World Heritage Cultural Landscapes

Abstract

UNESCO was the first United Nations agency to recognize landscapes at a global scale, notably through the 1962 Recommendation on the Beauty and Character of Landscapes and Sites as well as the 1972 World Heritage Convention. In 1992, “Cultural Landscapes” became a new category on the World Heritage List as combined works of nature and of humankind: Cultural Landscapes illustrate a specific relation between people and nature and often reflect techniques of sustainable land use, fostering strong links between communities, culture and their environment. The UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize took up the definitions of Cultural Landscapes as adopted by the World Heritage Committee. It brings forward outstanding examples of safeguarding the world’s major cultural landscapes and offers a unique opportunity to share good practices from different parts of the world. The chapter explores synergies between the World Heritage Cultural Landscapes in the Asia-Pacific and other global and regional designations including designated sites of UNESCO programmes (Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO Global Geoparks), FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) and others. As cultural landscapes are often large in scale and face numerous threats including diverse pressures and climate change, synergies with other programmes can assist in addressing these challenges.