Search Results (41)

This study analyzes the durability of brick-faced clay-core walls (BCWs) in the traditional residential architecture of Quanzhou—a UNESCO World Heritage City. Taking the northern gable of Ding Gongchen’s former residence as an example, the mechanical properties, microscopic structure, and changes in chemical symbol, oxides and minerals of the red bricks and clay-cores were analyzed using finite element mechanics analysis (FEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicate a triple mechanism: (1) The collaborative protection and reinforcement mechanism of “brick-wrapped-clay”. (2) The infiltration and destruction mechanism of external pollutants. (3) The material stability mechanism of silicate minerals. Therefore, the key to maintaining the durability of BCWs lies in the synergistic effect of brick and clay materials and the stability of silicate mineral materials, providing theoretical and methodological support for sustainable research into brick and clay constructions. Full article

The Netherlands has established climate-adaptive strategies shaped by its long history of water-related climate events, such as the floods in 1421 and 1953. UNESCO World Heritage (WH) properties in The Netherlands reflect centuries of human intervention and natural processes to adapt and mitigate climate challenges, including spatial design and hydraulic engineering. The Dutch Climate Research Initiative also highlights cultural heritage as an integral component in preparing for the 2026 National Climate Adaptation Strategy. This article aims to unveil climate-adaptive World Heritage management strategies (CAWHMSs), using WH properties in The Netherlands as a case study. It collects textual data from Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, State of Conservation Reports by the State Parties and management plans. Through qualitative coding and keywords aggregation of the documents, the visualised results of a Sankey diagram and two semantic networks confirmed two CAWHMSs: conservation and developing WH properties as collaborative knowledge hubs. Conservation supports regulating urban climate and sustainable water management. As collaborative knowledge hubs, multidisciplinary sectors explore opportunities to align WH properties with broader sustainable development initiatives. They also deepen younger generations’ awareness of cultural and natural significance relevant to mitigating climate threats. The results emphasise WH as a contributor to climate adaptation. Cross-sectoral stakeholders can advance holistic climate adaptation efforts using CAWHMSs. Full article

As a globe leader in tourism, Spain relies on this sector as a key economic pillar, contributing over 12% to its GDP. The hospitality industry has expanded steadily in response to growing demand. In parallel, recent years have witnessed an exponential rise in tourist accommodations, such as privately owned properties repurposed for short-term rentals, largely facilitated by digital platforms. This study explores the evolution and spatial distribution of these accommodations, assessing their share within the overall housing stock across different scales. The focus is on Andalusian municipalities, a region characterized by both its geographical diversity and its significant tourism footprint. This study highlights two primary areas of concentration: the region’s Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines (most notably the Costa del Sol, centered in Malaga) and internationally renowned heritage cities such as Seville, Granada, and Cordoba. By applying quantitative methods, this research assesses the clustering of tourist accommodations in relation to major cultural landmarks, including several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The findings provide an analysis of the implications of this trend, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities it presents within the tourism sector, particularly against the backdrop of mounting criticism surrounding the sustainability and socio-economic impacts of this evolving model of tourism. Full article

Recently, the only UNESCO river in Nigeria has become polluted, with its color turning dark brown. Osun River serves not only domestic purposes in the city of Osogbo, but also spiritual purposes during the annual Osun Osogbo Festival (OOF). This study examines the physicochemical properties and presence of heavy metals in Osun River, and the air quality at the heritage site before, during, and after the festival. Water samples from Osun River at the UNESCO site were collected before, during, and after the 2024 festival. The water was analyzed at the Department of Environmental Health Sciences of Osun State University, Nigeria, to determine the quantity of heavy metals present in the river. Additionally, an air quality detector was used to assess the quantity of pollutants (CO₂, CO, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, TVOC, and HCHO) in the air before, during, and after the festival. In Osun River, the quantities of arsenic and copper were within the permissible levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water, while those of lead, chromium, and cadmium were far above the safety standards set by the WHO. The pollution rate of the river was in the order of festival day > before the festival > after the festival. The air quality on the festival day was hazardous to human health, as particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) and carbon dioxide were found to be far above the permissible levels set by the WHO. The implications of the findings of this study are discussed, and measures to ensure the future sustainability of this important UNESCO site in the city of Osogbo are recommended. Full article

This study investigates the material properties, metallurgical processes, and corrosion mechanisms of bronze arrowheads excavated from the Imperial City of the Minyue Kingdom, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Wuyishan, Fujian, China. Using optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, XRF, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy, the researchers analyzed the cross-section and corrosion layers of the artifacts. Results show that the arrowheads are Cu-Sn-Pb alloys, with Cu (70.76%), Sn (8.73%), and Pb (8.72%), optimizing hardness, toughness, and casting performance. Corrosion analysis reveals a surface layer rich in Cu₂O, CuO, SnO₂, and Cu₂(OH)₂CO₃, driven by oxidation, carbonation, and sulfidation reactions. The corrosion layer exhibits stratification, porosity, and cracks, indicating the influence of oxygen, carbonate ions, and sulfides in burial environments. This study provides crucial insights into ancient bronze metallurgy and the long-term preservation of cultural relics. Full article

Mozambique Island, a UNESCO World Heritage property, faces significant challenges due to climate change and extreme weather events. This study proposes a comprehensive framework for assessing morphological vulnerabilities and enhancing urban resilience in this unique historical urban landscape. The research methodology involves a thorough analysis of historical cartography, urban evolution, topography, and vernacular architecture, combined with recent conservation assessments and case studies from other climate-vulnerable regions. This study reveals the island’s dual urban structure, comprising the Stone and Lime town and the Macuti town, each with distinct morphological characteristics and vulnerabilities. Historical maps and topographical analysis demonstrate how the island’s geography has shaped its urban development, with the Stone and Lime town built on higher ground and the Macuti town situated at or below sea level, increasing its flood risk. The research highlights the importance of integrating traditional knowledge with resilience strategies while respecting the authenticity and integrity of the World Heritage property. Key findings include the need for a GIS-based management tool for continuous conservation assessment, and the crucial role of community engagement in implementing resilience mechanisms. This study contributes to the broader discourse on cultural heritage as a contributor to architectural and urban resilience, offering valuable insights for other World Heritage properties facing similar climate challenges. The proposed framework emphasizes the importance of balancing heritage preservation with adaptive strategies, while enhancing the island’s resilience facing climate-related threats. Full article

As urbanization accelerates, World Heritage properties, critical conservation areas, face a growing threat of urban densification, jeopardizing their Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). States Parties, the countries that have ratified the World Heritage Convention, are responsible for submitting periodic reports on the state-of-conservation of their World Heritage properties. These reports should explicitly address any instances of urban densification that may be occurring. But do they? This research investigates the relationship between urban densification and reporting practices in World Heritage properties over time and space. Through a spatiotemporal analysis, by analyzing changes in the built-up area within the core zones of cultural World Heritage properties from 1985 to 2015. We found that urban development, including housing, infrastructure, and tourism facilities, has significantly impacted World Heritage properties and an increase in built-up area can be observed especially in properties not reporting on urban threats. Full article

The purpose of this study was to investigate temperature and rainfall variations and their effects on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Konso cultural landscape, Ethiopia, using dense merged satellite–gauge-station rainfall data (1981–2020) with a spatial resolution of 4 km-by-4 km and observed maximum and min temperature data (1987–2020), together with qualitative data gathered from cultural leaders, local administrators and religious leaders. The Climate Data tool (CDT) software version 8 was used for rainfall- and temperature-data analysis. The results showed that the north and northeastern regions of Konso had significant increases in rainfall. However, it was highly variable and erratic, resulting in extreme droughts and floods. The study confirmed that there were significant (p < 0.05) increasing trends in the number of days with heavy rainfall, very-heavy rainfall days, and annual total wet-day rainfall (R10 mm, 20 mm, and PRCPTOT). The highest daily minimum temperature, lowest and highest daily maximum-temperature number of warm days and nights, and number of cold days and nights all showed significant rising trends. The increasing trends in rainfall and temperature extremes have resulted in flooding and warming of the study area, respectively. These have led to the destruction of terraces, soil erosion, loss of life and damage of properties, loss of grasses, food insecurity, migration, loss of biodiversity, and commodification of stones. The continuous decline in farmland productivity is affecting the livelihood and traditional ceremonies of the Konso people, which are helpful for the transfer of traditional resource-management knowledge to the next generation. It is therefore necessary to implement local-scale climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in order to safeguard the Konso cultural landscapes as a worldwide cultural asset and to bolster the resilience of smallholder farmers. Full article

Free-standing archaeological walls are significantly exposed to horizontal actions (e.g., earthquakes) as they lack connections provided by floors or roofs. In such cases, the dynamic response governs the activation of local mechanisms of collapse, determining the shape of the macroblocks and their position. Engineering models of archaeological walls are developed according to the results of extensive visual inspections and on-site testing, including modal identification for calibration purposes. A modal response spectrum analysis on the calibrated model identifies the zones where the tensile stress is exceeded, which are more likely to detach as rigid macroblocks and subsequently overturn due to the expected ground spectra. The macroblocks are then assessed according to limit analysis. The case studies are the north and the apse walls of the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Castelseprio (Varese, Lombardy), a 5th century Longobard fortified settlement, a part of UNESCO World Heritage. The construction quality of the apse was poorer than the north wall, but the masonry of both is very compact thanks to the good mortar. The macroblocks are identified mostly in the upper crests of the walls, and their acceleration of activation is two to six times larger than the demand (considering the dynamic amplification that the structure applies to the ground motion); therefore, no particular intervention is needed. The proposed method will require additional calibration, e.g., through nonlinear dynamic analyses, and a more precise treatment of uncertainties in masonry mechanical properties to determine the shape of the macroblocks. Full article

Utilising the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 Statement, this article examines 51 UNESCO state of conservation reports from 1979–2021 to explore the impacts of climate change hazards on UNESCO World Heritage-listed cultural properties in the Asia–Pacific region. This article provides a list of the cultural properties impacted by climate change hazards, the types of hazards experienced and their resulting impacts, the kind of conservation responses, challenges to the implementation of the suggested actions, and recommendations for future safeguarding against climate change threats. The article highlights that a negligible number of cultural properties affected by climate change hazards have been monitored and managed by UNESCO, with a much larger proportion of cultural properties facing conservation challenges related to climate change currently going unnoticed by the State of Conservation Information System. Specifically, the review of the state of conservation reports illustrates a very real challenge for understanding climate threats impacting the cultural properties of the Pacific States Parties. While this article confirms the value of the State of Conservation Information System, it also demonstrates that weaknesses remain in its capacity to deliver systematic climate impact analysis. Full article

The tectono-volcanic ensemble of the Chaîne des Puys and the Limagne fault, which is part of the West European rift, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2018 as the Chaîne des Puys–Limagne fault tectonic arena. This site includes (1) the western normal border fault of the graben (the Limagne fault), (2) the shoulder of the graben (the granitic Plateau des Dômes) on which lies a Quaternary volcanic alignment (the Chaîne des Puys), and (3) an inverted relief resulting from erosive action around a Pliocene volcanic lava flow (the Montagne de la Serre). It is shown that, when viewed in a global tectonic context, these structural and volcanic features can be described as a natural scale model, allowing everyone to understand the processes in operation at depth in a continental rift. The property is an inhabited environment that counts 30,000 inhabitants and traditional activities such as pastoral farming and agroforestry. Following its inscription on the World Heritage List, the challenge for the coming years is to coordinate conservation, sustainable development and international stature in the site. Full article

Identifying threats to historical sites is important for formulating preventive measures to reduce their impacts. The oases in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), are one of the historical sites and were inscribed as cultural sites in 2011 by UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This study assessed the threats to oases based on the UNESCO-listed factors affecting the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage properties. An Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) coupled with remote sensing was used for data collection and analysis. Expert feedback showed that water, urban expansion, soil salinity, palm disease, and the legal framework were major threats. To determine whether urban expansion influences oases preservation, remote sensing images were used to investigate land use and land cover (LULC) around the oases. The LULC change between 1972 and 2022 showed that palm trees, grass, and built-up areas increased by 59%, 76%, and 91%, respectively. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI) were used to assess stress in the oases. The results indicated that oases have not been impacted by urban expansion since 1972, reflecting the UAE’s commitment to the preservation of oases. The availability of cloud-based and open-access satellite images coupled with AHP is an effective tool for understanding threats. This research aligns with UN SDG 15—“Life on Land”. The concept of this study could be used to assess threats to historical sites. It is recommended that policies for the oases’ preservation be maintained and updated to cater to issues related to population and climate change. Gray water and smart irrigation systems could be assessed as alternatives to minimize water use. Hyperspectral remote sensing is recommended for future studies related to soil salinity and palm diseases. Full article

UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre has set ten criteria for assessing Outstanding Universal Values (OUVs) for the inscription of properties on the World Heritage List. Recognising the growing challenge for heritage conservation and the need for professionals to work within systemic, holistic, and integrated frameworks in managing cultural heritage and using biodiversity as an OUV, this paper investigates how the intangible and tangible cultural and natural heritage of the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece is interconnected over the course of centuries. We review the evolution of the existing legislative framework to protect archaeological treasures and local flora and fauna and document the richness of ongoing ecological and biological processes in the region for strengthening the arguments for an integrated protection and management system. Locating the archaeological sites and monuments in protected natural zones and areas of exceptional beauty with the use of the open code QGIS programme and focusing on their description and analysis, the present research recommends their interlinked management under the leadership of a Joint Destination Management Organisation. Full article

The Cloud Ocean phenomenon in the Hyrcanian Forests, listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, is one of the most stunning yet lesser-known ecotourism destinations that has recently attracted the attention of adventure tours. However, the increasing number of ecotourists visiting these sites is expected to threaten the sensitive ecosystem of the Cloud Ocean sites. Therefore, this study aims to conceptualize sustainable behaviors for off-road forest tours in the Cloud Ocean sites of the Hyrcanian Forests. A combined qualitative-quantitative approach was adopted to achieve this aim, using the meta-synthesis method to cover the qualitative part and Smart PLS software for the quantitative data analysis. The qualitative assessment involved 19 participants, while the quantitative study included 240 experts who helped monitor and evaluate the indicators as components of the model. Previous literature has given little attention to the Cloud Ocean sites. Therefore, the conceptualization of sustainable behavior for forest adventure tours in these sites is considered the most significant contribution of this study. Paying attention to the dimensions of the proposed model can significantly reduce damage to these sites. Full article

The catastrophic floods that hit Pakistan in summer 2022 represent the latest example of climate change-induced extreme events occurring in South Asia. In addition to the dramatic impact on population and infrastructures, this event threatened UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS) and properties of national interest. However, while a wealth of national and international mapping initiatives were conducted based on satellite imagery to assess damage to people, buildings and economic goods, the impact caused to archaeological sites and monuments has not been fully unveiled yet. To bridge this gap and provide an integrated approach that can be used by local end-users to assess damage and, in turn, collect evidence to inform and improve risk management plans, the present paper integrates Sentinel-1 and 2 imagery and mapping products derived from them (e.g., Copernicus Emergency Management Service Global Flood Mapping) with ground-truthing and geospatial datasets. Through a multidisciplinary collaboration between geologists, archaeologists, remote sensing and satellite image analysts, the integration methodology was tested on UNESCO and other heritage sites of national relevance located in the two mostly affected regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh that were intentionally selected to represent different typologies of cultural heritage and governance in Pakistan. Finally, the information extracted from the present analysis was assessed in relation to the current national and international legislations, the official state of conservation reports and the activities conducted at each site to protect them against flood events. Given the accessibility to ready-to-use Copernicus products and that the present analysis can be replicated over time and other sites, the proposed methodology provides a feasible means to exploit satellite data in post-disaster mapping situations and contribute to the decision-making process for risk management. Full article