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Paper seeks wider heritage protection
By Jia Hepeng and Ma Lie (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-22 06:14
XI'AN: The first international document on the preservation of heritage
settings has been passed at the five-day 15th General Assembly of the
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which concluded here on
Friday
The milestone Xi'an Declaration defines the setting of a heritage structure,
site or area as "the immediate and extended environment that is part of or
contributes to its significance and distinctive character."
It will help better conserve environments around heritage sites, according to
Zhang Bai, deputy director of the State Heritage Administration.
The declaration emphasizes the contribution of setting to the significance of
heritage monuments and sites.
"Understanding, documenting and interpreting the setting is essential to
defining and appreciating the heritage significance of any structure, site or
area," it says.
The document calls for legislation, regulation and guidelines to be drafted
by governments to conserve and manage such settings.
It suggests the establishment of protection or buffer zones around the sites.
The declaration also stresses the need to monitor and manage changes around
sites.
It appeals for the heritage conservation society to work with local,
interdisciplinary and international communities for co-operation and awareness
in conserving and managing heritage settings.
Established in 1965, ICOMOS is the only international non-government heritage
conservation organization.
It is the main consultative organ of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in judging world heritage
candidate sites.
Zhang said China will implement the declaration based on the actual situation
in the country, for example increasing financial input and strengthening public
awareness.
He said China will draft legislations in this regard to reflect the
principles enshrined in the declaration.
More than 1,000 delegates joined the assembly, which highly evaluates China's
experience in heritage conservation.
The general assembly, which meets every three years, was first held in Cracow
in Poland in 1965. China joined ICOMOS in 1993.
The next assembly will be held in Canada's Quebec City in 2008.
(China Daily 10/22/2005 page1)
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