Preservation Of Natural Heritage Research Articles

Issues of Ecological Tourism Development on the Territory of Pribaikalye

Over the past few years, Russians' interest in domestic tourism has been steadily growing. This trend is due not only to external factors, but also to the initiatives of the Russian Government and governors implemented at the federal and regional levels. Tourism is becoming a strategic resource for the development of the Russian economy. The article gives examples of regions that are leaders in eco-tourism, demonstrates data confirming the development of tourism in Russian regions. Irkutsk region is characterized by the richness of flora and fauna, diversity of specially protected natural areas (SPNA). Protected areas are represented by two federal reserves (Baikal-Lensky and Vitimsky), Pribaikalsky National Park, two wildlife sanctuaries (Tofalarsky and Krasny Yar). Also in the Irkutsk region there is a part of the territory subject to protection — Lake Baikal World Natural Heritage Site. The ecosystems of protected areas are fragile in their structure, and serious interference in their structure can lead to destruction and death. Therefore, it is important to strike a balance between the development of tourism infrastructure and the preservation of natural heritage. In the world practice ecological tourism is a tool that allows designing modern ecological centers of international scale. This issue is particularly relevant for Pribaikalsky Krai; a number of documents at the federal and regional levels have identified the development of eco-tourism as one of the priority directions. In this context, it is very important to find such tools and mechanisms that will allow to preserve the environment for future generations, since the influx of tourists not only brings profit, but also leaves behind unfavorable consequences for the environment.

SUCCULENTS FROM THE EUPHORBIACEAE FAMILY PRESENT IN THE GREENHOUSE COLLECTION OF THE BOTANICAL GARDEN "AL. BUIA" FROM CRAIOVA

Through the collections it owns, the "Alexandru Buia" Botanical Garden contributes to the protection and preservation of natural heritage. In the greenhouses of the Craiova Botanical Garden there is a rich collection of exotic species, of great scientific and decorative value, obtained over time from seeds or cuttings in the framework of the exchange of plant material between the Botanical Garden and other similar institutions in the country or abroad. Knowing these exotic plants in all aspects and disseminating information both to specialists and to the general public is one of the objectives of a university botanical garden. Succulents represent an interesting group of plants, cultivated in the greenhouses of the Craiova Botanical Garden, of which the species from the Euphorbiaceae family are presented in this communication.

Management perspectives for ecomuseums effectiveness: a holistic approach to sociocultural development of local areas

Considering their focus on participation and sustainable tourism promotion, ecomuseums can play a crucial role in the sociocultural development of local areas. Through three exploratory case studies of Italian ecomuseums located in the Emilia-Romagna region, this study shows the emergence of three different profiles of ecomuseum development strategies: they relate to the sustainable tourism, the cultural districts, and the holistic approach to sociocultural development. These kinds of strategic profiles not only emerge in opposition to each other but can also overlap and appear jointly within different situations of ecomuseums. The final aim of this work is to reflect on the applicability of management tools to support the implementation of these strategic aspects, especially in the current scenario, in which new perspectives are emerging about the role of communities in interpreting and enhancing their tangible and intangible cultural heritage in relation to sustainable tourism and local development linked to cultural and natural heritage preservation and promotion.

The Role of Digital Design in Preserving the Integrity of the Natural Heritage

Natural heritage refers to fundamental elements such as biodiversity and natural resources. With the increasing threat of climate change, the development of infrastructure, and the deterioration of the environment, a growing need exists to protect the integrity of the world’s natural heritage. Digital design, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive displays, are technological advancements adopted by domains such as marketing and education that can offer immersive and engaging experiences that educate and inspire people to care for natural heritage. The study's objective is to explore the potential of digital design in transmitting and safeguarding natural heritage, assessing its contribution to promoting environmental consciousness. The research employs qualitative research methods to interpret digital design's role in natural heritage preservation, using empirical materials such as case studies. The secondary data collected from articles provide a descriptive analysis of digital design's role in natural heritage preservation efforts. The research investigates how digital design can create effective communication channels and promote sustainable behavior amongst the audience exposed to digital design strategies. The communication channels include extended reality platforms such as social media and other interactive forms of visual communication. This study reviews related articles and case studies and consists of a qualitative analysis. Findings begin with the past development of the digital design field, followed by current updates related to digital design and natural heritage preservation. This article contributes to the field of digital design by highlighting the growing relevance and roles of digital design concerning the protection of natural heritage.

South African academic libraries as contributors to social justice and ubuntu through community engagement

The purpose of this article is to assess the role of academic libraries as social justice and ubuntu advocates, promoters and contributors within a community engagement framework. This was a qualitative study that utilised interviews with 20 library heads and 8 focus group discussions with librarians from South African university libraries to gather data. The findings reflect that South African academic libraries’ community engagement approaches can be grouped into several themes. These include contributions to quality education, health and wellness, work and employment, food security, addressing the digital divide, environmental concerns, equality and gender equality, the preservation of national heritage and food security. With regard to social justice, there were four themes that emerged from the participants’ narratives: (1) they stated that community engagement is a deliberate social justice action; (2) community engagement was associated with a contribution to the rights to education and information access, among others; (3) they pointed to the social-redress actions of their libraries as contributing to social justice; and (4) they associated community engagement with ubuntu, which they argued is itself a social justice concept. The findings support community engagement activities as a contribution to a socially just society and ubuntu. The results confirm the need for academic libraries (and universities in general) to go beyond their traditional role of teaching, learning and research support, and participate in community engagement not only as an expected social responsibility but also as a contribution to a socially just society and development. Based on the results, this article considers social justice and ubuntu as inherent to, and not an accidental notion of, community engagement.

Rockfall Magnitude-Frequency Relationship Based on Multi-Source Data from Monitoring and Inventory

Quantitative hazard analysis of rockfalls is a fundamental tool for sustainable risk management, even more so in places where the preservation of natural heritage and people’s safety must find the right balance. The first step consists in determining the magnitude-frequency relationship, which corresponds to the apparently simple question: how big and how often will a rockfall be detached from anywhere in the cliff? However, there is usually only scarce data on past activity from which to derive a quantitative answer. Methods are proposed to optimize the exploitation of multi-source inventories, introducing sampling extent as a main attribute for the analysis. This work explores the maximum possible synergy between data sources as different as traditional inventories of observed events and current remote sensing techniques. Both information sources may converge, providing complementary results in the magnitude-frequency relationship, taking advantage of each strength that overcomes the correspondent weakness. Results allow characterizing rockfall detachment hazardous conditions and reveal many of the underlying conditioning factors, which are analyzed in this paper. High variability of the hazard over time and space has been found, with strong dependencies on influential external factors. Therefore, it will be necessary to give the appropriate reading to the magnitude-frequency scenarios, depending on the application of risk management tools (e.g., hazard zoning, quantitative risk analysis, or actions that bring us closer to its forecast). In this sense, some criteria and proxies for hazard assessment are proposed in the paper.

Adaptive Re-Use of Historic Covered Markets: A Review of Selected Cases in European Capital Cities

Adaptive re-use is essential for the sustainability of heritage buildings. It ensures cultural and socio-economic benefits through morphing conservation to the regeneration of the urban environs. The rehabilitation of historic covered markets erected in cast/wrought iron in European capitals reinforces this philosophy. Through the critical assessment of case studies on the restoration and adaptive re-use of covered markets in Malta, Spain, and Bulgaria, this paper identifies themes relevant to their conservation. Based on the Nara Document of Authenticity, the artistic, historic, social, and scientific dimensions of each heritage building were identified. The paper contributes (i) an analysis of the adaptive re-use of historic covered markets in urban conservation areas and (ii) highlights the socio-economic success of such heritage markets through minimal private investment. All the case studies involve the adaptation of former covered markets for uses associated with culinary arts and products, and in each case, a degree of tampering was observed which could be said to affect the buildings’ cultural significance in terms of authenticity. However, the new interventions were predominantly reversible and thus the overall preservation of national heritage was, in all cases, ensured and protected for posterity.

Університетські музеї і війна в Україні

The article is devoted to a preliminary analysis of the activities of university museums in wartime conditions. Since the beginning of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine in 2014, the system of higher education has undergone significant destruction. In the occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk regions and Crimea, the occupation authorities liquidated Ukrainian universities. Our state suffered not only great material losses, but also irreparable losses of a significant part of the cultural heritage accumulated and preserved by university museums. Despite the unfortunate experience of 2014, university museums were not prepared for a full-scale military invasion. No state body takes care of and purposefully does not provide funds for the maintenance and protection of such museums and their collections. Preservation of national heritage in university museums takes on a spontaneous nature and depends only on the conscious position of the university rector. In a situation of martial law, university museums and their collections in many cases were far from the first in line for attention and evacuation. Often, there was simply not enough time, people and logistical capabilities for this. In fact, all the responsibility for their preservation was voluntarily assumed by the museum workers themselves on the ground. The lack of a full-fledged legal status, which ensures standards of protection and financing, was also shown. University museums are often not registered and are not accounted for in any way. Today it is not even possible to count how many and which profiles of museums there are in higher school of Ukraine, how they work, what, how and how much they store. Using the example of the museums of two leading universities in Kyiv, the authors share their own experience of working in wartime conditions and present conclusions regarding the organization of university museology. Key words: armed aggression of the Russian Federation, education, museum, university.

Libraries in the context of National Education Policy

The article attempts to determine the role and expectations of Library and information centres in the National Education Policy 2020. Nevertheless, these expectations have not been mentioned explicitly in NEP. However, libraries with a quality collection and digital resources must impart quality education. Lifelong learning, preservation of national heritage, and developing a reading culture are a few areas where NEP has highlighted the importance of libraries. Furthermore, through embedded librarianship, library professionals must explore the additional areas where they can contribute to making higher education more robust and meaningful. Finally, the paper exhorts that the higher education sector libraries must be developed as research support and student support centres and play a role of responsible custodianship.

From the History of Monumental Protection Affairs in Ukraine: Issues of Cultural Policy and Preservation of National Heritage

From the History of Monumental Protection Affairs in Ukraine: Issues of Cultural Policy and Preservation of National Heritage

SUPERVISION OF MUSEUM ACTIVITY

Supervision of museums should be perceived taking into account both specific regulations: addressed directly to museums, particularly in the Act on Museums, as well as general regulations assuming supervision mechanisms in different respects, e.g., construction process or HR. This complex perspective: systemic and normative, is essential not only with respect to the supervision in a narrow basic meaning of the term, associated in the first place with an inspection of the supervised entity and application of respective executive actions, e.g., undertaken in the form of administrative decisions, but also the supervision in a broader perspective, understood as a whole range of support provided to a museum, including issuing recommendations, evaluations, and opinions important for its operation. In the context of ‘external’ supervision implemented by appropriate organs and entities, the following are of basic importance: the museum’s organiser (founder) supervision, constituting one of the organiser’s basic statutory responsibilities, as well as the supervision of the minister responsible for culture and preservation of national heritage, with respect to e.g., the preservation and care of historic monuments and museum operations; additionally, it is the matter of conservation supervision performed by Voivodeship Conservators of Historic Monuments as organs specialized in the preservation and care of historic monuments, the latter constituting, e.g., museum collections. As for the ‘internal’ supervision aspects, the role of museum councils, obligatory in public museums (state ones or organised by local governments), needs to be emphasized. Their statutory responsibility is to e.g., supervise how museums fulfil their responsibilities with respect to the collection and the public, in particular how they fulfil the goals as specified in Art.1 of the Act on Museums. The questions of supervision are also important for non-public museums (their founders) which in the event of violating either the Act’s provisions or their own charter have to be prepared that supervisory activities might be applied to them, up to the ban on their further operations.

Preservación del medio natural en los Reales Sitios del entorno de Madrid

El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la importancia que los Reales Sitios de la Comunidad de Madrid y de la provincia de Segovia tienen en la preservación de los territorios situados alrededor de sus palacios y que tienen un gran valor ecológico. El interés de los Reales Sitios como patrimonio histórico, artístico y turístico ha sido estudiado por numerosos investigadores; sin embargo, es menos conocida y estudiada su importancia en la conservación del patrimonio natural. Al tener un alto grado de protección ejercen de freno en la expansión urbanística, limitando el sellado del suelo y conservando el medio natural y la diversidad biológica. A pesar de la presión demográfica ejercida por Madrid, con un importante crecimiento de población en los últimos cincuenta años, que ha conducido a una expansión del suelo urbanizado, estos lugares siguen manteniendo gran parte de su espacio natural original. Aun así, el sellado ha fragmentado algunos territorios, por lo que se ha roto la conectividad entre estos Reales Sitios, lo que se observa claramente en las imágenes de satélite.

АНГЛІЙСЬКІ АНТИКВАРІЇ В ІСТОРІОГРАФІЧНІЙ ТРАДИЦІЇ

The history of English antiquarianism is particular importance in the study of the process of formation of national identity and the preservation of national heritage. The purpose of the article is to analyze and systematize the corpus of historiographical works on the problems of history and historiography of English antiques, to define the role of the Society of Antiquaries of London in the formation of British identity and patriotism. Scientific tasks of the article are to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the historiographic works on the problems of the origin and formation of the English tradition of antiquity and antiquities, to outline the main stages of the formation of the oldest society of antiques. The novelty and degree of development follows from the fact that today in Ukrainian historical science there are no generalizing works on the history and historiography of English antiquaries and the London Society of Antiquaries. However, there is a corpus of historiographical works on the individual components of this complex problem. The antiquarian classes of the eighteenth century cannot be dismissed as unconvincing dilettantism, detached from modern life, or confronting the spirit of the Enlightenment. Antiquarianism was of great importance, both in practical and cultural life in Britain. It embodied the nostalgia of years past for those who feared the coming changes, but equally it could serve as an illustration of the past, demonstrating the progress of the present and the unquestionable superiority of the modern century over the backwardness of past times. At the same time, antiquaries made a clear contribution to the formation of British identity and famous English patriotism. Their merits in the field of culture and the arts are also difficult to overestimate: they contributed to the development of the printing business, the art of book design, and infected their enthusiasm with artists, painters, engravers who, through them, became passionate fans of the medieval past of Britain.

Let the River Flow: Fighting a Dam in Communist Hungary

Faced with communist Czechoslovakia and Hungary’s 1977 scheme to construct a diversion canal and hydroelectric dam system on the Danube, a movement gradually arose in Hungary to fight the plan. This national dissident campaign, which started with discussion groups and technical articles, not only brought in an extraordinary cross-section of opinion and background—united around the preservation of natural heritage—but played a key part in the rebirth of a lively civic society within a long repressed political and intellectual culture. The story of this movement’s arguments, strategies, and ultimate success is both a key story in the decay and collapse of communist rule in Hungary, but a case study in how a non-western European/American approach to the politics of preservation can rally support and achieve consensus.

Identification of Marginal Landscapes as Support for Sustainable Development: GIS-Based Analysis and Landscape Metrics Assessment in Southern Italy Areas

Landscape is increasingly characterized by a multifaced nature. In scientific literature and landscape governance, new landscape definitions are often coined to explain new meanings and to define specific intervention strategies and tools. The present study purposes a framework for the identification of hybrid landscapes as support for land-use planners, which aim to guarantee development opportunities as well as natural heritage preservation and valorization. “Marginal lands” were identified starting from EU Directives and scientific approaches, by means of multicriteria analysis. Different scenarios were built: (1) no-change; (2) energy crops; (3) green infrastructures. An ecosystem services approach, via landscape metrics analysis, was used to compare the possible effects of scenarios. About 20% of the study area, an internal area of the southern Apennines, was identified as suitable for land-use change in a medium-short time, and scenarios of land-use changes show a better condition, in terms of fragmentation, than as a current asset. Results showed the strategic role and potentialities of marginal lands, as a trade-off between nature conservation and development issues, suggesting new opportunities for green infrastructures and a renewable energies chain. The study allowed for deepening the close connection among landscape planning approaches, land use change scenarios building and environmental assessment, focused on the ex-ante evaluation stage.

ОСОБО ОХРАНЯЕМЫЕ ПРИРОДНЫЕ ТЕРРИТОРИИ И КОРЕННЫЕ НАРОДЫ: СПОСОБЫ РЕШЕНИЯ КОНФЛИКТОВ В СРАВНЕНИИ МЕЖДУ БРИТАНСКОЙ КОЛУМБИЕЙ (КАНАДА) И ПРИМОРСКИМ КРАЕМ (РОССИЯ)

Целью создания особо охраняемых природных территорий (ООПТ) является сохранение природного наследия. Населяющие их коренные малочисленные народы, занятые охотой, рыболовством и оленеводством, сильно зависят от природных условий. Любые изменения территории, связанные с промышленным воздействием или коммерческой деятельностью, затрагивают экономику коренных народов. При этом зачастую коренное население имеет свою точку зрения на то, как надо сохранять природу. Поэтому между местным населением и администрацией ООПТ часто возникают конфликты. Причинами взаимного недопонимания может быть отсутствие четких границ внутри территории, охраняемой государством, а также то, что местные жители вынуждены покидать охотничьи угодья и лишаться возможности заниматься традиционными промыслами. Более того, местные жители тяжело воспринимают новые ограничения психологически, поскольку «это всегда была территория предков». После организации ООПТ появляются туристы, не знакомые с местными традициями. На территориях проживания коренного населения есть священные места, при посещении которых необходимо соблюдать определенные нормы. Многие проблемы зависят от региона, но есть и общие: незаконные вырубки, браконьерские охота и рыболовство, неконтролируемый туризм. В данной статье рассмотрены более и менее успешные варианты опыта соуправления природными территориями.

Cultural Policy - Significant Challenges of the Georgian Government

The paper examines and discusses the role and place of culture in the formation of a modern peaceful environment based on the study of empirical material. Culture is presented - as the World’s Sustainable Development – in the field of economical activation and empowerment of social and environmental components; the importance of Georgian culture and its interconnection with tourism, as it fosters the promotion, and at the same time, draws a special interest toward the cultural tourism. This creates a common promotion of cultural tourism and contributes to the preservation of cultural heritage, the establishment of harmony and mutual understanding between people; is studied the development of cultural tourism attractions. Georgia's example demonstrates the importance of UNESCO-led projects and collaborations on unique cultural features; it aims to preserve the history of statehood and its originality, respect independence and faiths, etc., thus, promoting them in the world. The data presented in the paper show that with the active involvement of the authorities the current year (2019), (despite the problem in the country’s tourism sector) the positive trend of the increasing number of visitors has been maintained in the protected areas of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture. The paper examines the efforts of Georgian authorities to create a certain environment and a fertile ground for the preservation of national heritage, cultural diversity and its new perceptions, the development of creative activities and the diversification of cultural life.

QUATERNARY DEPOSITS AND GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE GREEN BELT OF FENNOSCANDIA

The article provides a brief description of the main genetic types of Quaternary deposits and landforms within the GBF, with respect to special features of the territory associated with a significant stretch from North to South. In terms of its geomorphological structure, the territory falls into four parts which differ significantly in relief structure and composition of Quaternary deposits. Glacial, glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits of the last Scandinavian Late Valdai/Weichselian glaciations, with thickness ranging from 0 to 60 meters and mean values of 3-10 meters, prevail in the structure of the Quaternary cover. Holocene deposits are represented by peat, lacustrine, alluvial and seismo-gravita-tional sediments. The latter are developed locally within paleoseismic displacements. Continental ice was retreating from the study area from the end of the Allerod (12.3-11.3 Ka B. P.) to the beginning of the Preboreal time (10-9.5 Ka B. P.), wherefore modern landforms were shaped by various processes at different times, leading to a high variety of genetic types of Quaternary deposits and landforms. Earthquakes occurred in some moving parts of the GBF territory in postglacial time as a result of glacial isostatic equilibrium, leaving behind numerous evidence of paleoseismic displacements. The unique geological nature monuments in each of the four parts require further detailed study. It is of high relevance in connection with the special interest in borderland and protected areas, the ongoing development of a number of environmental protection and natural heritage preservation measures.

Geotourism potentials of the National Park “Mali i Tomorrit”

Natural heritage includes objects, landscapes, ecosystems, special, rare, endemic, or endangered from extension habitats. This is the reason they are strictly preserved and protected, clearly and definitely stipulated in special laws. According to the classification of IUCN, six categories of protected areas exist in Albania, stipulated in Law No. 8906, date 06.06.2002 “On protected areas”. Based on the classification system, the National Park “Mali i Tomorrit” is declared as second category protected area, whereas the natural monuments within the park belong to the third category. The National Park “Mali iTomorrit” is situated east of the town Berat, Albania and northwest of towns of Çorovodë and Poliçan. The natural resources of the Tomorr Park include geological, geomorphological, tourist, flora and ecological values.This research examines the tourist riches of the National Park “Mali i Tomorrit”, which is composed of a large extent of high tourist level. There are hydro monuments in the park, such as the springs of Kerpica (Gramsh Municipality), Becke or Sotira Waterfall, whereas bio monuments are “Rrobull of Kulmake” and the Plane Tree of Lubeshe. Among the geo-monuments situated within the park, of special importance are the Cave of Kapinova, Pit Cave of Tomorr, Pit Cave of Uvlën (Well of Ramija), Pit Cave of Katafiq, Pit Cave of Kakruka, Pit Cave Prosek, Ice Circles of Tomorr, Moraine of Ujanik, Hole of Dragon, Cal of Kulmak, etc.The goal of this research is to investigate the attractive, marvelous peculiarities of the geo-monuments that are situated within the park, which create a pleasant and amusing environment, as if in a wonder world. An analysis of the park's diversity of riches is made, making it unique for the values it possesses.The research focuses also on the indiscriminate interventions for exploitation of the natural riches in this protected area. The bad tradition in the last twenty years has created problems related to exploitation of decorative stone, as well as forests and grazing land within the territory of the park.The research seeks to draw attention towards management and preservation of natural heritage in order to promote the potential of tourism. The resources used in this investigation include documentations, and consultations with specialists of the field and agency of the protected area in Berat, on site expeditions etc.

Settler Postcolonial Ecologies and Native Species Regeneration on Banks Peninsula, Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACTThe 2050 Ecological Vision for Banks Peninsula, New Zealand is ‘to create an environment in which the community values, protects and cares for the biodiversity, landscape and special character of Banks Peninsula’. Its aspirational goals point to the peninsula conservation trust’s vision for success on the moral horizons of land and place. These horizons stretch visually from the volcanic crater ridgelines to the outer coastal bays and the sea beyond. Temporally they span 175 years of cultural encounters of peoples and biota, and reveal community-based strategies designed to support thriving biodiversity on land that has been used primarily for production. This article draws on the event, textual and interview data as well as fieldwork conducted in 2015 during the 175th anniversary of organised European settlement. Settler pasts and presents are negotiated in natural heritage preservation through the restoration of native flora and fauna in natural areas and protected connectivity corridors. A settler postcolonial ecology for these hill country lands is committed to the simultaneous conservation of biological and cultural diversity in which indigenous flora and fauna, landscapes and people, are irreversibly hybridised, and endemic species become constitutive of a postcolonial national identity in Aotearoa New Zealand.