world heritage. Due to new dangers, the entire international community must participate in the protection of the natural and cultural heritage sites. Problems that cause irreparable harm to the world heritage are due to human activities. It is necessary to develop measures that could be a response to the problems of cultural heritage protection in the context of globalization. It is necessary to make people respect cultural and natural heritage and inform them about dangers threatening cultural objects.

Toward sustainable urban growth: Spatial modeling for the impact of cultural and natural heritage on city growth and their role in developing sustainable tourism

İnsanoğlu tarihi süreçte çok sayıda somut kültürel değer ortaya koymuş, bunların bir kısmı günümüze ulaşmış, bir kısmı da çeşitli sebeplerden dolayı ulaşamamıştır. Bunlardan insanlığın ortak geçmişinin bir parçası olan kültür değerlerine Dünya Mirası denilmektedir. UNESCO 1972 yılından beri tüm insanlığın ortak değeri kabul edilebilecek kültürel ve doğal miras alanlarını, Dünya Mirası Listesi’ne almakta ve bu alanların korunması için çalışmaktadır. UNESCO Dünya Kültür Mirası Listesi çalışmasıyla, insanlığın kaybetmek üzere olduğu değerleri tekrar görünür ve kalıcı kılarak önemli bir görevi yerine getirmektedir. 2019 yılı itibariyle UNESCODünya Mirası Listesi’nde 1121 miras bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Türk Devletleri Teşkilatı’nda yer alan ülkelerin sahip olduğu kültürel ve doğal miraslar UNESCO’nun belirlemiş olduğu on temel kriter üzerinden istatistiksel ve betimsel analiz yöntemleri kullanılarak ele alınmıştır. Böylelikle Dünya Kültür Mirası Listesi’nde yer alan Türk dünyasının kültürel ve doğal miraslarının bir arada ele alınması, farkındalık oluşturacak bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır.

The paper deals with the relationship between the presence of world heritage sites in a country and the volume of international tourist arrivals and international tourism receipts. World heritage sites are unique tourist attractions with enhanced attention paid to their protection, preservation and sustainability. The paper analyses whether the needs of sustainability can be harmonised with the requirements of a profitable and successful tourism sector, by statistical analysis of data about world heritage sites and tourism performance, for 129 countries of the world from 2014 to 2017. The results show that both cultural and natural world heritage sites are generally strong attractions for tourists and can contribute to increased arrivals and receipts. Cultural sites were found to have higher impact on arrivals, while natural heritage sites seemed to have more impact on receipts, which suggest, that visitors of natural world heritage sites are usually higher spenders, than tourists visiting cultural sites. Countries widely differ, however, in this respect by their geographical locations. Countries in Europe and Latin-America & the Caribbean region benefit most from cultural world heritage sites, while African, and North American countries experienced the benefits of natural world heritage sites more. The general level of development measured by per capita GNI also mattered for the less developed areas, but not so much for developed regions that possess a suitable level of infrastructure, health and education, and living standards.

Heritage management is employed by many countries to facilitate site development as well as to assist in the preservation of heritage. Heritage management is particularly complex because public and private, and sometimes local communities are involved. Despite the fact that some literature is devoted to the protection and management of heritage sites, little research has compared the management practices between natural and cultural heritage and detailed comparative studies that are undertaken from this perspective are rare. Thus this study can be considered as one of the few, internationally, and possibly the first, locally, that compares the management process in the two main types of heritage: cultural and natural. Specifically, this study focuses on two main aspects of the management process, namely: the administrative and heritage legal system and local community involvement, aspects that have not been investigated in any prior research in Jordan. The study selected two case studies from Jordan: Umm Qais as a cultural heritage and Ajloun Forest Reserve as a natural heritage. The researchers adopted two methods in order to collect the required data. Personal interviews and direct observation were carried out at the archaeological site of Umm Qais as a cultural heritage site and Ajloun Forest Reserve as a natural heritage site. The study reveals that while Ajloun Forest Reserve is putting a lot of effort to manage its natural heritage, the main aim at Umm Qais is to attract more tourists. The study establishes that the heritage legal and administrative system in Ajloun forest reserve is stronger than the system applied at the archaeological site of Umm Qais, and that local community involvement is more well rooted in Ajloun Forest Reserve management policies than in Umm Qais. However implementing integrated legislation and involving the local community helps heritage managers towards public action and thoughts. Thus, this study may aid heritage operators to improve their policies in regard of heritage management.

Goal and objectives of the dissertation GoalTo develop and test a model explaining cultural consumption in an island economy.

In recent decades, the concept of cultural heritage has evolved into one that encompasses an understanding of the history of humanity, together with scientific knowledge and intellectual attitudes. This changing concept has prompted a subsequent re-evaluation of what constitutes the outstanding universal values of World Heritage sites and the operational methods for implementing the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The scope has broadened from studying a single monument in isolation to one that values a multidimensional, multiregional, and inter-disciplinary approach and encapsulates vast spans of human history. Within this broader view, landslides and more generally slope instabilities are an important factor endangering cultural heritage sites, especially prehistoric sites, earth/rock monuments, and archaeological sites affected by environmental processes and degradation. Natural and cultural heritage sites, as well as cultural landscapes, are then tied into a common framework that the Geological Society of America has defined “Men’s legacy to Earth and Earth’s legacy to Man”. On the other hand, not too much effort has been expended in the past to develop conservation policies systematically integrating geological, geomorphological, and engineering geological aspects into daily practices. The purpose of the “LAndslides and CUltural & Natural HEritage” thematic Network (LACUNHEN) is to create a platform for scientists and practitioners who are ready to jointly contribute to safeguarding relevant endangered Natural and Cultural Heritage sites (e.g., Machu Picchu). They will share and disseminate their respective experience, demonstrating how these special “objects” require approaches, techniques, and solutions that go far beyond traditional civil engineering perspectives.

The role of the archeological and cultural heritage sites in the process of urban regeneration in UNESCO’s protected areas becomes more and more important for the natural and cultural heritage protection in the touristic cities with urban expansion. However, there is no clear methodological approach for the inclusion of these important natural and cultural heritage sites in the process of urban regeneration of the cities. The purpose of this study is to analyze how two contemporary urban planning tools, sustainable urban mobility plans and heritage impact assessments, contribute to the protection and sustainable use of archeological sites. The methodology that is used in this study is dual, theoretical, through literature review, and empirical, through the appliance of the case study method and expert observation and mapping of the most valuable archeological sites in Boka Bay. The results of this study show that practical usage of the two proposed tools in the process of urban regeneration could help in cultural and natural heritage protection and their inclusion as drivers of sustainable urban planning and cultural heritage management. The results of the study confirm the authors’ hypothesis that the role of the archeological sites in the process of urban regeneration is evident in the touristic cities in the coastal area of Montenegro, concluding that urban mobility principles and heritage impact assessment studies must be considered in the process of urban regeneration while at the same time cultural (archeological) heritage management is an integral part of this process.

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. …

Tourists' interests in traveling to natural and cultural heritage sites of different destinations in the quest for authenticity have fueled the growth of the cultural tourism industry in such economies. The purpose of the present study is to broaden the understanding of authenticity's various interpretations in the cultural tourism consumption context. Data were collected at 10 selected cultural and natural heritage sites in the island of Mauritius. Structural equation modeling was employed on a total sample of 600 tourists after a pretest. Path analysis was used to examine the effect of felt authenticity on tourists' intentions to consume cultural heritage attractions. Results indicated that the issue of authenticity is fundamental in destinations hosting unique natural and cultural resources increasingly sought by the modern traveler. The study enriches the theoretical and practical contributions of felt authenticity as a determinant of tourists' intentions to consume cultural authenticity in small island destinations.

CHERISH is a currently ongoing project funded in Spetember 2019 by Erasums+, the European Programme aimed at promoting the development of innovative tools, products, services and policies in the field of education, training and lifelong learning. The project operates in the field of transnational cooperation for innovation, exchange of good practices and strategic partnerships dedicated to Vocational Education and Training (VET). In particular, CHERISH is dedicated to the sustainable valorization of Cultural and Natural Heritage that can be considered, as a whole, as Non-Reproducible Goods (NRGs). The aim of the project is to develop an original integrated, interactive and multidisciplinary educational path, based on the best practices and policies as well as on the state of the art of technical-scientific knowledge acquired by several actors of the European scene related to the NRGs. The project activities are performed, indeed, by a partnership of six institutions, including research bodies, universities, NGOs and SMEs, coming from the four European Members States hosting the largest number of UNESCO Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites (Italy, France, Spain and Greece) and from another EU Country that is currently very proactive in the field of sustainable tourism (Bulgaria). Especially in this unfortunate period of war, attention to scientific collaboration and sustainbale valorization of Cultural and Environmental World Heritage it is an even more strategic asset for preserving the values of humanity. At present, all the educational products foreseen in the project have been developed and they will be discussed in the presentation, by highlighting their potential value as transnational implementation tools to promote the sustainable management of NRGs in the field of applied learning and teaching in the VET system. Particular attention will be paid to present and critically discuss the two education programs developed in the form of 'Open Education Resources' (OER) and aimed, respectively, at presenting the basic principles of sustainable valorization of NRGs (namely IO2 Program) and the state of the art tools designed to operationally preserve NRGs (IO3 Program). The IO2 program introduces the main features of NRGs (such as the UNESCO macro-areas of intervention) and presents them in the light of their interaction with the three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental, social and economic), by highlighting how virtuous interactions between BNRs and each of them may give rise to a different type of sustainable tourism (ecotourism, responsible tourism and developmental tourism, respectively). The IO3 program is dedicated, instead, to present the main technologies, policies and approaches aimed at preserving and sustainably managing NRGs. It is organized in three didactic modules, each dedicated to one of the three UNESCO macro-areas of intervention in the NRG sector, namely: Cultural Heritage, Natural Heritage and Mixed Cultural and Natural Heritage. Actions are presented in the form of 'intervention tools' and are distinguished and organized as a function of three types operational parameters that allow to present in an inclusive way all the different types of actions that concur to the sustainable valorization of NRGs. Finally the main contents of the IO4 professionalizing program dedicated to the use of Geographic Information Systems for the integrated territorial management of NRGs will be presented as well.

Tourism and recreational activities may play an important role in the conservation and sustainable management of natural ecosystems and cultural heritage sites. Local, domestic and international visitors, however, often differ in their cultural preferences as well as in the spatial distribution of their visitation patterns. The investigation of such differences is usually achieved through surveys, which are time- and resource-intensive and often impractical at large scales. This study takes an alternative approach, analysing metadata of 8,245 geotagged photographs of the Usumacinta floodplain, a 25,000 km2 coastal region with one of the highest biological and cultural diversities in Mexico. The results provide insights on the spatial distribution of cultural ecosystem services and historical heritage tourism and recreation that are enjoyed by local, domestic and international visitors to the Usumacinta floodplain. Specifically, we find that culturally tagged photographs taken by international visitors tend to be concentrated in correspondence to famous archaeological sites such as the Mayan ruins of Palenque, while local and domestic visitors are more widespread within the floodplain. International visitors are 1.5 to 2.1 times more likely than, respectively, domestic and local visitors to take and upload photographs of historical cultural heritage sites, whereas local inhabitants are 2.2 and 2.5 times more likely than international visitors to be associated with photographs reflecting aesthetic appreciation, mental health and bird-watching. We conclude monitoring and analysis of social media activity may be useful to improve the understanding of spatial patterns and different cultural benefits accrued to various segments of the population of visitors to natural and cultural heritage sites.

The rapid growth of the threat to the destruction of natural and cultural values prompted the world community to realize the need to join efforts to preserve the achievements of nature and culture. Henceforth, the importance of the factor of cooperation in international relations becomes greater. The article considers multilateral cooperation in the field of preservation of cultural and natural heritage in the Arctic. The Arctic is a territory where the interests of many states overlap, so cooperation issues are particularly important here. The Arctic region has a unique natural and cultural heritage that needs constant protection. The authors aim at analyzing the modern system of defense of the world cultural and natural heritage, developed by UNESCO. The authors mean the world heritage as the most valuable foundation, a set of artifacts of spiritual and material culture created by man, and the wealth created by nature, inherited from past generations are preserved at present and transferred to future generations. The article pays attention not only to sites already on the UNESCO World Heritage List, but also to those that are to be included on the UNESCO List. Special attention is paid to the interaction of Russia and UNESCO on the issues of identifying new sites of natural and cultural heritage in the Arctic.

Abstract. This paper presents the importance of using Earth observation to assess the impact of fire events on monitoring cultural heritage sites. The use of sensors such as Sentinel 2 can detect burnt areas in order to determine the extent of fire events on cultural heritage sites, using the fire event in Arakapas, Cyprus as a case study. Sentinel-2 is a multispectral optical sensor acquiring information in a range extending from the visible up to the short-wave infrared, which is the most sensitive spectral range for the detection of damages caused by fire. Sentinel-2 can support cultural heritage monitoring and assessment allowing rapid revisit of any site of interest using pre- and post-event images, where burned areas can be detected with change detection techniques coupled with suitable, spectral indices. Such derived products assist in quickly raising awareness on the endangerment of cultural and natural heritage sites and landscapes, emphasising the importance of Earth observation data for monitoring natural hazards for the protection of valuable cultural heritage sites.

Sustainable management and conservation of natural and cultural heritage has become a priority for governments in order to mitigate environmental degradation. This paper aims to identify a gap in Greek legislation relating to the non-inclusion of the country’s cultural and natural heritage sites in the national network of protected areas. The proposed institutional framework aims at filling this gap by redefining the meaning of protected landscape. This process outlines the relevant administrative level and specifies the procedure for designating these areas. The Parrhasian Heritage Park illustrates the concept and the benefits of protecting and managing of such areas.