“The Effects of Poverty on Cultural Heritage Sites” Stefan Gruber Faculty of Law, University of Sydney

Cultural heritage sites Culture plays a significant role in the survival of all individual parts of populations as distinguishable elements of humankind Heritage sites remind people of their cultural identities, pasts and traditions What is considered as valuable and as worthy of being preserved for future generations?

Poverty and heritage sites Lack of resources for heritage protection Gentrification Urbanisation Illegal excavation and trafficking of cultural objects

Lack of resources and staff Lack of staff – Remote areas Prehistoric rock paintings in Namibia – Identification of sites – Protection against deliberate destruction Lack of funds – Inappropriate restoration works Lack of professional training – Identification and preservation of sites – Education of population

Deliberate destruction Lack of monitoring exploited by construction companies Poor municipalities are dependent on investments, jobs and building projects Heritage sites as sources for building material

World Heritage Convention It seeks to establish “a system of international co-operation and assistance designed to support States Parties to the Convention in their efforts to conserve and identify that heritage.” The duty to identify a nation’s heritage and to maintain the integrity of its outstanding universal value Duties not dependent on listing on World Heritage List

World Heritage Convention 2 World Heritage and the effects of poverty – “cultural heritage and the natural heritage are increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction“.

World Heritage Convention 3 “[The State Party] will do all it can to this end, to the utmost of its own resources...” Assistance by other States Parties – World Heritage Fund: assistance in staff training, studies, supply of equipment and experts for identification, protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of World Heritage List of World Heritage in Danger – Monitoring through IUCN and ICOMOS – States Parties report on a regular basis

Angkor Archaeological Park Built between the 9th and 15th century 400 square kilometres Remains of different capitals of the Khmer Empire Listing in 1992 Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA) Decisive assistance by UNESCO and States Parties

Inhabited heritage sites Many heritage sites form part of peoples’ daily life When humans form part of heritage sites, their protection proves to be even more complicated Without the original inhabitants many sites inevitably lose a significant part of their integrity

Gentrification Def: New residents from a higher social class with more resources replace the poorer original residents of an area Demolition of old city centres Case study: Beijing’s Hutongs Built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties Narrow alleyways and courtyard houses Teahouses, theatres and traditional shops Regarded as the “heart of Beijing”

Gentrification 2 Eviction of original inhabitants which have to move out of their areas Torn down and replaced by uniform office buildings or shopping malls Restored Hutongs go to wealthy couples or nuclear families and are turned into enclosed areas

Gentrification 3 Loss of integrity and intangible heritage Death of quarter’s communal life Acknowledgment of existing property rights and rights of residence Inclusion of residents into preservation plans

Gentrification 4 Competition with in-migrants e.g. Lijian in Yunnan Province Lhasa, Tibet Control of influx into minority regions Provisions for skilled in-migration

Cultural landscapes “Combined works of nature and of man” Landscapes physically transformed by human activity to gain control over ecological processes for cultivation Often very fragile ecosystems which require constant maintenance work Habitats also attract diverse animal species that only exist in their proximity

Cultural landscapes 2 Loss of local population if they cannot sustain themselves Urban and rural inequality Consequences – Loss of ecological stability – Soil erosion – Regional architecture – Decline of ecosystems – Loss of intangible heritage

Protecting rural cultural landscapes Land use regulations prevention of further soil degradation protection of water supplies sustainable access to resources minimising development pressure Establishment of buffer zones Adaptation of agriculture to new challenges, such as climate change Support for rural communities Protection of minorities Prevention of further urbanisation

Conclusion International assistance and more solidarity by wealthier States Inhabitants of heritage sites have to be included in protection plans Law must be used in a holistic way to create a comprehensive system of legal instruments and enforcement mechanisms Cultural heritage is a non-renewable resource!