A training course on Heritage Impact Assessments will take place October 13 – 14 in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, China.
The event has been organized in collaboration with the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region (WHITRAP), the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), UNESCO Ha Noi Office, and Viet Nam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
In recent years the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has examined a considerable number of State of Conservation Reports related to threats from various types of large-scale development activities to World Heritage properties.
The threats include infrastructure development, new buildings, urban renewal and changes in land use, some of which have been deemed insensitive or inappropriate.
The Committee has also examined threats from excessive or inappropriate tourism. Many of these activities have the potential to adversely impact the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of cultural world heritage properties, including integrity and authenticity of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.
In order to satisfactorily evaluate the potential impacts, the World Heritage Committee has suggested the governing parties concerned to conduct Heritage Impact Assessments, as stated by UNESCO World Heritage Center (whc.unesco.org/en/events/1157).
