The National Geographic Society asked me to participate in their 2006 World
Heritage Survey, an analysis of the World's most valuable cultural and
environmental sites. Says National Geographic,
In 1973, when the U.S. became the first country to sign the World Heritage
Convention, the idea was for global recognition to encourage protection of the
world's great natural and cultural sites. UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization) would administer the program, and
nations could apply to have a site inscribed on a World Heritage List, if the
site was protected and of "outstanding universal value." Tourism traffic wasn't
even part of the equation.
It is now.
The impact of tourism on fragile, unique, or historic sites is paradoxically
critical to their preservation but capable of their destruction, and the
purpose of this study was to analyze the sites on their own merits, taking into
consideration their milieu on the whole, their integration into the local
community, their preservation, and their protection. I was invited to be a
panel member based on my work as a travel author. Together we cast our ballots
on some or all of 830 sites, and National Geographic tallied up the results.
They are surprising.
The ratings have been tallied and the results published in the
November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine, and on the
web at:<a href="
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/features/whsrated0611/whsrated.html">National
Geographic, where you can find the individual site ratings, read participant
comments, and link to information on the World Heritage Program. From National
Geographic:
The resulting Stewardship Index rating is an average of informed judgments
about each place as a whole - all its many faces. Like the cards that Olympic
judges hold up, our experts' scores reflect both measurable factors and the
intangibles of style, aesthetics, and culture. And like an athlete, each
destination has a chance to improve.
I have also been asked to participate on a similar project, the 2008 World
Monuments Watch List of the world's 100 most endangered sites. The World
Monuments Watch List is compiled biennially in order to 'call international
attention to cultural heritage sites around the world that are threatened by
neglect, vandalism, armed conflict, or natural disaster.' An independent panel
of experts reviews the nominations, and a final 'World Monuments Watch: 100
Most Endangered Sites 2008' list will be released. I also participated in the
2007 Island Destinations Survey. Read more about it here.
