Managing a World Heritage Site: Potentials and limitations of transdisciplinary approaches

Balancing the frequently conflicting priorities of conservation and economic development poses a challenge to management of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau- Aletsch World Heritage Site (WHS). This is a complex societal problem that calls for a knowledge-based solution. This in turn requires a transdisciplinary research framework in which problems are defined and solved cooperatively by actors from the scientific community and the life-world. In this article we re-examine studies carried out in the region of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch WHS, covering three key issues prevalent in transdisciplinary settings: integration of stakeholders into participatory processes; perceptions and positions; and negotiability and implementation. In the case of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch WHS the transdisciplinary setting created a situation of mutual learning among stakeholders from different levels and backgrounds. However, the studies showed that the benefits of such processes of mutual learning are continuously at risk of being diminished by the power play inherent in participatory approaches.

Swiss Alps Jungfrau Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site - The state of this World Heritage region as a starting point for regional monitoring

The UNESCO listing as World Heritage Site confirms the outstanding qualities of the high-mountain region around the Great Aletsch Glacier. The region of the World Heritage Site now faces the responsibility to make these qualities visible and to preserve them for future generations. Consequently the qualities of the site must not be regarded in isolation but in the context of the entire region with its dynamics and developments. Regional monitoring is the observation and evaluation of temporal changes in target variables. It is thus an obligation towards UNESCO, who demands regular reports about the state of the listed World Heritage assets. It also allows statements about sustainable regional development and can be the basis for early recognition of threats to the outstanding qualities. Monitoring programmes face three major challenges: first, great care must be taken in defining the target qualities to be monitored or the monitoring would remain vague. Secondly, the selection of ideal indicators to describe these qualities is impeded by inadequate data quality and availability, compromises are inevitable. Thirdly, there is always an element of insecurity in the interpretation of the results as to what influences and determines the changes in the target qualities. The first survey of the monitoring programme confirmed the exceptional qualities of the region and also highlighted problematic issues.

Managing a World Heritage Site – Potentials and Limitations of Transdisciplinary Approaches

Management of the World Heritage Site Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch is challenged by the interplay of conservation and economic development. This is a situation where a knowledge-based solution is sought for a complex societal problem. This sets the frame for transdisciplinary research where the problem is defined and solved cooperatively by actors from science and the life-world. In this paper we re-examine studies carried out in the region of the WHS Jungfrau-Aletsch and reveal the issue of integration into participation, the issue of perceptions and positions as well as the issue of negotiability and implementation as key issues prevalent in transdisciplinary settings. The transdisciplinary setting in the case of the WHS Jungfrau-Aletsch constructs a situation of mutual learning among stakeholders from different levels and backgrounds. However, the positive effects of mutual learning are continuously challenged by the power play inherent in participatory approaches.

The investigation of energy efficiency measures in the traditional buildings in Oporto World Heritage Site

Background The improvement of energy efficiency in buildings is widely promoted as a measure to mitigate climate change through the reduction of CO2 emissions. Thermal regulations worldwide promote it, for both new and existing buildings. Among the existing stock, traditional and historic buildings pose the additional challenge of heritage conservation. Their energy efficiency upgrade raises the risk of provoking negative impacts on their significance. Aims and Methodology This research used an approach based on impact assessment methodologies, defining an inital baseline scenario for both heritage and energy, from which the appropriate improvement solutions were identified and assessed. The measures were dynamically simulated and the results for energy, CO2, cost and comfort compared with the initial scenario, and then being further assessed for their heritage impact to eventually determine the most feasible solutions. To test this method, ten case studies, representative of the identified typological variants, were selected among Oporto’s traditional buildings located in the World Heritage Site. Findings and Conclusions The fieldwork data revealed that the energy consumption of these dwellings was below the European average. Additionally, the households expressed that their home comfort sensation was overall positive. The simulations showed that the introduction of insulation and solar thermal panels were ineffective on these cases in terms of energy, cost and comfort. At the same time, these measures pose a great risk to the buildings heritage value. The most efficient solutions were obtained from behavioural changes and DHW retrofit. The study reinforced the idea that traditional buildings performed better than expected and can be retrofitted and updated at a low-cost and with passive solutions. The use of insulation and solar panels should be disregarded.

Community, connection and conservation: Intangible cultural values in natural heritage - the case of Shirakami-sanchi World Heritage area

Intangible cultural heritage, according to a UNESCO definition, is 'the practices, representations, expressions as well as the knowledge and skills that communities, groups and in some cases individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage'. Using a case study of Shirakami-sanchi World Heritage Area, this paper illustrates how the local community's conservation commitment was formed through their long-term everyday interactions with nature. Such connectivity is vital to maintaining the authentic integrity of a place that does not exclude humans. An examination of the formation of the community's conservation commitment for Shirakami reveals that it is the community's spiritual connection and place-based identity that have supported conservation, leading to the World Heritage nomination, and it is argued that the recognition of such intangible cultural heritage is vital in conservation. The challenge, then, is how to communicate such spiritual heritage today. Forms of community involvement are discussed in an attempt to answer this question.

川西地区几种优势苔藓植株元素含量及其时空差异性

揭示苔藓植株元素含量及其时空差异性是深入开展利用苔藓植物指示环境和筛选理想监测藓种的科学基础。采用微波消解（ICP-AES）方法对九寨沟自然遗产地原始林景点停车场周围三个采样带：I为停车场植被小岛（PS），向外约120 m半径为II带（D120），再向外距离约1,000 m为III带（D1000）和3个方向上的大羽藓和毛尖青藓2种苔藓中13种元素（A1, S, Ca, P, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Pb, Ni,Zn和Cd）含量进行了测定和比较，并对采自边坡方向（PS-3）上2005和2007年的4种苔藓植物（南木藓、大羽藓、平藓和厚角絹藓）也进行了13种元素含量的测定和比较。同时对九寨沟自然遗产地、黄龙自然遗产地、夹金山和梦笔山的冷杉原始林4个地区的3种苔藓中（大羽藓、锦丝藓和塔藓）的A1、Ca、Cu、Fe、K、Mg、P、Zn、C和N 10种元素含量进行测定和比较。 对大羽藓和毛尖青藓2种苔藓植物内13种元素的测定发现：1）同种苔藓对不同元素的富集能力不同。A1、Ca、K、Mg和P的元素含量在苔藓中的富集较其他元素的要高。2）不同种苔藓植物对同种元素的富集能力不同，毛尖青藓较大羽藓能够监测出更多的元素；对于被检测出的元素，毛尖青藓监测出的累积量大于大羽藓，其中累积量最大的元素是Ca为10 874.286 μg.g-1.year-1，最小的是Cu元素为5.438 μg.g-1.year-1。对05年和07年的平藓、大羽藓、南木藓和厚角絹藓元素含量的测定表明：元素在两年中的积累量是不同的。综合分析表明，苔藓生物监测方法可有效监测景点停车场机动车尾气中排放出的典型元素（如Cu、Pb、Ni、Zn、Cd等）含量，而毛尖青藓较大羽藓能更可靠的监测九寨沟自然遗产地单景点汽车尾气金属元素种类及其排放量。 对4个地区3种苔藓10种元素监测发现：1）Ca、Mg、Zn、K和Cu元素在黄龙地区的含量高于在其它地区的含量；P元素在梦笔山地区的含量为最高；Fe和Al元素在夹金山地区的含量高于在其它地区的含量。2）C元素在其它因素一致的情况下，进行不同年龄间的元素含量比较，结果显示元素含量在各年龄间并不存在明显的差异性；N元素含量与年龄的差异出现在黄龙林下及林窗的塔藓、九寨沟林下的锦丝藓及塔藓和梦笔山的塔藓中，而在锦丝藓中未出现元素含量与年龄的差异性；塔藓能检测出更多的元素种类其含量与年龄间存在显著差异，锦丝藓检测到的元素种类次之；除锦丝藓（锦丝藓在林窗中几乎检测不到元素含量与年龄间的差异性）外，其他两种藓在林窗中能检测出的元素种类大于在林下的检测种类。3）元素含量与生境间存在差异性的元素分别有：黄龙大羽藓中的Ca、P和Mg元素；九寨锦丝藓中的Zn元素；夹金山塔藓中的Al、Fe和Zn元素；梦笔山大羽藓中的Al、Fe和Mg元素及锦丝藓中的Ca元素。4）区域、年龄和生境因素对苔藓植株元素含量均达到了显著水平，但两两之间及三者之间的交互作用由于元素种类的不同存在差异。综合分析表明，苔藓植物中的元素含量受年龄、区域的影响较生境的更大。 The revelation of mosses elements content and its spatiotemporal differences is the scientific foundation of moss monitoring. To determine the feasibility of moss monitoring metal depositions derived from travel bus emiss ions in scenic spot, we collected one year-growth samples of two mosses Brachythecim piligerum and Thuidium cymbifolium with different distance (island center, 120m，1000m ) and different direction (north, south and east) far from parking site island from Yuanshilin Spot at Jiuzhaigou World Nature Heritage in the Western Sichuan of China and determined thirteen element （A1, S, Ca, P, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cd）contents by ICP-AES analysis method. And picked 4 kinds of mosses (Macrothamnium macrocarpu m（Reinw. etHornsch.）Fleisch.，Thuidium cymbifolium，Entodon concinnus (De Not.) Par., Neckera pennata) from the direction PS-3 in 2005 and 2007, determined 13 element contents. Collected 3 kinds of moss (Thuidium cymbifo lium, Actinothuidium Hookeri (Mitt.) and Hyolcomium splendens (Hedw.) from Jiuzhaigou natural heritage, Huanglong natural heritage, Mt. Jiajin and Mt. Mengbi in primeval forest with two habitat (undergrowth and forest gap), determined element contents of A1, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, P, Zn, C and N. We found that, 1) The elements content are difference in same type of moss. Content of A1, Ca, K, Mg and P are higher than others. 2) While the contents of A1, S, Ca, P, Cu, Fe, K and Zn had significant correlation with the different distances from parking site, the nearer the distance was, the more accumulation was; 2) Comparing to Thuidium cymbifolium, Brachythecium piligerum can test more elements which contents show the significant correlation with distances. And Brachythecium piligerum can have greater element accumulation than Thuidium cymbifolium. The element contents in two years (2005 and 2007) are different. The present study found that moss can reliably bio-indicate metal deposition from traffic emissions in one scenic spot and Brachythecium piligerum is a good moss for bio-indicating element content from traffic emissions at Jiuzhaigou World natural Heritage. Determined the 10 element contents in 4 areas through 3 kinds of moss we found that, 1) Ca, Mg, Zn, K and Cu element content is higher in the Huanglong area than in other areas, The P element content in Mt. Jiajin is higher than other areas, Fe and Al element content is higher in the Mt. Jiajin than in other areas. 2) The content of C had no significant correlation with age. As for N, this significant correlation found in Hyolcomium splendens (Hedw.) with 2 habitat in Huanglong, Actinothuidium Hookeri (Mitt.) and Hyolcomium splendens (Hedw.) with undergrowth in Jiuzhai, Hyolcomium splendens (Hedw.) in Mt. Mengbi. The types of elements which content showt he significant correlation are most in Hyolcomium splendens (Hedw.) and least in Thuidium cymbifolium. Except Actinothuidium Hookeri (Mitt.), the types of elements that content had significant correlation with age in forest gap are more than in undergrowth. 3) The elements which content had significant correlation with habitat are P, Ca and Mg in Thuidium cymbifolium in Huanglong, Zn in Actinothuidium Hookeri (Mitt.) in Jiuzhai, Al, Fe and Zn in Hyolcomium splendens (Hedw.) in Mt. Jiajin, in Mt. Mengbi Al, Fe and Mg in Thuidium cymbifolium and Ca in Actinothuidium Hookeri (Mitt.). 4）The region, the age and the habitat factor has coeffect element content. The correlationship between element contents and the age, the region is closer than habitat.

Digital surface model, hillshade and orthophoto of the world's largest fossil oyster reef, links to GeoTIFFs

The world's largest fossil oyster reef, formed by the giant oyster Crassostrea gryphoides and located in Stetten (north of Vienna, Austria) is studied by Harzhauser et al., 2015, 2016; Djuricic et al., 2016. Digital documentation of the unique geological site is provided by terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) at the millimeter scale. Obtaining meaningful results is not merely a matter of data acquisition with a suitable device; it requires proper planning, data management, and postprocessing. Terrestrial laser scanning technology has a high potential for providing precise 3D mapping that serves as the basis for automatic object detection in different scenarios; however, it faces challenges in the presence of large amounts of data and the irregular geometry of an oyster reef. We provide a detailed description of the techniques and strategy used for data collection and processing in Djuricic et al., 2016. The use of laser scanning provided the ability to measure surface points of 46,840 (estimated) shells. They are up to 60-cm-long oyster specimens, and their surfaces are modeled with a high accuracy of 1 mm. In addition to laser scanning measurements, more than 300 photographs were captured, and an orthophoto mosaic was generated with a ground sampling distance (GSD) of 0.5 mm. This high-resolution 3D information and the photographic texture serve as the basis for ongoing and future geological and paleontological analyses. Moreover, they provide unprecedented documentation for conservation issues at a unique natural heritage site.

Language Resources – a Part of World Cultural Heritage

This article briefly reviews multilingual language resources for Bulgarian, developed in the frame of some international projects: the first-ever annotated Bulgarian MTE digital lexical resources, Bulgarian-Polish corpus, Bulgarian-Slovak parallel and aligned corpus, and Bulgarian-Polish-Lithuanian corpus. These resources are valuable multilingual dataset for language engineering research and development for Bulgarian language. The multilingual corpora are large repositories of language data with an important role in preserving and supporting the world's cultural heritage, because the natural language is an outstanding part of the human cultural values and collective memory, and a bridge between cultures.

Tracing change in World Cultural Heritage : the recognition of intangible heritage

This thesis investigates the crossover from and intersection between tangible and intangible heritage in the context of World Heritage. Since the start of the twenty-first century, intangible heritage has become increasingly important in international cultural heritage conservation theory and practice. In heritage literature, intangible heritage has been theorized in relation to tangible or built heritage, thereby extending the definition of cultural heritage to consider a holistic perspective. New heritage conservation instruments have been created for the protection of intangible heritage, such as most prominently the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The changing conception of cultural heritage that goes beyond tangible heritage has also influenced existing instruments like the 1972 UNESCO Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The thesis studies how intangible heritage has been recognized and interpreted in implementing the concept of cultural heritage as defined by the World Heritage Convention. It examines the historical development of the concept of World Cultural Heritage with the aim of tracing the construction of intangible heritage in this context. The thesis consists of six chapters. The introduction sets out the research problem and research question. In the literature review, international cultural heritage conservation is portrayed as the research context, the knowledge gap between World Heritage and intangible heritage is identified and an understanding of the research problem deepened, and methods from similar research in the subject area are presented. The methodology in the third chapter describes choices made concerning the research paradigm, research approach and strategy, the use of concepts and illustrative examples, as well as data collection and analysis methods. Knowledge is constructed using primarily a historical approach and related methods. Through the analysis of pertinent documents and heritage discourses, an understanding of the concept of intangible heritage is developed and the concept of World Cultural Heritage is investigated. In the fourth chapter, intangible heritage is studied by looking at specific cultural heritage discourses, that is, a scientific, a UNESCO, and an ICOMOS discourse. Intangible heritage is theorized in relation to the concepts of tangible heritage, heritage value, and cultural heritage. Knowledge gained in this chapter serves as a theoretical lens to trace the recognition of and tease out interpretations of intangible heritage in the context of implementing the concept of World Cultural Heritage. The results are presented in chapter five. A historical development is portrayed in five time periods and for the concepts of cultural heritage, Outstanding Universal Value, the criteria to assess World Heritage value, and authenticity. The conclusion summarizes the main outcomes, assesses the thesis’ contribution to scientific knowledge as well as its limitations, and outlines possible further research. The main results include the identification of the term intangible heritage as an indicator for a paradigm shift and a new approach to conceiving cultural heritage in international cultural heritage conservation. By focusing on processes and the living relationship between people and their environment or place, intangible heritage emphasizes the anthropological. In the context of this conception, intangible heritage takes on two meanings. First, value is attributed by people and hence, is inherently immaterial. Secondly, place is constituted of a tangible-intangible continuum in terms of attributes. A paradigm shift and increasing recognition of an anthropological approach to cultural heritage were identified for all discourses, that is, UNESCO, ICOMOS, the scientific field, and World Heritage. For World Heritage, intangible heritage was recognized indirectly in terms of historical associations during the 1970s and 1980s. The anthropological shift occurred in the early 1990s. The term intangible was introduced and the meaning of intangible heritage was extended to include cultural associations. The subsequent decade is characterized by a process of internalization and implementation of the new approach to cultural heritage. The 2003 Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention created momentum. By the early 2010s, while not explicitly recognizing the immaterial character of values, a holistic approach to cultural heritage was fully endorsed that considers the idea of intangible attributes as carriers of values. An understanding of the recognition of intangible heritage through the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and scientific research in general provide an important knowledge base for implementing the Convention in a more coherent, objective, and well-informed way.

Tracing change in World Cultural Heritage : the recognition of intangible heritage

This thesis investigates the crossover from and intersection between tangible and intangible heritage in the context of World Heritage. Since the start of the twenty-first century, intangible heritage has become increasingly important in international cultural heritage conservation theory and practice. In heritage literature, intangible heritage has been theorized in relation to tangible or built heritage, thereby extending the definition of cultural heritage to consider a holistic perspective. New heritage conservation instruments have been created for the protection of intangible heritage, such as most prominently the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The changing conception of cultural heritage that goes beyond tangible heritage has also influenced existing instruments like the 1972 UNESCO Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The thesis studies how intangible heritage has been recognized and interpreted in implementing the concept of cultural heritage as defined by the World Heritage Convention. It examines the historical development of the concept of World Cultural Heritage with the aim of tracing the construction of intangible heritage in this context. The thesis consists of six chapters. The introduction sets out the research problem and research question. In the literature review, international cultural heritage conservation is portrayed as the research context, the knowledge gap between World Heritage and intangible heritage is identified and an understanding of the research problem deepened, and methods from similar research in the subject area are presented. The methodology in the third chapter describes choices made concerning the research paradigm, research approach and strategy, the use of concepts and illustrative examples, as well as data collection and analysis methods. Knowledge is constructed using primarily a historical approach and related methods. Through the analysis of pertinent documents and heritage discourses, an understanding of the concept of intangible heritage is developed and the concept of World Cultural Heritage is investigated. In the fourth chapter, intangible heritage is studied by looking at specific cultural heritage discourses, that is, a scientific, a UNESCO, and an ICOMOS discourse. Intangible heritage is theorized in relation to the concepts of tangible heritage, heritage value, and cultural heritage. Knowledge gained in this chapter serves as a theoretical lens to trace the recognition of and tease out interpretations of intangible heritage in the context of implementing the concept of World Cultural Heritage. The results are presented in chapter five. A historical development is portrayed in five time periods and for the concepts of cultural heritage, Outstanding Universal Value, the criteria to assess World Heritage value, and authenticity. The conclusion summarizes the main outcomes, assesses the thesis’ contribution to scientific knowledge as well as its limitations, and outlines possible further research. The main results include the identification of the term intangible heritage as an indicator for a paradigm shift and a new approach to conceiving cultural heritage in international cultural heritage conservation. By focusing on processes and the living relationship between people and their environment or place, intangible heritage emphasizes the anthropological. In the context of this conception, intangible heritage takes on two meanings. First, value is attributed by people and hence, is inherently immaterial. Secondly, place is constituted of a tangible-intangible continuum in terms of attributes. A paradigm shift and increasing recognition of an anthropological approach to cultural heritage were identified for all discourses, that is, UNESCO, ICOMOS, the scientific field, and World Heritage. For World Heritage, intangible heritage was recognized indirectly in terms of historical associations during the 1970s and 1980s. The anthropological shift occurred in the early 1990s. The term intangible was introduced and the meaning of intangible heritage was extended to include cultural associations. The subsequent decade is characterized by a process of internalization and implementation of the new approach to cultural heritage. The 2003 Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention created momentum. By the early 2010s, while not explicitly recognizing the immaterial character of values, a holistic approach to cultural heritage was fully endorsed that considers the idea of intangible attributes as carriers of values. An understanding of the recognition of intangible heritage through the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and scientific research in general provide an important knowledge base for implementing the Convention in a more coherent, objective, and well-informed way.