Search Results (13)

Lake Baikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest freshwater reservoir on the planet. It is located in the center of Eurasia, in an industrially developing region—Eastern Siberia. Although a regulatory and legal framework exists, quantitative estimates of the pathways of pollutant transport from industrial sources to the lake water area remain insufficiently studied, particularly in the context of seasonal dynamics and the influence of developing industrial sectors. In the present work, a quantitative analysis of the direct atmospheric transport of pollutants from three groups of stationary sources (the Irkutsk agglomeration, the Republic of Buryatia, and the oil-and-gas production areas of Irkutsk Oblast) to the lake surface was carried out for the first time using the HYSPLIT model for the period 2005–2025. About 4.7 million forward trajectories were computed at three heights (250, 500, 1000 m AGL) for each group of sources. It was established that conditions favorable for the transport of impurities to the lake occur in more than half of the cases. However, the spatial distribution of the impact on the Baikal air basin is heterogeneous: the Irkutsk agglomeration accounts for 67.5% of the “hits” (the main contribution being to the air basin of the Southern Basin), the Republic of Buryatia 18.8% (to the Central Basin), and the oil-and-gas areas 19.9% (to the Northern Basin). On the basis of a multifactor analysis, a combined Potential Impact (PI) index was developed that makes it possible to rank regional sources by the degree of their impact on the lake ecosystem, taking into account the emission volume, the probability of delivery, the residence time, and the height of trajectory passage. The results form a scientific basis for optimizing the spatial placement of environmental monitoring networks and for preliminary zoning of environmental risk assessment over the Lake Baikal water area. Ultimately, this study contributes to the sustainable management of the Baikal Natural Territory by providing actionable insights for balancing regional industrial growth with the long-term ecological preservation of the planet’s largest freshwater reservoir. Full article

Microplastic contamination is an emerging global concern, but its occurrence in high-altitude protected areas has been understudied. This study systematically assessed microplastic abundance, morphology, and spatial distribution in Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), Nepal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Soil samples were collected from 25 sites across four land-use types, including settlement, farmland, forest, and floodplain, at two depths along the Lukla–Phortse trekking corridor during the pre-monsoon season of 2023. Samples were pretreated by density separation and Fenton’s reagent digestion, and microplastics were then detected using a YOLOv11n-seg instance segmentation model. A subset of extracted particles was chemically confirmed by optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy. Microplastics were present in all samples, with concentrations ranging from 80 to 960 particles·kg⁻¹. Fragments were the dominant morphological type, accounting for 65.7% of all particles, followed by fibers and films. Negative binomial regression revealed significant effects of land use and soil depth and their interaction on microplastic abundance. Settlement soils showed the highest concentrations with significant surface enrichment, while farmland soils showed no significant depth effect, consistent with human-dominated plastic sources and tillage-driven redistribution. Elevation was not a significant predictor of contamination. Hotspot analysis identified statistically significant clustering around Lukla and Namche, the two primary tourism hubs. The baseline established in this study provides a foundation for long-term monitoring and targeted waste management in SNP and offers insights to other protected high-altitude environments. Meanwhile, the application of deep learning and O-PTIR to balance the counting efficiency and accuracy is a novel approach that could be adopted by other researchers. Full article

Sustainable tourism in oasis landscapes requires governance approaches that go beyond generic destination-growth models and standardized sustainability checklists. In living cultural landscapes such as Al-Ahsa Oasis, tourism development is inseparable from water systems, palm-grove agriculture, rural livelihoods, heritage values, climate stress, visitor behavior, and institutional accountability. This paper develops a governance framework for sustainable tourism in Al-Ahsa Oasis, Saudi Arabia, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. Methodologically, it is a conceptual framework-development study based on structured critical review and contextual synthesis. It critically interprets international sustainable tourism, heritage management, visitor management, and sustainable investment frameworks in relation to recent Al-Ahsa-specific evidence on rural tourism, resident satisfaction, farm-tourist behavior, rural lodges, land-cover change, and World Heritage governance. The study proposes a six-dimensional framework structured around cultural landscape stewardship, water-sensitive ecological governance, agricultural landscape continuity and rural accommodation regulation, community benefit and local enterprise, climate-responsive visitor management and interpretation, and monitoring and institutional accountability. These dimensions are treated as interdependent governance fields rather than separate checklist categories. The framework is further operationalized through an indicator and governance matrix linking suggested indicators, data sources, governance mechanisms, and responsible actors. The paper contributes by reframing sustainable oasis tourism as an adaptive governance problem rather than a technical exercise in applying predefined criteria. It provides an evidence-informed basis for planning, monitoring, stakeholder deliberation, policy refinement, and future empirical testing in Al-Ahsa and comparable arid cultural landscapes. Full article

Museum collections are at risk from insects. A changing climate or increased amounts of imported materials, exhibition loans and international travel, can increase exotic species. Heritage properties are often monitored for pests, so we used trapping data from 31 Austrian museums, libraries and storerooms. The carpet beetles Anthrenus spp. and Attagenus spp. studied here, showed that the catch of these two species in buildings was correlated. Unheated libraries show high catch rates for Anthrenus spp., Attagenus spp. seemed more often caught in heated/urban museums. Anthrenus verbasci, Anthrenus olgae and Anthrenus museorum account for almost 98% of our catch. Anthrenus verbasci and Anthrenus olgae are commonly found occurring together suggesting they form a core ecological pair, found in most buildings. Rarer Anthrenus fuscus appears typically at locations lacking winter heating. Attagenus smirnovi and Attagenus unicolor accounted for 95% of this genus in the buildings. There are notable differences in the types of carpet beetle across European heritage environments. Anthrenus olgae, often trapped in Austria, is uncommon elsewhere, while Anthrenus sarnicus, fairly common in the UK, is rare elsewhere. Not enough is known about the range of heritage insects across Europe, which is increasingly relevant to management under a changing climate. Full article

Heritage buildings pose persistent challenges for documentation and conservation due to their geometric complexity, material heterogeneity, and the fragmentation of spatial and semantic datasets. To address these limitations, this study proposes a geospatially enabled HBIM–GIS framework that integrates hybrid photogrammetric survey data with semantic modeling and spatial analysis to support evidence-based conservation planning. A multi-source acquisition strategy combining terrestrial digital photogrammetry (TDP), Unmanned aerial vehicle digital photogrammetry (UAVDP), and spherical photogrammetry (SP) was employed to capture accurate geometric and semantic information across multiple spatial scales. Staged point-cloud fusion (UAVDP → TDP via ICP; SP → UAV–TDP via SICP) generated a high-density, georeferenced composite, achieving RMS residuals below 0.013 m and resulting in an integrated dataset exceeding 360 million points. From this composite, authoritative 2D drawings and a reality-based 3D HBIM model were developed, while GIS thematic mapping translated heterogeneous observations into structured, queryable layers representing materials, cracks, detachments, deformations, and construction phases. The proposed framework enabled the spatial diagnosis of deterioration mechanisms, revealing moisture-driven decay from plinth to mid-wall and concentrated cracking at openings and architectural transitions; side-to-side cracks accounted for approximately 55% and 65% of mapped fissures on the most affected façades. By embedding these diagnostics as element-level attributes within the HBIM environment, the framework supports precise localization, quantification, and prioritization of conservation interventions, ensuring material-compatible and location-specific decision making. The applicability of the framework is demonstrated through its implementation on a complex historic mosque in Yemen, validating its robustness under constrained access and resource-limited conditions. Overall, the study demonstrates that geospatially integrated HBIM–GIS workflows provide a reproducible, scalable, and transferable solution for the sustainable documentation and conservation of heritage buildings, supporting long-term monitoring and informed management of cultural heritage assets worldwide. Full article

Smart cities rely on digital infrastructures and utilize data-driven frameworks to enhance quality of life, optimizing public services by promoting transparency in urban and heritage management. Based on the ArchTerr project for archeological heritage protection, this study introduces an integrated framework uniting two components: GIS-based land mapping and blockchain-enabled document management. The system supports urban planning, land administration, and governance by combining spatial intelligence with secure data handling. The GIS module enables precise land mapping using geographic coordinates, facilitating spatial analysis, land use monitoring, and infrastructure planning. The document management system employs blockchain storage functionalities to ensure the immutability, transparency, and traceability of records such as land ownership documents, permits, and regulatory filings. Developed using the Design Science Research methodology, the framework translates abstract principles of data immutability and interoperability into a functional architecture that addresses persistent issues of fragmented datasets, insecure records, and limited institutional accountability and improves scalability, efficiency, and transparency in a variety of urban situations. We explored its implications for policy and governance, illustrating how interdisciplinary technology serves as a basis for transparent, accountable, and resilient urban management. This study advances theoretical understanding of how the convergence of spatial and trust-based technologies can foster geo-trusted governance and contribute to more transparent and resilient heritage management. Full article

The contribution aims to summarize the huge amount of work carried out by CEN TC 346, the European committee for standardization of cultural heritage, from its establishment in 2004 to the present. A specific European standardization activity in the field of cultural heritage conservation was proposed to ensure a shared, science-based approach in order to guarantee best practices, more effective planning and implementation, and obtaining the best results. The work program was initially based on five working groups which had the responsibility to manage a few standardization projects according to the human resources initially available. Over time, the work program was implemented thanks to the active contributions of European member countries. Notwithstanding, standards were developed according to a need-based approach; it is possible to individuate a certain coherence in their development, very similar to a matrix approach. As a consequence, eight topics were presented and discussed, and four of them were strictly related to the issues discussed in the general document related to the conservation process. The remaining topics dealt with building management for storage heritage collections, monitoring of archaeological deposits for preservation in situ, handling of movable objects and finally the procurement of conservation services and works. The potential direct impact on the environment and also benefits to the sustainability of cultural heritage have been taken into account for each standard proposed. Full article

Historic building information modeling (HBIM) represents an emerging field that extends traditional building information modeling (BIM) to the preservation, management, and analysis of heritage structures. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of HBIM, tracing its evolution from its origins and early applications to its current state and future prospects. The processes of data collection and modeling are thoroughly examined, addressing levels of detail, digitization methods, and commonly used software and data formats. Attention is also given to existing BIM standards and protocols and their potential application to HBIM. The paper emphasizes the importance of appropriate data selection and management, both for geometrical and non-geometrical (historical and architectural) information. Furthermore, it explores the integration of HBIM with structural analysis tools, a subject of growing interest, particularly in light of its potential for integration with structural health monitoring systems and advanced computational models. The results of this review highlight the increasing role of HBIM in heritage preventive preservation and management, a topic that accounted for 40% of the articles on this subject in 2023. These findings demonstrate that HBIM offers significant potential for managing and preserving heritage buildings, but to fully realize its capabilities, advancements in data interoperability, standardized protocols, and real-time structural analysis are essential to make it a widely effective tool in conservation efforts. Full article

The evaluation and monitoring of the ecological environment quality of heritage sites can help provide sustainable and healthy development strategies for heritage management organizations. In this study, an ecological evaluation model based on the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) was used to measure the ecological environment of the Shibing Karst World Heritage Site and its buffer zone and the Moran index and geographic probe model were combined to quantify the ecological environment. The results show that, (1) from 2013 to 2020, the ecological environment quality of the heritage site and buffer zone was moderate to high and the mean RSEI values in the three periods studied were 0.720, 0.723 and 0.742, showing an overall upward and improving trend; (2) ecological environment quality grades of moderate and good accounted for more than 70% of the area, the distribution pattern of ecological environment quality is significantly better at the heritage site than in the buffer zone and the southwest is better than the northeast; (3) the Moran index increased from 0.600 in 2013 to 0.661 in 2020, residing in the first and third quadrants, respectively, with significantly spatial aggregation; and (4) greenness and humidity were shown to play a positive feedback role on the ecological environment quality and the spatial influence ability of humidity and dryness was greater. Overall, the RSEI is an effective method of evaluating and monitoring the ecological environment quality of heritage sites, the ecological environment quality of the Karst heritage site in Shibing is in a steady state of improvement and the relevant departments of heritage conservation need to further coordinate the relationship between conservation and development to promote the sustainable development of the heritage site and provide effective solutions for the monitoring of other Karst World Heritage sites. Full article

This paper presents the results of an experimental-demonstrative research project summarizing three integrated products: an interactive digital map; a reference and record keeping database system; and a set of procedures to enforce the unified application of archaeological heritage protection legislation in Romania. The web-based application constitutes a permanent working tool available to the Romanian Ministry of Culture territorial branch offices, and is freely accessible to specialists and other entities involved in the protection of archaeological heritage, and even to private investors interested in development on land areas having archaeological heritage. The application brings together the organization, systematization, and digitization of all available information about archaeological sites at the national level. This information is otherwise difficult to access because it is structured differently in terms of quantity and quality of data, and stored using different media and formats in several types of non-interconnected institutions. The ArchTerr application significantly reduces the time required to inform, verify, and communicate a decision regarding the presence or absence of archaeological heritage on a particular site. The application ensures the dynamic and automatic real-time bidirectional conversion of geospatial information (Stereo70 and WGS84), and access to unitary and level-structured information, and provides interoperability with other information systems. High-resolution maps allow the non-professional user/investor to access detailed geospatial information about a delimited area, in a timely manner and without the need for field travel, which is a unique feature not found in other European record systems concerning archeological sites. The functionalities of the application developed within the research project, the technical decisions taken, and their implementation method are generally valid. They can be applied in any geographical region because the open source maps used by the technical team cover the world map and the coordinate system used for representation is international. The testing and validation of these functionalities were undertaken using real archaeological data from Romania (data already included in the national heritage representing archaeological sites). Full article

Cataloguing constitutes the main instrument for heritage assessment and management around the world, and is central in heritage studies. In the context of the growing international protection of heritage since the 20th century and the irruption and implementation of digital tools, cultural heritage data bases (CHDBs) have emerged as the main systems in accounting for and monitoring heritage. In the framework of culture preservation, as a driving force of sustainable development, this article aims to analyse the origins and development of CHDBs in order to critically observe the current situation and outline future challenges for systems of cataloguing heritage with the growing relevance of its graphical documentation. In this context, a historical overview of the origin and development of the European inventories since the 18th century to the present is key to trace the development of catalogue systems and the impact of IT in this field. The study then focuses on immovable cultural heritage data bases (ICHDBs); with Spain as case study, it develops an approach to the current panorama, with a special focus on the conceptual evolution of catalogues. In conclusion, ICHDBs need to transcend both instrumental and institutional roles and, supported in new digital systems, become interactive and flexible tools that respond to current needs and encourage heritage education, knowledge, and reflection. Full article

Protected areas, such as natural World Heritage sites, RAMSAR wetlands and Biosphere Reserves, are ecosystems within landscapes. Each site meets certain criteria that allow it to qualify as a heritage or protected area. Both climate change and human influence (e.g., incursion, increased tourist visitation) are altering biophysical conditions at many such sites. As a result, conditions at many sites are falling outside the criteria for their original designation. The alternatives are to change the criteria, remove protection from the site, change site boundaries such that the larger or smaller landscape meets the criteria, or manage the existing landscape in some way that reduces the threat. This paper argues for adaptive heritage, an approach that explicitly recognizes changing conditions and societal value. We discuss the need to view heritage areas as parts of a larger landscape, and to take an adaptive approach to the management of that landscape. We offer five themes of adaptive heritage: (1) treat sites as living heritage, (2) employ innovative governance, (3) embrace transparency and accountability, (4) invest in monitoring and evaluation, and (5) manage adaptively. We offer the Australian Wet Tropics as an example where aspects of adaptive heritage currently are practiced, highlighting the tools being used. This paper offers guidance supporting decisions about natural heritage in the face of climate change and non-climatic pressures. Rather than delisting or lowering standards, we argue for adaptive approaches. Full article

The paper describes the shifting perspective from the contemplative view to the dynamic-evolutionary view of heritage and the main characteristics of the resulting multi-criterial decision-aid tool for the evaluation of heritage. With the integration of conservation in planning processes and with opening of the procedures to public participation, there is a need for decision-aid tools that can help increase rationality and transparency in decision-making processes related to planning. By understanding the contemporary view of heritage and the landscape, it is possible to create tools capable of accounting for spatial complexity and the extant cultural, social, historic and economic relations. With this in mind, a specific tool was created that can be used for the analysis, diagnosis, evaluation and monitoring of spatial heritage (registered and under consideration for protection), identifying opportunities, defining strategies for heritage management processes, and in the creation and evaluation of development and management scenarios. The paper illustrates a shift in the consideration of heritage in spatial planning and presents an application of the developed model in a case study. Full article