Pheasants in sacred and other forests in western Sichuan: their cultural conservation

Buddhism and local cultural traditions have long protected wildlife species and their habitats in Tibetan-dominated areas of western Sichuan. In Daocheng County, the White Eared-pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon) has been afforded special protection by local people because it is conspicuous and white, a color with special symbolism for Buddhists. This and other cultural reasons have led to pheasants and forests benefiting in some areas. Pheasants were found during surveys between January 2003 and June 2004 in forests with varying degrees of local (non-formal) protection. However, there were significant signs that these traditional attitudes were changing in the face of three particular pressures brought to bear by better roads, improving access to and from the rest of China. The first was the development of a significant local demand for the Chinese caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinesis), which is much sought after throughout East Asia and mushrooms. Second, and more recent, is a dramatic increase in tourism from major Chinese cities, bringing non-Tibetan values into Daocheng County and changing the local attitudes to all animals. And then, there is a rise in income of the local population, resulting in a higher timber demand for building big houses, which impact all wildlife in the forest, but local attitudes to sacred forests have been retained so far in spite of this increased timber demand. Lessons should be learnt from the impact that unregulated tourism at Chonggu monastery, the most visited area in the county, has on the surrounding forests so that other sacred and non-sacred forests can best be protected for the long term. The alternative is that several Tibetan Plateau Galliformes, currently considered non-threatened because of their extensive distribution in a remote area, cannot be guaranteed such a healthy future.

Tourism as an Industry in Heritage Site-A Case Study on World Heritage Site of Fujian Tulou

Cultural heritage is seen as a cultural capital. The heritage tourism increases the local employment and income, however, brings some problems at the same time, changing the traditional living way and industrial structure. The sustainability of economic development by tourism is also questioned. Fujian Tulou is a world heritage site in China, inscribed in 2008. The nomination has brought great changes to the sites, especially the flourishing tourism industries by the local communities as well as the tourism companies. The latter also take part in the management of the heritage site and get most of the income. The data in economic areas is analyzed in this study and explains the cultural tourism as a positive drive for the local economy, which contributes little to the life of locals. With the analysis of the changes and benefits from the tourism, we have found that tourism, as a dominant industry, might be a potential negative element for heritage conservation. According to the different situations of sites in Fujian Tulou, a proper planning of management is in need to integrate the tourism, conservation and development.

Conservation of Stained Glass Windows： An Innovative User-Friendly Portable Device Coming from the EU-VIDRIO Project

An innovative, cost-effective, user-friendly and portable device （dew sensor） to directly detect condensation on glass surfaces was developed within the EC-VIDRIO project （contract No. EVK4-CT-2001-00045）, aimed at finding sustainable solutions to preserve ancient stained glass windows. The results of the research showed that the direct survey of condensation with the new sensor is more accurate and reliable than the traditional indirect microclimatic measurements. Since the construction of the first prototype, the dew sensor was developed further, continuously improved, validated in the laboratory and applied successfully on different surfaces at sites of interest in the field of Cultural Heritage; on the stained glass windows in the Saint Urbain Basilica of Troyes （France）, Sainte Chapelle of Paris （France） and Cologne Cathedral （Germany）; on stone walls in Petrarca＇s Tomb （Padua, Italy） and the Hagar Qim Temple （Malta）. Now the sensor is being used in the Lascaux Caves （France）. The newly built device was patented （PTC/EP2005/050665） and gave such interesting results that the Italian Ministry of University and Research financially supported a spin-off project that has lead to the creation of a new company （R.E.D.s.r.l.） in order to develop the prototype further and to produce the sensor at industrial scale.

Environmental Risk Assessment and Preventive Conservation Strategy for the Porch of the Glory, Santiago of Compostela Cathedral

In the framework of the Santiago of Compostela Cathedral program, a multidisciplinary investigation of the porch of the glory was carried out between 2009 and 2011 to identify the main environmental risks and to develop a preventive conservation planto be integrated in the general management strategy of the Cathedral. The study included historic and archivist research, structural studies, mineralogical analyses, biological sampling, cleaning tests and microclimatic monitoring. The main weathering factors and the related damage processes were identified. Results have shown that the main responsible for the observed damage was the infiltration of rainwater through the roof, due to cracks in the structure of the Cathedral. Other environmental factors having a remarkable impact on the state of conservation of the polychrome and its substrate were the solar radiation, the thermo-hygrometric cycles, the particle deposition and the biological growth. Solutions were suggested to improve the environmental conditions, thus reducing further damage.

Exploring the role of Web 3.0 in the culture conservation

This article explores the potential of Web 3.0 technology to transform the field of cultural conservation.By introducing the history of internet and display the limitations of current cultural protection methods,people could see Web 3.0 offers innovative solutions for preserving,accessing,and engaging with cultural heritage.The revolutionary impact of this technology on traditional methods of cultural preservation and suggests its transformative potential in enhancing acessibility,engagement,and preservation efforts worldwide.This technology provides new tools and opportunities for preserving,accessing,and engaging with cultural heritage.With Web 3.0,people can create decentralized networks that can provide secure and transparent access to digital assets,including cultural artifacts.

Exploring natural and anthropogenic risk for cultural heritage in Cyprus using remote sensing and GIS

On site observation is the most common way of monitoring cultural heritage sites and monuments in Cyprus.However,this procedure that includes data collection,periodical observations,and multivariate risk assessment analysis is difficult to accomplish with the traditional practices and methods since it is time consuming and expensive.Furthermore,many archaeological sites and monuments are located at inaccessible areas,far away from the main road network and urban areas.Satellite remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems(GIS)can successfully confront this problem by providing the scientists with integrated monitoring of the study areas and the unique advantage to store and manipulate a large amount of spatial and attribute data simultaneously.Actually the monitoring and identification of several natural and anthropogenic hazards in the vicinity of the cultural heritage sites in Cyprus,seems to be one of the main priorities of its governmental and municipal authorities.This study aims to integrate both satellite remote sensing techniques and GIS in a multidisciplinary approach,for monitoring anthropogenic and natural hazards with the use of archived and up-to-date multitemporal remotely sensed images in the study area,namely in areas nearby cultural heritage sites and monuments in Cyprus.In this study anthropogenic hazards include urbanisation and extended land use changes in the surroundings of archaeological sites and natural hazards concern seismicity and sea erosion.