Exploring factors of disaster preparedness in UNESCO-designated heritage sites

Increased hazards threatening the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)-designated sites and endangering cultural heritage and community well-being require attention and action.Con-sidering the pivotal role of UNESCO sites in conservation and development,this study assessed their levels of disaster preparedness.The absence of studies assessing disaster awareness,risk perception,and preparedness among UNESCO site actors,as well as the pivotal place of preparedness within the Disaster Risk Management(DRM)cycle justifies this research.Applying the tenets of the Person-Relative-to-Event framework,we hypothe-sized that a strong positive correlation exists between perceived risks,resources,and disaster preparedness.To collect pertinent data,we employed an embedded mixed-method design and conducted an online questionnaire survey yielding 141 responses from 59 countries.From the results of relevant analyses,wildfires,floods,and droughts are top hazards occurring frequently in UNESCO sites,with significant concerns about pollution and habitat loss during future events.Smartphones emerged as the most available crucial DRM resource,with higher availability of DRM resources correlating positively and significantly with sites’preparedness.Our findings con-tribute valuable insights to address missing links for disaster-ready and resilient UNESCO sites,promoting their preservation for future generations.

Spatial Distribution and Inscribed Criteria of Cultural Landscape World Heritage Sites

As an important type of world heritage sites,cultural landscape has always been an important research subject.In order to explore the spatial distribution and evolution mode of cultural landscape all over the world,the paper systematically elaborated the historical context of cultural landscape.The distribution characteristics were analyzed by statistical methods,and the connotation and evolution law represented by cultural landscape in different regions were expounded.The word frequency of regional heritage criteria was analyzed,and the local characteristics of each case were discussed.The research shows that the spatial distribution of global cultural landscape is unbalanced,mainly concentrated in Europe,and the spatial distribution characteristics are closely related to geographical environment,social history,economic development level and many other factors.In terms of inscribed criteria for world heritage sites,most cultural landscapes are mainly based on cultural criteria,but also involve natural criteria.The recognition and protection of cultural landscapes that simultaneously meet multiple criteria will become the focus in the future.

Ecological Risk Assessment of World Heritage Sites Using RS and GIS:A Case Study of Huangshan Mountain, China

Ecological risk assessment(ERA) is an indispensable method for systematic monitoring of World Heritage Sites(WHSs) exposed to various anthropogenic factors and natural disasters. Remote sensing(RS) and geographical information systems(GIS) can eliminate many limitations in traditional ERA methods. In this study, changes in ecological risk at Huangshan Mountain, the first mixed WHS in China, over the period of 1984–2019 were explored using remote sensing images and products by considering both natural disasters and human disturbance. Results show that of the four land cover types in Huangshan Mountain, namely water, forest, building and farmland, the main land cover type is forest. During the 35 yr, lands categorised at low or relatively low ecological risk levels are dominant in Huangshan Mountain, with the lowest and highest ERIs(ecological risk index) in 1990 and 2010, respectively. The areas at the five ecological risk levels have declined as follows: relatively low > low > medium > relatively high > high. Changes in ecological risks are closely related to changes in land cover and natural disasters. Even though major natural disasters may affect the ecological risk level in the whole region, changes in land cover caused by human activities will shift the ecological risk level in some areas. Our attempts can be modified and applied to other sites, and offer policy implications for protection and preservation of WHSs.

Protecting the national parks and the world heritage sites in China: challenge and strategy

About 70% of its land area as mountains and plateaus, China is the largest mountain country in the world. Thanks to its vast territory (9.6 million km2), outstanding relief and varied climates, China boasts extremely plenty of ecosystems and landscapes. From south to north, it traverses almost all the temporal zones from tropical rainforest in the southernmost to frigid-temperate needle-leaved forest in the northernmost; from east to west, it sees a gradual transition fro humid forest landscape to extremely arid desert landscape; vertical change of landscapes is most striking owing to the existence of many high mountains (above 6000-7000 m, e.g., the Himalayas, the Kunlun, the Tianshan, the Hengduan, etc.) and plateaus, especially the immense Tibetan Plateau (averagely 4500 m above sea level). All of this give rise to the richness and diversity of ecosystems and landscape in China. Some of the ecosystems are endemic to China, e.g., alpine desert and alpine steppe in the Tibetan Plateau. As a result, China bears a great responsibility in the protection of global ecosystems and landscape.

Sustainable tourism development of globally important agricultural heritage sites:a case study of "traditional rice-fish agriculture system"

Traditional rice-fish agricultural heritage site in Qingtian County, China, one of the pilot sites of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems （GIAHS）, is of great value in tourism development. This paper aims to explore how to realize sustainable tourism development in agricultural heritage site through identifying current problems in GIAHS site. and making constructive recommendations for coupled development of heritage preservation and economic development. Field survey was carried out and data was collected through field questionnaire surveys of tourists and residents in Longxian Village of Qingtian County, as well as interviews of residents with semi. structured questionnaires for their perceptions and attitudes to tourism development. The following results are got： （1） the tourism industry is still at its early state of Non, tale tourism （enjoy and experience authentic country life- style）, under very limited administrative management; （2） what attracts visitors most are delicious.fish and beautiful natural environment, but not agricultural heritage itself; （3） most tourists eome from adjacent areas and stay. only half day, many of whom pay their visits twice or more; （4） a few local residents take part in the activities of tourism industry, but in very limited manners even if they do. Current patterns of tourism development are casting negative impacts on agricultural heritage. Conservatton of agricultural heritage should be put in the first place for sustainable tourism development.Agricultural heritage, as a key attraction, should be taken as the focus for tourism development. The important thing is to change the present Nongjiale tourism into real heritage tourism, to establish a cooperative mechanism among different stakeholders. and to increase local residents＇ income through engaging in tourism industry.

World Heritage Sites in China and Date of Adoption by UNESCO

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang (1987, 2004) Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (1987) Mogao Caves (1987) Taishan Mountain (1987) Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (1987) The Great Wall (1987) Huangshan Mountain (1990) Huanglong Scenic and Historical Interest Area (1992) Jiuzhaiqou Vallev Scenic

Restoring Cultural Heritage Sites

Most of the post-quake cultural heritage rescue and protection projects in Sichuan have been completed The State Administration of Cultural Heritage recently rewarded 132 individuals and organizations for their work in rescuing and protecting cultural relics damaged by the Wenchuan earthquake on May12,2008.

Evaluating visitor experience of digital interpretation and presentation technologies at cultural heritage sites:a case study of the old town,Zuoying

Digital technologies are increasingly used in the interpretation and presentation process at cultural heritage sites,shifting the manner of heritage display from previous ways,which tended to be monolithic and static,to a more diversified,experiential,and interactive approach and enabling new connections between heritage and the public.Digital experience is gradually becoming an important component of visitors’heritage experience.However,little attention has been paid to the influence and effects that these technologies have on the visitor experience,and a corresponding measurement framework for the heritage digital experience is still lacking.To contribute to the design,implementation,and management of digital display systems at cultural heritage sites,this research aims to evaluate visitors’expectations,acceptance,and experience of digital interpretation and presentation technologies.A mixed methodology,combining questionnaires based on a digital experience evaluation framework and semi-structured interviews,was adopted and used in Old Zuoying City(OZC),a typical heritage site for the application of digital display technologies in Taiwan.Our study indicates that digital display technologies received high acceptance from heritage visitors and had a positive impact on some specific aspects,such as encouraging their exploration of and further learning about the site,helping them better visualize the richness of heritage,and creating new experiences of perceiving,engaging,and communicating with history.In addition,based on the survey findings,a number of recommendations for the current stage of digital display design are presented.The survey results and evaluation framework can be used as a reference for other research on heritage visitors and to improve digital interpretation and presentation design.

Assessment of prospective hazards resulting from the 2017 earthquake at the world heritage site Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan, China

On August 8, 2017, a Ms = 7.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Jiuzhaigou Valley, in Sichuan Province, China(N: 33.20°, E: 103.82°). Jiuzhaigou Valley is an area recognized and listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1992. Data analysis and field survey were conducted on the landslide, collapse, and debris flow gully, to assess the coseismic geological hazards generated by the earthquake using an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV), remote-sensing imaging, laser range finders, geological radars, and cameras. The results highlighted the occurrence of 13 landslides, 70 collapses, and 25 potential debris flow gullies following the earthquake. The hazards were classified on the basis of their size and the potential property loss attributable to them. Consequently, 14 large-scale hazards, 30 medium-sized hazards, and 64 small hazards accounting for 13%, 28%, and 59% of the total hazards, respectively, were identified. Based on the variation tendency of the geological hazards that ensued in areas affected by the Kanto earthquake(Japan), Chi-chi earthquake(Taiwan China), and Wenchuan earthquake(Sichuan China), the study predicts that, depending on the rain intensity cycle, the duration of geological hazard activities in the Jiuzhaigou Valley may last over ten years and will gradually decrease for the following five to ten yearsbefore returning to pre-earthquake levels. Thus,necessary monitoring and early warning systems must be implemented to ensure the safety of residents,workers and tourists during the construction of engineering projects and reopening of scenic sites to the public.

Resident Relocation of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Site Based on Community Participation Theory

Migrant relocation is an important measure for the scenic spot to effectively protect the ecological environment.The problem of migrant relocation of Wulingyuan World Heritage Site is the most serious and difficult problem in the development of Wulingyuan,and it is a very representative case of migrant relocation in tourist attractions of China.Based on the community participation theory,this paper made a detailed analysis of the panel data on the relocation of residents in Wulingyuan World Heritage Site.Combining the first-hand information obtained from the field interviews,starting from the reasons for the relocation,the resettlement plan,and the effects of the relocation,it also analyzed the problems existing in the relocation of residents in Wulingyuan World Heritage Site.Finally,it came up with recommendations in line with the interests of residents from the perspective of community participation.

Analysis on Driving Forces behind Community Participation in Heritage Site Protection and Tourism Development

This paper applied literature research, model analysis, considered current community-participated tourism development, established a four driving forces model on the basis of analyzing the driving forces for community participation in heritage site protection and tourism development. The driving forces and applicability of community participation in heritage site protection and tourism development from the perspectives of interests drive, government pushing, tourism development attraction and environmental protection pressure.

Procedure for Delisting a Site From the World Heritage List： Is Delisting With Consent or Against the Wish of a State Party Possible？

As of 2015 （UNESCO, 2015）, the over-40-year-old Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage （1972） has been ratified by 191 nations, making it a universal and internationally recognised instrument for the protection of cultural and natural heritage. In the meantime, 1007 World Heritage Sites have been inscribed on the World Heritage List （as of February 2015） and two sites have been delisted. This paper discusses the delisting procedure of a site from the World Heritage List based on the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention （henceforth OG）. First of all, the question of the possibility to delist a site from the World Heritage List, in general, is addressed. And based on this discussion, the necessity of the consent of the State Party to the WHC on whose territory the site to be delisted is located is then examined.

Discussion the Tourist Image Planning of the World Cultural Heritage

The world＇ s cultural heritage is a top tourist resource when it is used for tourism development. Domestic scholars are concerned about the tourism image more than ten years. However, there is little research on tourism image of the world cultural heritage. The tourism image of the world cultural heritage influence tourists＇ expectations - experience satisfaction; the recognition to the cultural heritage of the destination resident; the tourist type of the world cultural heritage Site, and the showing effect of the cultural heritage tourists. Consider the world cultural heritage tourism image connotation, it includes four parts： subject, object, body and mediator. It has the four characteristics： the main audience of the tourism image is cultural tourists, and the tourism image can be used as against marketing tool of the cultural heritage sites, and the tourism image highlight the cultural heritage of authenticity and uniqueness.

Three Karst Sites,One Dream

CHINA will propose the inscription of karst landscapes in Wulong County （Chongqing Municipality）, Libo County （Guizhou Province） and Shilin City （Yunnan Province） on the prestigious World Heritage List during the 31st UNESCO World Heritage Comittee session in Christchurch, New Zealand, from June 23 to July 2.

A tale of duality:Community perceptions towards the ecotourism impacts on Simien Mountains National Park,Ethiopia

This study aims to analyze how park households perceive the economic,sociocultural,and environmental impacts of ecotourism in Simien Mountain National Park(SMNP),Ethiopia.We combined qualitative and quantitative techniques for data collection.A sequentially embedded mixed design that gives priority to quantitative data was used.We also employed a multistage sampling technique to select respondents from three districts or woredas,namely Debark,Janamora,and Beyeda woredas.Finally,397 participants were involved in the study from a random selection of three villages from each district or woreda.Data were gathered using a survey questionnaire,interviews,and focus group discussions.Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods,including means,standard deviations,analysis of variance(ANOVA),and logistic regression models.The findings from a logistic regression analysis revealed that ecotourism participation had a significant relationship with gender(B=1.850,P=0.023),level of education(B=0.238,P=0.032),geographical location(B=0.420,P=0.041),and occupation(B=0.920,P=0.019).This investigation suggested that males and individuals with a higher educational background are more likely to possess optimistic perspectives concerning the impacts of ecotourism.Furthermore,individuals residing in districts relatively near ecotourism destinations,those engaged in tourism-related work,and younger participants were recognized as having optimistic viewpoints regarding the impacts of ecotourism.In conclusion,the study highlighted the need for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to maximize ecotourism’s benefits and minimize negative effects in SMNP.To achieve this,it is recommended that the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Agency,the Ministry of Tourism,and local government should work together to develop sustainable tourism plans that enhance local livelihoods and park conditions.Efforts should focus on increasing the participation of females and individuals with lower education levels through training and resource provision.

Alpine Ecosystems of Northwest Yunnan,China:an Initial Assessment for Conservation

Implementing conservation actions on-the-ground is not a straightforward process,especially when faced with high scientific uncertainty due to limited available information. This is especially acute in regions of the world that harbor many unique species that have not been well studied,such as the alpine zone of the Hengduan Mountains of Northwest Yunnan (NWY),a global biodiversity hotspot and site of The Nature Conservancy’s Yunnan Great Rivers Project. We conducted a quantitative,but rapid regional-level assessment of the alpine flora across NWY to provide a broad-based understanding of local and regional patterns of the alpine flora,the first large-scale analysis of alpine biodiversity patterns in this region. Multivariate analyses were used to classify the major plant community types and link community patterns to habitat variables. Our analysis indicated that most species had small distributions and/or small population sizes. Strong patterns emerged with higher diversity in the more northern mountains,but beta diversity was high,averaging only 10% among sites. The ordinations indicated that elevation and geographic location were the dominant environ-mental gradients underlying the differences in the species composition among communities. The high beta diversity across the alpine of these mountains implies that conservation strategies ultimately will require the protection of large numbers of species over a large geographical area. However,prioritiza-tion should be given to areas where potential payoffs are greatest. Sites with high species richness also have a greater number of endemic species,and,by focusing efforts on these sites,conservation investments would be maximized by protecting the greatest number of unique species.

Language-Segmented Study Based on TripAdvisor Reviews Related to Memorable Tourist Experiences

The Memorable Tourist Experience(MTE)is a scientific concept within the studies on tourism that is developed based on several related constructions:Perceived Confidence,Sincerity,Authenticity,and Satisfaction.This work takes this model established by the work of Dr.Babak Taheri in 2018 on Monuments World Heritage of UNESCO,adopting an alternative data collection method to the face-to-face survey.Therefore,this work takes as a source of data the reviews collected in the recommendation platform TripAdvisor,working the same constructions of the MTE,with the collection of similar terms and the relationships between them.In order to highlight the terms,a first step is established with the use of Natural Language Processing(NLP),followed by the use of Machine Learning(ML)techniques to generate the relationships between the constructors defined in the models.The study makes a comparison using the method,in immaterial nature such as a flamenco show in the city of Seville;Flamenco has been declared by UNESCO an intangible World Heritage Site since 2010.The results of the study go in two directions:on the one hand to find similarities in the study of the specific MTE of both monuments with the hypotheses worked in the original model of Taheri.In addition to highlighting possible distinctive elements of each case and,and furthermore within the value contribution of the visit when it is led by an official tour guide,on the other hand,give presence to the model of obtaining data by reviews as a complementary data source of any tourist study.The data collection and analysis from both NLP and ML techniques permit the scientific study and the tourist operators to develop better value propositions to users and understanding of heterogeneous behaviors in the tourism industry.The study of reviews within the MTE allows identifying the stimulus that leads the user to choose an activity and hire it.These studies are extendable to other industries and business models,given the importance that references acquire within the consumer willing to buy.For the scientific community,the use of ML is a solid way to initiate studies on behavioral models,supplement them,and accept or reject hypotheses.When the source of the data is taken from free expressions,such as reviews,the appearance of bias in the behavior is attenuated.