unesco - courier - man and nature

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Man

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2009 number 6 ISSN 1993-8616


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editorial P3

Man and the biosPhere:aPPlying the ConCePt

literallyThe concept of urban ecology is key for

the Bliesgau, a protected area in Germany added to the global

network of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves on 26 May. The

Bliesgau is not the rst site to include its urban elements, but

it is the only one where population density is as high as 310

inhabitants per square kilometre. P 4

tigers and Men

Black tigers, four-horned antelope, giantsquirrels, mugger crocodiles, deer, rhesus

macaques this is just a sample of the

fauna living in Nokrek, Pachmarhi and Similipal. Managers of

these three Indian biospheres are counting on international

support to protect the traditional rights of forest dwellers and

at the same time preserve wildlife. P 6

Animal species are currently becomingextinct one thousand times faster thanthe natural rate.

Lauren

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CliMate Change

bogeyMan in your

neighbourhood

Giam Siak Kecil Bukit Batu, Indone-sian site that has just joined the World

Network of Biosphere Reserves, will become a living labora-

tory for sustainable development. Solutions for climate change

will be devised and tested. P 8

lajat: Where nature

Meets historyLajat, in the far south of Syria, offers

some of the regions most impressive

scenery. With its farming traditions and archaeological ruins,

this new biosphere reserve is an example of the interdepen-

dence between cultural and biological diversity. P 11

When World heritage

sites and biosPhere

reserves MergeLast May, Fraser Island, Australian World

Heritage site since 1992, became the core part of the new

Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve. Natural world heritage sites

conserve ecosystems for which they have been inscribed,

while biosphere reserves also do restoration of degraded

environments. How will environment and tourist management

practices change for the worlds largest sand island? P13

Fuerteventura,

the CoMPlete reserveFuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands

off south-west Spain, was recently added

to the list of world Biosphere Reserves.

The decision was made in order to preserve the islands sh

stocks and rich marine life, as well as protect their natural

environments. P 16

foruma bi to nowIn June, the Dresden Elbe Valley, Germany, was withdrawn from the List of World Heritage Sites.

The construction of the Waldschlsschen Bridge altered the cultural landscape and integrity of the site as dened

by the list. P 19

focus

hi euctio sk y CExploding enrollments over the last decade are putting severe nancial strains on tertiary systems. P 17

2009 - N 6Contents

The UNESCO Courier 2009 N6


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Last year, the 3rd World Congress of

Biosphere Reserves (Madrid, Spain)

adopted the Madrid Action Plan for Bio-

sphere Reserves (2008-2013) recog-

nizing the need for developing models

for global, national and local sustain-

ability. This provides the framework for

biosphere reserves to become training

grounds where global principles of sus-

tainable development are translated into

locally relevant praxis, particularly when

it comes to addressing the major global

challenges such as loss of diversity and

ecosystem services, climate change and

rapid urbanisation.

Natarajan ISHWARAN,

Director of the Division of Ecological

and Earth Sciences (UNESCO)

Reaching from sea level to an altitude

of 1950 m, this biosphere reserve cov-

ers a large variety of different marine,

coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. It is

home to about 7,500 people who make

their living from tourism, cattle-ranches

and agriculture.

The high biological diversity, unique

volcanic topography and the culture ofJeju Island attract many tourists, thus

sustainable tourism development is one

of the main challenges for the site.

The Jeju Island Biosphere Reserve is

also at the heart of a programme called

the Jeju Initiative. Financially supported

by the Jeju Special Self-governing Pro-

vincial Government, the initiative aims to

enhance the capacity of governmental

institutions, the scientic community

and local communities in the conserva-

tion and wise management of the bio-logical and cultural diversity of the island

and coastal Biosphere Reserves in the

Asia-Pacic Region.

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Editorial

UNESCO/Jessica

Wake

eld

the concept of biosphere reserves was

created in 1974 within the framework

of UNESCOs Man and the Biosphere

(MAB) Programme. The network was

born two years later. While the concept

originated in the protected areas realm

during the 1980s it increasingly encom-

passed the idea of sustainable devel-

opment. Understanding people as inte-

grated in the biosphere, it promoted a

benecial interaction between societies

and their environment.

Following the 1995 Second Interna-

tional Congress on Biosphere Reserves

in Seville, Spain, three overarching goals

of the biosphere reserves were clearly

dened in the Seville Strategy and the

Statutory Framework of the World Net-

work of Biosphere Reserves. These in-

clude conserving both biological andcultural diversity, fostering innovative

approaches to sustainable economic

and human development and providing

logistic support by facilitating research

and monitoring, as well as education and

training.

In order to meet their goals, the bio-

sphere reserves are divided into three

zones: one or more core areas dedicated

to conservation of genetic diversity of spe-

cies and of the ecosystem; a clearly iden-tied buffer zone used for co-operative

activities compatible with sound ecologi-

cal practices; and an adaptable transition

area that promotes the creation of part-

nerships for sustainable development.

Woongarra Coast coral, Great SandyMarine Park, Australia.

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JeJu Island


This issue of the UNESCO Courier focuses on thesenew reserves which have been called to play a role

in the battle against the erosion of biodiversityand the loss of natural ecosystems,

the impact of climate change and rapid urbanisation.


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S

The town of Blieskastel, part of Bliesgau Biosphere Reserve.

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Man and

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lIterally

who introduced wine to Saarland- the start of a long tradition. Winewas cultivated in the valley of theRiver Blies right up to the rst halfof the 20th century.Bliesgau is the name of the 370

square kilometre region borderingon the River Saar in the west, theRhineland Palatinate in the East,and France to the south. Travel bro-chures talk enthusiastically of Med-iterranean climate rolling hillsand wide orchard meadows. Theshell limestone soil makes Bliesgau

unique, and numerous species oforchids thrive on it.It is not an untouched natural idyll,

however. Humans have shaped theregion. The Bliesgau Biosphere Re-serve thus contains 111,000 peo-ple, divided between two towns, St.Ingbert and Bieskastel. The popu-lation density of 310 residents persquare metre is above the FederalGerman average and also higher

than in any other biosphere.With regard to nature conserva-tion, Bliesgau is nothing specialcompared with other biospheres.Measures to protect fauna and ora

mall, but signicant. Thats Saar-land. If you discount the city statesof Hamburg, Berlin und Bremen, itsGermanys smallest Federal State.Slightly withdrawn in the south-westof the republic, it gives the impres-sion of being a small appendage ofthe great German state. France isits majestic neighbour to the south,and a small snout noses Luxem-bourg in the west, but apart fromthat its completely surrounded bythe large state of Rhineland-Palat-inate.

At the same time, its one of thewarmest corners of Germany, soits not surprising, then, that peoplehave settled here for thousands ofyears, leaving their traces behindthem. The Gollenstein, a 4000-year-old menhir, bears witness to thefact that the region was occupiedas early as the Middle Paleolithicage.Later on, the Romans led a good

life in Saarland. Julius Caesar origi-nally conquered the land from theCelts, and it was the Romans, too,

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Part of the central area of the Bliesgau Biosphere Reserve (Germany).

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were taken long ago. Parts of theregion are nature reserves: 43% of

the territory corresponded to pro-tected land even before the sitewas added to UNESCOs WorldNetwork of Biosphere Reserves.But urban natural conservation is

also a project we are working on,add Detlev Reinhard and HolgerZeck, employees at the Ministryof the Environment. A number ofthe species recorded at Bliesgauactually live in the towns, such as

the crested lark, wall lizard, greatermouse-eared bat, barn owl andcommon swift. These animals arepart of the reserve. We want tosystematically assess how nature isdeveloping in urban centres, Rein-hard and Zeck say. What is impor-tant to observe is how species thathave moved to the towns changetheir habits and become dependenton urban infrastructure, for instancefor food.

How is Bliesgauunique?The urban ecology concept is key

for this biosphere reserve. For Re-inhard and Zeck, Its the vibrantdiversity that makes the Bliesgauso unique. Meadows, valleys andforests shaped the landscape, but,above all, it was the coexistence ofman and nature, and the close in-

tegration with urban regions thatmade this stretch of countryside sospecial.The situation here cant be com-

pared with other biosphere re-serves, explains Pia Schramm of theBiosphere Association in Blieskas-tel. Many biosphere reserves arevery much geared to classical na-ture conservation and regional de-velopment; and rely strongly, for ex-

ample, on the marketing of regionalproducts, Schramm says. Wewanted, in addition, to show whatit means to attain sustainability inurban systems, too.

Urban ecologySt. Ingbert, the town in the north

of Bliesgau with a population of40,000, is the model for the closelink between town and countryside.In St. Ingbert we started to think aboutbiospheres very early on, explainedMonika Conrad, responsible for theenvironment and biosphere section ofthe Town Development Ofce. Theircitizens were extremely active on theclimate protection front, Conrad said.There is a solar initiative which offers

assistance to citizens installing solarequipment on their roofs. And a solarcooperative, whereby citizens who donot have an available roof of their owncan buy shares in the company thatequips public buildings. This providesyearly income and added motivationto get involved in such projects.Another example: an area of indus-

trial waste land in the town has beenlisted as a model trading estate in linewith sustainable urban development.

A block heat and power plant suppliesthe estate with heat; the biomass for it

comes from the towns compost plant,as well as ligneous lopping from Blies-gau. This supplies heat to residentrms, as well as the adjacent commu-nity building and the town hall.In addition, the public transportation

bus system has been greatly expand-ed, to make it possible for schoolchil-dren in the region to get to school inSt Ingbert, and for farmers to reachsales outlets for their produce in sur-

rounding towns.For those in charge of Bliesgaus con-servation project, sustainability meansnot just ecological, but economic andsocial sustainability as well.

Jens Lubbadeh,

journalist forDer Spiegel Online

(Germany), correspondant

for the UNESCO Courier

Man and the bIos phere: applyIng the conce pt lIterally

()

In Bliesgau, various educational activities and awareness campaigns encouragesustainable development.

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Agreen canopy of lush tall forests

covers the Nokrek Biosphere Re-serve in the North eastern Indianstate of Meghalaya. The highestpeak in the Garo Hills, at an altitudeof 1,418 metres above sea level,Nokrek features undisturbed naturalecosystems and stunning mountainlandscapes. The area is home towildlife, including elephants, tigers,leopards and hollock gibbons, andrare orchids, many of which haveyet to be documented. Nokrek also

houses a gene sanctuary to pre-serve rare varieties of citrus plantsincluding the Indian wild orange(citrus indica), which could serveas a genepool for commercially pro-duced citrus.Off the beaten path, Nokrek

gained international recognition inMay. Along with two other Indianbiosphere reserves -- Pachmarhiin the central Indian state of Mad-

hya Pradesh, and Similipal, in theeastern state of Orissa -- Nokrekis among the 22 new sites recentlyadded by UNESCO to its WorldNetwork of Biosphere Reserves.Their inclusion raises the number

of Indian sites on the World list toseven, from a total of 15 BiosphereReserves across the subcontinent.The new status is expected to have

a huge impact on the conservationand monitoring of these reserves tond the right balance between eco-nomic and human development.The challenge for all three Indian

Biosphere Reserves is to achievea balance between human activityand environmental protection. Thisis precisely the main challenge of

UNESCOs Man and Biosphere(MAB) Programme. Apart from be-ing a huge accolade for the area,the inclusion of Nokrek on theWorld Network list will help localofcials discover how people livingin the area can improve their qual-ity of life and enhance the superbnatural environment, said Vinod K.Nautiyal, principal chief conservatorof forests, Meghalaya.

The state forest chief points outthat guidance from international ex-perts would greatly benet Nokrek.He hopes the new designationwill contribute to the research anddocumentation of landscapes,

ecosystems, species and geneticvariations, besides complement-ing conservation and sustainabledevelopment strategies already inplace.The Botanical Survey of India

has revealed that 10% of plantsin Nokrek are rare or endangered.Scientists fear that increasing hu-man intervention around the areadesignated as the gene sanctuaryis affecting the habitats naturalbalance. Large-scale deforestation

and shifting cultivation have led tosoil erosion, and the selective cul-tivation of commercially-protablecitrus varieties in areas close to thereserve also threatens genetic di-versity.Spanning an area of 47.48 square

kilometers, Nokreks core zone isan important source of many peren-nial rivers and streams, includingthe Simsang, Ganol, Bugi, Dareng

and Rongdik rivers. One of the big-gest tourist attractions in the areais the Siju Cave, located on a cliffoverhanging the right bank of theSimsang River. Locally known asDobakhol or the cave of bats, the

tIgers and Men

Project Tiger has resurrected the dwindling population of tigers in Similipal.

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cave is the third- longest cave inIndia, and consists of innumerableinternal chambers and labyrinths

which have yet to be fully explored.

Pachmarhi, botanicaland religious sanctuaryLocated in the heart of India, the

Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve en-compasses three wildlife parks- Bori, Satpura, and Pachmarhi.It also includes the Satpura TigerReserve at its core, and the pic-turesque hill-station of Pachmarhi,

established by the British as a re-gional army headquarters.With cascading waterfalls, ravines

and gorges sculpted into the redsandstone earth, and dense ev-ergreen sal and teak forests inter-spersed with wild bamboo groves,Pachmarhi is a veritable paradisefor botanists and geologists. Pach-marhi is also an archaeologicaltreasure-house, with rock paintingsin cave shelters, some of which areestimated to be 10,000 years old.Pachmarhi also has cultural andreligious signicance for Hindupilgrims who throng here in largenumbers every year to celebratetwo important Hindu festivals, MahaShivratri (in March) and Nagpanchmi(in July-August).Pachmarhi boasts seven distinct

forest types, including tropical, moistand dry as well as sub-tropical hill

forests. A monsoon climate, withthree distinct seasons, ensures arich and luxurious vegetation. Peren-

nial streams and dark shady gorgesencourage the growth of moisture-loving species such as ferns, orchids

and rare herbs. As many as 71 spe-cies of ferns and fern allies, and 1190species of angiosperms (oweringplants) have been documented.Pachmarhis dense forest vegeta-

tion provides an ideal habitat for wildanimals, including panthers, wildboar, barking deer, rhesus macaquesand crocodiles, besides tigers. Thearea is home to over 50 species ofmammal, 254 species of birds, 30

species of reptiles, and 50 speciesof butteries.The reserve, with a total area of

4926 square kilometres, comprises511 villages, with agriculture as themain source of income. Poaching,deforestation and man-animal con-icts remain the reserves greatestproblems.The international recognition that

we have gained by being added tothe World Network will provide tre-mendous nancial support, neededfor the improvement of infrastructure,Nayan Singh Dungriyal, Field Directorof the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reservesaid. This will allow us to discovernew approaches to conservationand sustainable development.

The tigers of SimilipalThe Similipal Biosphere Reserve,

once a royal hunting ground of

the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj, com-prises the Similipal Sanctuary, andthe adjoining Nato and SatkoshiaReserve Forests, covering a totalarea of 5,500 square kilometres.Sustained protection measuresand management initiatives underthe Indian governments ProjectTiger programme have resurrectedthe dwindling population of tigers inthe Similipal Tiger Reserve, which

accounts for nearly half the tigerpopulation in Orissa state, on In-dias east coast.Named after the silk cotton trees

that bloom here, Similipal is a livinglaboratory for environmental scien-

()

tists. Its ecosystems include lushforests, grasslands and wetlands,which are inhabited by elephants,

panthers, four-horned antelopes,giant squirrels and mugger croco-diles, besides being the abode oftigers, including the rare black andmelanistic tigers.It houses 94 spe-cies of orchids and over 3000 spe-cies of other plants.The tribal inhabitants, who account

for 73 per cent of the total popula-tion of about 450,000, depend onagriculture, hunting and collection of

forest products for their livelihoods,but need additional sources of in-come. With 75 tribal villages locatedinside the tiger reserve, and the humanpopulation and livestock living in closeproximity with wildlife, it is little wonderthat forest ofcials are constantly chal-lenged by man-animal conicts.Our biggest challenge is to pro-

tect the traditional rights of the forestdwellers, while conserving wildlife,said R. Nagaraja Reddy, OrissasChief Conservator of Forests and Di-rector of the Similipal Biosphere Re-serve. The inclusion of Similipal on theWorld Network will lead to meaningfulexchanges of information, experienceand personnel. It will also considerablyhelp the research of ecosystems, aswell as monitoring and training work.Besides providing advice, Reddy

hopes the new designation will bringfunding from UNESCO through seed

funds which could initiate local efforts,help broker local projects, and estab-lishing durable nancial mechanisms.For Belinda Wright, Executive Direc-

tor of the Wildlife Protection Societyof India, The benets for the sites of

joining the World Network are largelypolitical. With world recognition, thestate governments of Orissa andMadhya Pradesh will focus more at-tention on the protection and manage-

ment of these two tiger reserves, andthis in turn should help improve theirconditions.

Shiraz Sidhva,

Indian journalist, correspondant


tIgers and Men

Pachmarhi is home to over 50 speciesof mammals, 254 species of birds, 30 speciesof reptiles, and 50 species of butteries.

VipinVyas



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F

heat away from earths surface withreectors; pouring iron into the oceanto boost phytoplanktons that wouldgobble up the carbon; and so on. Theproblem with this is that, in typicallyseeking technological solutions to theproblem, one arrives at relief but rarelya cure. If one is overweight, diet pills orsurgery are hardly a lasting solution. Bythe same token, if we are producingtoo much carbon, nding new waysto store excess carbon is not a last-ing solution. The problem is not merelycapturing the billions of tons of carbonthat we produce but to cut down on

activities that will produce carbon andother gasses that contribute to globalwarming. In other words, co-existingwith the natural environment ratherthan dominating it and having naturalspaces that can absorb the effectsof the range of human activities andby-products, including carbon.

Living laboratoriesfor sustainable

developmentThese ideas were central to thecreation of biosphere reserves.Biosphere reserves in their child-hood have faced earthquakes, res,oods, mass migrations, warfare,

clIMate change

bogeyMan

In your

neIghbourhoodThe Sundarbans (Bangladesh, India), a World Heritage Site,

was ravaged by cyclone Sidr in November 2007.

loods, droughts, entire islands andcoasts drowning in seawater, citiestrapped in hothouses, wildres, entirecontinents turned into deserts, ecosys-tems destroyed in a snap of a geologi-cal nger simply, the natural worldunleashing its wrath. Climate changeis now natures bogeyman, stalking usand dredging up our greatest fears.Yet, climate change is not really a bo-

geyman that has just decided to ran-domly unleash his fury and is now walk-ing up our doorstep. Climate changeis more like your next-door neighbourthat kept on sending you polite notes

that your oak tree was overtaking hisyard, which you promptly threw inthe waste bin. Now, the oak tree hascrashed through your neighbours liv-ing room and he is coming after youand your tree with a chainsaw.Current climate change ndings are

not revolutionary. Scientists have beensounding the alarm for decades. Overthe past century the average globaltemperature has increased by 0.75 C

and is expected to increase between1 and 5.8 C by the year 2100.Some have argued that technology

got us into this ecological mess andit will save us from climate change.Some have suggested: deecting

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and other calamities. Now, nearlyforty years old, biosphere reservesare tackling the biggest challengeof their lives climate change.Biosphere reserves are tting tools

for reducing and trying to cope withglobal warming. Just the network ofbiosphere reserves in Asia and thePacic represents over 47 millionhectares, an area corresponding toabout one hundredth of the entirecontinent. This is a natural spongethat absorbs a lot of carbon. Wenow know that of the 32 billion tonsof CO2 that are produced, natural

ecosystems absorb about 18 billiontons. Without these natural spong-es, the world would be in an evendirer ecological situation.In addition, biosphere reserves are

natural spaces that buffer againstthe constant whirl and noise ofdevelopment and provide key lo-cal environmental services such askeeping water clean, maintaininghealthy soil, protecting wildlife and

plants, maintaining pollination andseed propagation systems, amongothers. They are reminders that de-velopment needs a partner in con-servation.

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Finally, they serve as living labo-ratories for sustainable develop-ment. Climate change mitigationand adaptation efforts can be triedand tinkered with in biosphere re-serves. Successful efforts then canbe applied to other reserves andnon-reserves.

Riau saved?This is the case for Indonesias new

biosphere reserve, Giam Siak Kecil Bukit Batu (GSK-BB), which has

just joined the World Network. Thesite, in Riau province east of Suma-tra island, represents 705,271 hect-

ares and contains signicant areasof peat swamp and lowland forests.These are not only key carbon sinksbut also contain key endangeredwildlife species as the Sumatrantiger and elephant, sun bear, tapir,and several globally important leafmonkeys.Like other biosphere reserves, the

new site contains a protected corearea, a buffer zone that can support

sustainable human activities, and atransition area, with resources avail-able to all. The core area of the re-serve supports an important waterreservoir supplying the communi-

ties and economies that occupy thetransition areas and buffer zone.The latter is suitable for ecotourism,plant collection, and other small en-

terprise ventures that will contributeto sustainable local economies andenvironment.The management plan of this re-

serve will put in place a programmethat aims to strengthen environ-mental and economic security of lo-cal communities by supporting andpromoting innovative solutions thatattempt to mitigate and adapt to cli-mate change effects.Does this mean that the wildlife

and swamp forests of Riau are nowsafe, and people of Riau ready toembrace sustainable develop-

ment? Hardly. More than half of theSumatran peat swamp forest eco-region has been cleared in the pasttwo decades, and swamps drainedfor transmigration settlements anddevelopment projects. Local com-munities know little about sustain-able development or biosphere re-serves. They just want to feed theirfamilies. But at the same time, thevery activities that feed their families

An example of illegallogging at Sumatra(Indonesia).

clIMate change bogeyMan In your neIghbourhood

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MABComm

ittee

Programme.

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View of the centre of Siam Giak Kecil Biosphere Reserve, Bukit Batu.

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is investing in research into sustain-

ably harvesting plant material foundin the reserve for medicinal purposes.Communities and the private sectorwill be directly involved in propagat-ing, harvesting and marketing prod-ucts through a planned BiosphereProduct labeling programme.There is no one solution to climate

change. It is a challenge that requirespolitical, economic, technological andsocial solutions that come together.

Biosphere reserves like the one in

Sumatra need to innovate and pushfor sustainable living to address notonly climate change, but the way inwhich we perceive the natural world.

Robert Lee,

conservation biologist,

deputy director of the UNESCO

Jakarta ofce (Indonesia)

clIMate change bogeyMan In your neIghbourhood

today will likely lead to suffering to-

morrow.Now is the time to work with these

communities, government and theprivate sector to develop ideas andactivities that support people in theirecosystems. At present, stakehold-ers are exploring ways to provideeconomic and social benets to thepeople living in and around the bio-sphere reserve. For example, the In-donesian Academy of Sciences (LIPI)

()

IndonesIa In the lead

Indonesia has been the focus of many climate change discussions in recent years, for bad

and good. Indonesia is the third largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. A good bit

(83%) of these gasses come from deforestation and forest res resulting in the loss of about

20 million hectares per year and a haze that blankets the rest of Southeast Asia.

As a result, Indonesia has been making a strong effort to make changes by leading on major

climate change initiatives - such as hosting in 2007 the United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change conference and this May the World Ocean Conference and the Coral

Triangle Initiative Summit, attended by about 3,900 participants from 121 countries - and put-

ting into place major climate change measures.

Peat bog at the heart of Siam Giak Kecil Bukit Batu.

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dIndonesian

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11/2211

It looks like a lake that has been

whipped into waves and then sud-denly petried, says Syrian re-searcher, Jamal Abou Jahjah, de-scribing the precipitous landscapeof Lajat - 120 km2 of rolling basalthills, with peaks 600 - 900 metres

high.Lajat lies some thirty kilometres

south of the Syrian capital, Damas-cus, in the province of Sweida, onthe border with Jordan, at the inter-section of two very different regions- one with a mild climate, the othersemi-desert. Recently added to theWorld Network of Biosphere Re-serves, it is marked on the map as abiogeographical crossroads.

The plateau of Lajat has been in-habited for thousands of years, andtoday has a population of 16,500,spread across 13 villages. Like theirancestors, they continue to live es-

sentially from farming. This is clearlyvisible from the crop terraces andhundreds of pastures enclosed bykilometres of stone walls, that alsoprovide a haven for lizards andbirds. The ancient practice of croprotation, which is the reason behind

these enclosures, has proven to beessential for the sustainability of theland.Blessed with reserves of water

and renowned for the quality of itssoil, Lajat is one of the most fertileregions in Syria. One third of thecountrys plant varieties are foundhere. There are olive trees, datepalms, gs the so-called Koranicplants, because they are mentioned

in the sacred book alongside or-chards of pistachio, almond andother fruit trees a rare mix of Medi-terranean and Irano-Turkish speciesdue to the unusual geography.

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Growing these fruits has longprovided work for the local people.Olive and pistachio presses datingfrom the Roman era are evidenceof the long tradition of oil and soapproduction. Now, research is beingcarried out to nd ways to exploit

the wild bitter almonds, pears andvarious endemic plants known fortheir medicinal virtues.

Roman ruinsLajats rich natural resources are

not the sole attraction, though. Theregion is also scattered with theruins of ancient villages, the oldestdating back to the third century.Despite the devastation caused by

an earthquake in 749, it is still pos-sible to see the remains of greatfortied farms and houses, withseparate living spaces and spacesset aside for farming activities, all

()

laJat: where natureMeets hIstory


Lajat is scattered with vil lage ruins, the most ancient of whichdate from the 3rd century.

Permanent Delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic to UNESCO


12/2212

By awarding Lajat the status ofUNESCO biosphere reserve, itshould be possible to develop a

management plan that regulatesboth logging and grazing, thus re-storing ancient traditions that weremore respectful of the environ-ment.

Hala Kodmani,

Franco-Syrian journalist.

made out of the same material - ba-salt.Between 2003 and 2007 a team

of French experts recorded nofewer than 700 ancient and ar-chaeological sites in the region.Some thirty of the sites have beenexcavated, revealing the existenceof Greco-Roman settlements, nearto the village of Shahba, as well asmonasteries and houses from theByzantine era.There is, then, a promising future

for tourism in Lajat. Its vast panora-

mas, wild plants and animals and itspastoral traditions are ideally suitedto ecotourism, while history loverscan nd plenty to satisfy their curi-osity.

Restoring a balanceThe development of ecotourism

is one of the main objectives of amanagement plan for Lajat, draftedin 2006 by the Syrian Ministry for Lo-cal Administration and the Environ-ment, when the site was designatedas a national nature reserve.Projects have been developed to

renovate the ancient houses andruins, which have repeatedly beenabandoned and then rebuilt overthe years, only to be used by semi-nomadic peoples, since the 1970s,for grazing animals, or as wateringplaces and crafts workshops.The national authorities take a dim

view of the current situation and areseeking solutions to preserve the his-torical ruins by turning them into tour-ist hostels. As part of this plan, localpeople from various villages on theplateau are to be trained as guidesand interpreters.In the meantime, observation towers

have been built for bird-watchers, incollaboration with the Sweida Re-search Centre, the General Com-

mission for Agricultural Science andneighbouring universities, whichhave also developed other projectsaimed at improving the lives of local

laJat: where nature Meets hIstory

()

people, while respecting the envi-ronment.Today, the main threats to the en-

vironment of Lajat are uncontrolledlogging and grazing. Local opinionis divided, with those who supportprotection of the forests, but areagainst designated grazing areas,while others want grazing controlsbut unlimited logging rights.

Some 700 historic and archaeological sites have been identied in Lajat.


Lajat is promoting its cultural tourism.




13/2213O

ff the eastern coast of Australia,Fraser is the largest sand islandin the world. It supports a com-plex rainforest ecosystem, unique

perched freshwater lakes and rareAustralian ora and fauna.The island, which recently be-

came the core part of the GreatSandy Biosphere Reserve, wasinscribed on the UNESCO World

Heritage List in 1992 and muchof its land is protected by nationalpark laws. In some rare cases,core zones can be inhabited. In

the case of Fraser Island, the vil-lages are very small and only at thecoast line, explains UNESCOsEcological Sciences and Biodi-versity Section chief, Dr ThomasSchaaf.

How will Great Sandys join-ing UNESCOs World Networkof Biosphere Reserves alter themanagement practices already in

place on Fraser Island for the en-vironment and tourism?According to Schaaf, Natural

world heritage sites conservenatural ecosystems for which

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Fraser Island, Australia, is the largest sand island in the world.



14/2214

they have been inscribed; whilebiosphere reserves also do envi-ronmental restoration and reha-bilitation activities of degradedenvironments. In fact, biospherereserves are mainly concernedwith managing change in eco-systems linked to human activity inorder to promote sustainable devel-opment.Management of natural World

Heritage sites also takes sustain-able development into account,particularly for tourism. Accordingto Kishore Rao, Word HeritageCentre Deputy Director, The mostimportant factor and managementchallenge is to ensure that such

use is compatible with and has nonegative impact on the outstand-ing universal values for which thesites were inscribed on the WorldHeritage List.This is not the rst time a World

Heritage site has also become orbeen incorporated into a BiosphereReserve. As is the case withSerengeti National Park in Tanzania named a World Heritage site and

a Biosphere Reserve in 1981 thetwo can go together. The magni-cent wildlife array is outstanding,but the Serengeti is also a typicalsavanna ecosystem in Eastern Af-rica, he said.

Changing lifestylesRussel Stewart, chairman of the

Burnett Mary Regional Group(BMRG) that presented Great San-dys application to UNESCO, saidthat one of his organizations maingoals in having the area designated

()

when world herItage sItes and bIos phere re serves Merge

a biosphere reserve was to estab-lish its importance to the integrity

of a world heritage site, thus con-tributing to its conservation. It isnot well known that many of FraserIslands attractions can actuallybe seen without the need to drivebumpy four-wheel drive tracks orcatch a boat, said Stewart. Thereis a great potential to develop eco-tourism on the mainland.Although the Great Sandy region

already plays host to 950,000 sea-

sonal visitors per year comparedwith less than 200,000 permanentresidents the BMRG chairmanwas less concerned with the im-pacts of increased tourist numbersto the area than the vast number ofpeople moving to the region to live.The seachange phenomenon,

whereby people are moving tocoastal areas of Australia, is caus-ing very rapid growth in populationin the Great Sandy Region, with


Fraser

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To visit Fraser Island it isnt necessary to take a boat and rent a 4X4.()

Fraser supports rare australian ora and fauna.

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15/2215The UNESCO Courier 2009 N6

when world herItage sItes and bIos phere re serves Merge

world herItage sItes and bIospherereserves 85 sItes In coMMon

Fraser Island, a World Heritage Site, is at the centreof the new Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve (Australia).

Fraser

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World Heritage sites andbiosphere reserves sharea number of common chal-lenges such as climate

change and the worldwide loss anddegradation of services provided byecosystems, notably those related topreserving biodiversity. To respondto these common challenges, stra-tegic coordination of activities ofthe Man and the Biosphere (MAB)Programme and the World Heri-tage Convention is needed for bet-ter management of some 85 sitesthat are both biosphere reservesand World Heritage sites. This pro-cess must combine the differentmechanisms and approaches of-fered by the two instruments, anduse them as complementary toolsfor the benefit of both the environ-

ment and local populations.The main differences between

biosphere reserves and WorldHeritage sites (including natural,

cultural or mixed sites and culturallandscapes) are their objectives,legal status and management prin-ciples. During the first years of bio-sphere reserve designations, thetraditional conception of nationalparks weighed heavily. In a major-ity of cases, therefore, these olddesignations (from the 1970s andearly 1980s) involve sites that donot really fulfil the three functionsof biosphere reserves (the conser-vation, development and logisticfunctions including research, andmonitoring and education) nor havethe proper zonation scheme (i.e. core,buffer and transition areas) or coopera-tive management structures. In thesecases, biosphere reserves coincidewith the respective natural WorldHeritage sites (such as Dja in Camer-

oon, Yellowstone in the United Statesand Macquarie Island in Australia).However, in the majority of sites

with twin designations, and particu-

larly since 1995, the World Heritagesite represents the core area or a partof the core area of the respective bio-sphere reserve. An example is thePantanal Biosphere Reserve in Brazil.Indeed, the Pantanal ConservationComplex, a natural World Heritagesite, represents one of the 15 coreareas of the biosphere reserve. Butbiosphere reserves can include notonly natural heritage sites, but alsocultural heritage sites. Like the Paysde Fontainebleau Biosphere Reservein France and Tonle Sap in Cambodia.As for El Vizcaino Biosphere Reservein Mexico, two sites one natural andone cultural are part of the same bio-sphere reserve

Ana Perci,Division of Ecological andEarth Sciences (UNESCO). Excerpts

from the article World Heritage Sitesand Biosphere Reserves - Building oncomplementarities, World Heritage Re-view, n 49 April 2008.

signicant urban development, hesaid. The loss of natural areas ofconservation, development of good

agricultural land and increased hu-man impacts on popular recreation-al areas are all potential threats tothe regions environment. Manag-ing Great Sandy as a biosphere will

help to plan this development in amore sustainable way, he believes.In fact, we call Biosphere Re-

serves learning sites for sustain-able development, said Dr Schaaf.In addition, Biosphere Reservesare also scientic research sitesto study the structure, functioning

and dynamics of ecosystems, andthe interactions between peopleand the environment of interest to

both natural and social scientists.

Letea Cavander,

Australian journalist

()


16/2216

The Fuerteventura reserve consists

of not only the islands beaches, thelongest in the Archipelago, but alsoa strip of sea extending three to venautical miles.The site encompasses an array

of ecosystems including desert andsemi-desert as well as coastal andmarine areas. Famed for the diver-sity of marine life (dolphins, spermwhales, sea turtles that reproduce on

the beaches, etc), the island is alsoone of the foremost sites of geo-pale-ontological interest in the world.The island benets from its natu-

ral wealth. Tourism is currently theprincipal source of income and anexpanding industry, as seen in thegrowth of ornithological tourism. Theislands community is developingsustainably managed ecotourism.

Fuerteventura is the most ancientof the Canary Islands, the mostarid and the closest to the Africancoast. It has a surface area of 1659square kilometres and offers visitorsimpressive views of deep ravines,relics of its volcanic origins. Themore than 300 kilometres of coastand innumerable vast beaches areamong its dening characteristics.

Ana Minondo,

Spanish journalist

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Fuerteventura,

the coMpletereserve

Photos : UNESCO/Cabildo de Fuerteventura


Hubara macho

Tarabilla


17/2217

or from remote regions, ethnic mi-norities, immigrants, and disabledpersons may have lower participa-tion rates. Some education authori-ties have sought to improve equityand inclusion with such measures asstudent loans, grants for low-incomestudents, culturally targeted pro-grams, and quotas for members ofminority groups or lower castes.

Troubling trendsHigher education is increasingly

seen as an engine of economic de-velopment. But as student numbersexpand, government tax revenuestypically cannot keep pace with therising costs of public systems. Theresult is often increasing austerity:overcrowded classes and lecturehalls, outdated library collections,declining funds for research and adeterioration of facilities. The prob-lem has been most crippling in sub-

Saharan Africa, but is felt across thedeveloping world and in countries intransition as well.Public institutions, once largely de-

pendent on state funding, have beenforced to generate an increasing por-

t

hese trends were discussedat the 1998 UNESCO WorldConference on Higher Edu-cation. But they have all inten-sied over the last decade,

bringing both new opportunities andchallenges for participants attend-ing the 2009 World Conference onHigher Education, which took placeat UNESCOs Paris Headquartersfrom July 5-8.The issues are often complex and

the solutions fraught with controver-

sy. When public systems are over-whelmed by galloping enrollments,how should the money be found toreverse overcrowding, to maintain orimprove standards? Should highereducation be considered a publicgood, essential for economic devel-opment and nanced by public bud-gets? Or is it more a private good,allowing personal advancement,and able to thrive only if students are

required to pay for it? Will access tohigher studies depend on wealth rath-er than merit?The shift to post-industrial economies

has led to mass demand for higher ed-ucation. Enrollments are increasing at

breakneck speed. There were 152.5million tertiary students worldwide in2007, a roughly 50% increase com-pared to 2000.Only a half-century ago, post-second-

ary studies were reserved for a small,mostly male elite in most countries. Buttoday, participation rates of 40 or 50%of young people are often consideredvital for economic growth. Globally, thepercentage of university-aged youngpeople enrolled in tertiary education in-creased from 19% in 2000 to 26% in

2007. Women now account for a slightmajority of students and their predomi-nance is expected to increase.Yet the average rate masks stark re-

gional differences. Participation was71% in North America and WesternEurope, 26% in the East Asia/Pacicregion, 23% in the Arab States, 11%in South and West Asia and, despiterapid growth, only 6% in Africa. A childin sub-Saharan Africa today still has

less chance of reaching the end ofprimary school than a European hasof entering university.Within countries some groups do

not have equal access to higher stud-ies either. Those with lower incomes

focus

Cambridge, United Kingdom:students lined up to receive their degrees.

Higher EducationShaken by Change

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18/2218

focus

tion of their costs. The most commonway has been with tuition fees, whichhave been introduced in a number of

countries with formerly free or nearlyfree higher education (e.g., China in1997, the United Kingdom in 1998,and Austria in 2001). Fees are beingintroduced across Europe, long thebastion of free higher education. Inaddition, a number of African coun-tries have substantially raised stu-dent charges for dormitories, food,and other services.Institutions have become more en-

trepreneurial. They do paid researchfor companies or administrations,and develop paying courses to meetthe needs of local businesses. Thisis sometimes raising concerns. Toomuch emphasis on income genera-tion can undermine traditional univer-sity activities. Courses and researchin the humanities typically have nocommercial applications. Campustheatre groups, journals, and non-commercial radio and television sta-tions generally produce no income.But such activities make universitiescenters of intellectual life.Public authorities are also increas-

ingly replacing budgeted funding forresearch with competitive grants. Allthese developments are fosteringcompetition, and growing differen-tiation among institutions. Many uni-versities now pay close attention totheir place in international rankings.

The impact is especially evident inpredominantly public systems whereuntil recently universities were sup-posed to be all more or less equiva-lent.Some institutions and some national

systems are introducing more techni-cal and professional programs. Thisis a crucial issue in developing econ-omies, which need both more gradu-ates trained in technical disciplines,

and also professionals and leaderswith general knowledge, creativity,and critical thinking. There is also apressing need for research focusedon local development needs.

Globalisationand privatisationInstitutions, especially in the indus-

trialized nations, are competing forthe growing numbers of internationalstudents. More than 2.8 million stu-dents elected to study outside theirown country in 2007. The largestnumber came from China (421,100),India (153,300), and the Republic ofKorea (105,300). Their main des-tinations were the United States(595,900), the United Kingdom(351,500), and France (246,600).

Globalization is impacting tertiaryeducation in other ways. The last de-cade has seen a veritable explosionof programs and institutions oper-ating internationally. Several coun-tries are developing themselves asinternational higher education hubs.(Qatar, Singapore and the UnitedArab Emirates are prime examples).Regional agreements are emergingto promote higher education coop-eration and exchange. The BolognaProcess, adopted in that Italian cityin 1999, is harmonizing what were amyriad of distinct degree systems inover 40 European countries. Similarefforts are underway in Latin Amer-

ica, Africa, Southeast Asia and theAsia-Pacic region.A major challenge is how to com-

pare institutions and degrees fromdifferent countries. New nationalquality assurance mechanisms relyon peers, not government agencies.And the focus is now on outcomes the skills and knowledge graduateshave acquired rather than inputs, likefaculty qualications and library collec-tions. Education leaders have begunwork on ways to compare evaluationresults across borders.

A striking development has been therapid expansion of private higher edu-cation. While private institutions havetraditionally played an important role inEast Asia and the United States, todaythey account for 30% of global enroll-ment. Private institutions have beencentral to the rapid expansion of enroll-ments in such countries as Brazil, Chile,and a number of African countries,where demand far outstrips the numberof study places at state institutions.Many for-prot private providers are

raising concerns about quality assur-ance and the emergence of fraudu-lent diploma mills. The growth of dis-tance education adds to the need forincreased international cooperation,since the Internet allows such programsto cross borders effortlessly.Tertiary enrollments are expected to

continue expanding rapidly. Studentpopulations will continue to diversify,

counting more people already in theworkforce, part time students, andthose from other countries.But while this expansion is widely

welcomed, it is bringing serious chal-lenges, especially in low-income de-veloping countries. The need for anever-expanding number of teachers willmean that their qualications will tendto remain low. And authorities will behard pressed to ensure that access

is not just for the more afuent, butfor all those who could benet fromfurther studies.

Burton Bollag,

American journalist

Students at Lyce Lamine Guye in Dakar(Senegal). Lack of funding for higher educationis most agrant in Africa, but the problemaffects all developing countries.

OIF

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19/2219

In June, the World Heritage Committee made the decision to withdraw the Dresden Elbe Valley from the list of World Heritage sites.

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of having walked into disaster withits eyes wide open. This is a blackday for the state of Saxony and forGermany, as a country that placesgreat emphasis on culture.In fact it had been clear for years

that this day was bound to come.

An old controversialproject

The bone of contention is theWaldschlsschen Bridge over the

river Elbe, the plans for which haveexisted since the 1990s, and beena subject of controversy from thestart. A four-lane motorway is to leadacross it. The bridge is supposed tolink the eastern and south-easternparts of Dresden with the north,taking some of the load off the fourbridges in the inner city.For the World Heritage Committee

this bridge was the reason for with-

drawing the status of world heritagesite from the Dresden Elbe Valley.The explanation is that by buildingthe bridge, Dresden has failed topreserve the outstanding universal

by decision of the World Heri-tage Committee, the DresdenElbe Valley has ceased to be

a world heritage site. Fourteen mem-bers of the Committee voted in fa-vour of delisting it, 5 against, with 2abstentions.This is only the second time ever

that a World Heritage Site has hadits status revoked, the rst being theArabian Oryx Sanctuary, Oman, in2007.

Every time we fail to preserve a site,we share the pain of the State Party,declared Mara Jess San Segundo,the Ambassador and Permanent Del-egate of Spain to UNESCO, chair ofthe 33rd session of the Committee,which met in Seville, Spain, from 22to 30 June of this year. FrancescoBandarin, Director of the World Heri-tage Centre, noted with regret thatThe work of UNESCO is to add

properties to the World Heritage Listso as to promote their preservation,not to drop them off the List.When the news became public

townspeople congregated outsideDresdens world-famous Church of

Our Lady holding up signs that readWhat an embarrassment, Dres-den! Germanys transport ministerWolfgang Tiefensee said: This isvery black day for Dresden and forGermany as a country that valuesculture highly. I deeply regret thatit has come to this. Saxony andthe city of Dresden had more thanenough time to reach a compromisewith UNESCO.Foreign minister Frank-Walter

Steinmeier was concerned that thedecision by UNESCO was notgood news. An understatement.Olaf Zimmermann, chief executiveof the German Cultural Council,was scathing in his reproaches:Through its stubbornness, Dres-den has done Germany, as a coun-try that holds culture in high es-teem, a real disservice. Germanyhas been disgraced in the face of

the world. And Eva-Maria Stange,who is the chairwoman of the Ger-man National Committee for thePreservation of Historic Monu-ments and the Minister of Art of thestate of Saxony accused Dresden

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Stad

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20/2220

value of the cultural landscape inthe Elbe Valley in the way it was in-scribed on the World Heritage List.Dresden was pronounced a world

heritage site in 2004, having beennominated two years previously.Although the planned bridge wasactually mentioned in the nomina-tion le, its described location wasincorrect; the bridge was said to beabout 5 kilometres down the riverfrom the centre. In actual fact, thebridge is 2.5 kilometres upriver.In the spring of 2004, planning ap-

proval was granted for the bridge.With this, all the legal hurdles hadbeen taken. But the start of con-struction was repeatedly delayed on

account of planning errors and nu-merous lawsuits, as well as changeson the German political scene. Fi-nally, it was decided to hold a publicreferendum that was to determinewhether or not to go ahead.And so it was that in February 2005

the citizens of Dresden voted on theconstruction of the Waldschlss-chen Bridge. The result: two thirdsof the votes cast were in favour of

building the bridge, though turnoutwas a meagre 50.8 percent. Theinformation leaet published in con-nection with the referendum includ-ed references to the building codeand the fact that planning approval

had already been given whichmeans that in actual fact the refer-endum was not a direct vote on theissue but a request to conrm theexisting parliamentary decision.

2006 : Dresden in perilHowever, what the citizens of Dres-

den could not be aware of at thattime was that building the bridgemight threaten the citys status as aworld heritage site. The incorrect de-tails about the location of the bridgewere not discovered and correcteduntil October 2005. UNESCOthen declared, for the rst time, in2006 that the bridge was irreconcil-able with world heritage status and

threatened to de-list the propertyif it was indeed built. The DresdenElbe Valley was put on the List ofWorld Heritage in Danger, while atthe same time the city was urged tosubmit an alternative concept thatwould be compatible with the re-quirements of a world heritage site.Over the ensuing months, the city

council and the regional councilcontinued to argue over the con-

struction of the bridge, several courtrulings were handed down, and thesearch for an alternative solution alsofailed. UNESCO decided to leaveDresden on the World Heritage Listfor one more year, but called upon

the city once again to come up withalternatives.In November 2007, various actions

brought by conservation groups hav-ing been dismissed, the construc-tion of the bridge began. UNESCOreacted immediately. We asked forthe construction of the bridge to bestopped and the area to be re-nat-uralised, says Francesco Bandarin.Further lawsuits followed; a new ref-erendum, this time on a tunnel as analternative to the bridge, was reject-ed by the then mayor. The argumentbetween the city council, the statedirectorate, the regional council andthe mayor raged on.In March 2009, having dismissed

several actions led by conservationgroups, the Dresden AdministrativeCourt declared: The tunnel solutiondoes not represent a preferable al-ternative. A tunnel would consider-ably impair the protected lowlandmeadows. However the court rulingdid not take into account the UNES-CO issue.Bandarin considers the entire pro-

cedure a bad idea: I dont think

these decisions should be taken bythe courts. This is a purely techni-cal matter. Solutions to engineeringproblems should be left to engineer-ing projects.

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forum


Semper Opera House, Dresden.

UNESCO/Niam

hBurke

The cultural landscape of Dresden ElbeValley is crowned by the Pillnitz Palace.

Staatliche Schlsser, Burgen und Grten Sachsen


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EclairaGE

21

Now the UNESCO decision hasbeen taken and Dresdens currentmayor Helma Orosz who hasbeen in ofce since October 2008

is having to carry the can for all theharm done by years of ignorance,small-mindedness and intransigence.Years of communication problemsbetween all the parties involved havenot been helpful, Orosz criticises.Instead of admitting their mistakes,people kept putting the blame oneach other. That led to rifts betweenthe citizens, which I deeply regret.

The decision by UNESCO is, shesays, a serious defeat for a town likeDresden though she would not goso far as to call it a disgrace. Themajority of people in Dresden wantthe bridge. To me the referendumin 2005 was a legitimate decision. Iam bound by the legal circumstanc-es that is a local politicians job.She was in fact bound to the ref-

erendum, says Francesco Bandarin

but only until 2008, as the valid-ity is three years. After that, he be-lieves, Orosz could have revokedthe decision or, as he suggested,organize[d] a new referendum with

the right question: Do you want tohave the bridge and lose the WorldHeritage Site title?To back up her conviction, Orosz

cites further surveys carried out byvarious media during her term in of-ce. In each case, a majority of re-spondents spoke out in favour ofthe bridge though always in con-nection with preserving the statusof world heritage site. But, Orosznotes, the surveys also showedthat if that were not possible thenpeople would support the bridgewithout the title.

After taking ofce, Orosz imme-diately contacted UNESCO, hop-ing that the organization could bepersuaded to move on the issue. Invain. According to the Mayor, it be-came clear in Seville that the crite-ria for awarding the status of worldheritage site were not realistic andneeded to be revised. I spoke withrepresentatives from other coun-tries that were on the HeritageSites in Peril list. In all cases it be-came clear that the assessmentwas becoming increasingly rigid,she says. We cannot allow a mod-ern infrastructure to be seen as aproblem when it comes to recogn-ising a world heritage site.Bandarin disagrees: As I ex-

plained many times, the bridge wasincompatible because Dresdenwas inscribed as a cultural land-scape, not as an historic city. As an

historic city it would not have thevalues for inscription, as it was al-most completely destroyed. Beinga cultural landscape, the integrity iswhat matters, and the bridge breaksthat. Also, the proposed project hasa very heavy, old-fashioned design.The quality of the design matterstoo.Orosz views the fact that many

members of the World Heritage

Committee voted against the deci-sion to de-list the site as conrma-tion that at UNESCO, too, peopleare starting to reconsider the crite-ria. She says, I am grateful that the

members of the committee reachedtheir decision with some degree ofconcern. The vote shows that thereis a conviction deep inside that the

city is capable and worthy of beinga world heritage site.

The doorisnt irrevocably closedIt is indeed true that the World

Heritage Committee has left it openfor Dresden to present a new nomi-nation. The door is not shut, saidFranoise Rivire, UNESCO As-sistant Director-General for Cul-

ture, in Seville. However the pro-ceedings would have to be startedfrom the beginning and the newnomination must be limited to onepart of the cultural landscape ofthe Elbe Valley. Francesco Ban-darin states that this would re-quire completely new nominationof the site, obviously with differ-ent perimeters and values. Thiswill take time and will be carefullyscrutinized.Helma Orosz is condent:

UNESCO has built a bridge forDresden to cross and this timethe expression is tting. The cityis to be given another chance. Ithink a new nomination is pos-sible provided the majority ofDresdens citizens want it.It seems they do: a survey carried

out by the newspaper Schsis-che Zeitung on 29 June among

501 citizens found that almosttwo thirds of them wanted Dres-den to submit a new nomination.Just before UNESCO proclaimedits decision, it was a different mat-ter: on 20 June, the same news-paper had already done an opin-ion poll. At that time, 57 percentof Dresdeners felt they could dowithout the title of World HeritageSite. Public opinion is changing in

Dresden.

Jens Lubbadeh,

journalist forDer Spiegel Online

(Germany), correspondant


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The cultural landscapeof Dresden Elbe Valley extendssome 18 km along the river.It features low meadows, and iscrowned by the Pillnitz Palaceand the centre of Dresden with itsnumerous monuments and parksdating from the 16th century.Some old villages have retainedtheir historic structure andelements from the industrialrevolution, notably the 147-mBlue Wonder steel bridge. Thepassenger steamships and theshipyard, dating from the early20th century, are still in use.



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