Communities that are positively engaged in a World Heritage property are more likely to appreciate and see a benefit in conserving the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. They are also more likely to want to help conserve other World Heritage sites. Here are some international and Australian examples of how to give World Heritage a function or role in the life of the community.
International context
Article 5 of the World Heritage Convention specifically refers to States Parties adopting a general policy which aims to give cultural and natural heritage a function in the life of the community.
The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention also recommend including and engaging Indigenous peoples and local communities at all stages in the World Heritage process.
The inclusion of communities as one of the five Strategic Objectives of the World Heritage Committee reflects a need for community engagement at all stages of the World Heritage process, and for rights-based approaches that link conservation and sustainable development.
A 2014 addition to the World Heritage Papers series provides guidance and introduces tools for best practice in engaging Indigenous and local communities in World Heritage. Engaging Local Communities in Stewardship of World Heritage draws on over a decade of experience in the countries of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia, and on emerging experience at two new sites.
Sustainable and appropriate tourism is one way to engage the community in World Heritage. The UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme represents a new approach based on dialogue and stakeholder cooperation where planning for tourism and heritage management is integrated at a destination level, the natural and cultural assets are valued and protected, and appropriate tourism developed for that community. The programme’s mission is to facilitate the management and development of sustainable tourism at World Heritage properties through fostering increased awareness, capacity and balanced participation of all stakeholders in order to protect the properties and their Outstanding Universal Value.
The programme’s webpage, includes a variety of tools and policies that are useful for property managers as well as a public exchange platform called People Protecting Places that provides education and information, encouraging support and engagement in social and community dialogue.
Australian context
Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 or EPBC Act and Regulations provide the legal basis for giving World Heritage a role in the life of the community in Australia. The World Heritage Management Principles in the Regulations highlight the importance of providing for public consultation on decisions and actions and community and technical involvement in management of the property and its World Heritage values.
Each World Heritage property in Australia has a slightly different governance structure, but the management of most properties is overseen or undertaken by government agencies or authorities, or jointly managed by governments and Traditional Owners, and usually has some form of mechanism for technical, Indigenous and/or community involvement such as advisory committees or administrative boards. This online guide to Best Practice World Heritage Management started as a framework document initiated by the Australian World Heritage Advisory Committee or AWHAC. This group comprises the Chairs of the property advisory committees and two representatives from the Australian World Heritage Indigenous Network or AWHIN. Some World Heritage properties also contain private land or leasehold land which is managed by the landowner or leaseholder within the framework of the overarching management plan for the property.
The Function of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area in the Life of the Community from State of Wet Tropics Report of 2011 – 2012 (p55) (click on the image to enlarge)
In Australia there are many collaborations between World Heritage property managers and research institutions near World Heritage properties that help to focus greater research effort and information sharing on World Heritage properties, the wider natural and cultural environment, economic and social benefits of World Heritage in communities, and community engagement with World Heritage properties on many different levels.
An analytical framework for how this is done in the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area is shown in this diagram from a 2015 report World Heritage in the Life of Communities: An Analysis from the Wet Tropics of Queensland. Property managers are encouraged to consider this framework in their management of the property and engagement with the community.
Longitudinal research into how each property functions in the life of the community is valuable information for managers to understand the broad social, economic and cultural context for their World Heritage property.
Communities also benefit from understanding more about the benefits of World Heritage properties and how their own engagement with the property plays a vital role in conserving and transmitting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property to future generations.
There are also opportunities for local communities to gain employment and volunteer work in World Heritage properties in Australia. Volunteers bring a variety of skills, local or expert knowledge, enthusiasm and a sense of community to the management of World Heritage properties and can make valuable contributions to conservation and presentation activities. In return, World Heritage property managers can share expertise of their own and engage the volunteers in a variety of meaningful tasks.
The Australian Government is reviewing the ways in which it interacts with World Heritage experts, managers and stakeholder groups to help enhance the part they play in giving World Heritage a function in the life of the community.
Engagement of Volunteers in World Heritage
Some examples of volunteer programs within Australian World Heritage properties include:
The Ningaloo Turtle Program attracts local, national and international volunteers to the World Heritage listed Ningaloo Coast. This award winning program has become an excellent example of collaborative conservation with a high level of community involvement. The aim of the program is to promote the long term survival of turtle populations.
Volunteers at some of the Australian Convict Sites are involved in transcribing convict records, producing items for sale at visitor centres, guiding and providing visitor information, conducting surveys, fire hazard reduction, coastal protection and walking track maintenance.
In 2017 the Sea Spurge Action Teams or SPRATS received an award from the Invasive Species Council for their 10 years of work to eradicate sea spurge from the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area coastline. Volunteers would undertake trips of between eight days and three weeks, arriving by foot, helicopter, boat or fixed-wing aircraft. Both sea spurge and marram grass are recognised as threats to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. SPRATS is a WildCare group working in partnership with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service.