"World Heritage Cultural Landscapes. A Handbook for Conservation and Management"

ENGLISH VERSION

16 April 2010

To: Permanent Delegations and National Commissions of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention

Subject : World Heritage paper n°26: "World Heritage Cultural Landscapes. A Handbook for Conservation and Management".

Madam/Sir,
I am pleased to inform you that World Heritage paper n°26: "World Heritage Cultural Landscapes. A handbook for Conservation and Management" is now available.
World Heritage Cultural Landscapes, a category adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 1992, has been, in a way, the precursor of the considerations of the Global Strategy for a balanced and representative World Heritage List of 1994, and of the major considerations by expert groups and the World Heritage Committee in bringing nature and culture closer together in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

This concept demonstrated a major change in the interpretation of this global conservation instrument that is the World Heritage Convention:
- an opening towards cultures in regions other than Europe (and specifically Pacific, Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa);
- a recognition of the non-monumental character of the heritage of cultural landscapes;
- the acknowledgement of the links between cultural and biological diversity, specifically with sustainable land-use.
"World Heritage Cultural Landscapes. A Handbook for Conservation and Management" fulfils a need identified by the World Heritage Committee and many site managers, as it specifically examines the particular issues involved in managing cultural landscapes of outstanding universal value.

This book is directed especially towards two groups of experts and officials: those preparing nominations and those managing cultural landscapes already inscribed on the World Heritage List. More generally, this publication will help to promote good practice in the management of all cultural landscapes, using World Heritage listed and potential cultural landscapes as examples.
The English version of the book is hereby transmitted to all Permanent Delegations and National Commissions of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention who are subscribed to English-reading distribution lists in the centralized UNESCO mailing system.

The French version of the book is currently under preparation. The completion of translation and printing is tentatively foreseen for the end of October 2010 (due to the heavy workload related to the production of the documents for the World Heritage Committee). In the meantime, States Parties subscribed to French-reading distribution lists may access the English version on-line, for information: click here.