The Getty Conservation Institute Field Trip Report

By F. LeBlanc, Head, Field Projects

HIROSHIMA UNITAR TRAINING WORKSHOP Series on the Management and Conservation of World Heritage Sites
March 12-17, 2006

Map of Japan

In the foreground is the A-Bomb Dome building; the UNITAR offices are located in the black building in the background

View of the gate to the entrance of Itsukushima Shrine, one of the two sites in Hiroshima that are on the World Heritage List; here, a sacred dance performed by the priests is a good example of the intangible heritage of this place

The GCI was invited to participate to the third international workshop organized by UNITAR on Management and Conservation of World Heritage Sites. Jeff Cody and I participated as instructors and resource persons to this oneweek workshop held in Hiroshima. Following is a summary account of the workshop. It is not intended to be an exhaustive report but simply an overview to share with you some of the topics discussed and the technical visits that enriched the experience of the participants.

UNITAR
(United Nations Institute for Training and Research)
What is UNITAR?
Hiroshima A-Bomb Dome, World Heritage Site with Peace Memorial Park in the background

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) was established in 1965 as an autonomous body within the United Nations with the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of the Organization through appropriate training and research. UNITAR is governed by a Board of Trustees and is headed by an Executive Director. The Institute is supported by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations, and other non-governmental sources.

UNITAR has the following functions:

To conduct training programs in multilateral diplomacy and international cooperation for diplomats accredited to the United Nations and national officials involved in work related to United Nations activities. To carry out a wide range of training programs in the field of social and economic development. To carry out result-oriented research, in particular, research on and for training and to develop pedagogical materials including distance learning training packages, work books, as well as software and video training packs. To establish and strengthen cooperation with other inter-governmental organizations, faculties and academic institutions, in particular for the development of research on and for training.

The Workshop
In a pilot phase, UNITAR and the Hiroshima Prefectural Government conducted, in cooperation with UNESCO World Heritage Centre, a Training Workshop on the Conservation and Management of World Heritage Sites in Hiroshima, October 2001. The topic of world heritage conservation was selected for its relevance for Hiroshima, which has two sites on the World Heritage List and upon analysis made by UNITAR on the importance and relevance of the theme for the region, especially the need to consider the management of cultural and natural assets in a comprehensive manner. A three-year series on the Management and Conservation of World Heritage Sites was launched in 2004, with annual weeklong workshops to be organized in Hiroshima. The 2006 workshop is entitled Training Workshop on World Heritage Management: their Tangible and Intangible Aspects. Special emphasis this year was on the tangible and intangible aspects of World Heritage sites, in the overall context of values-based management. The 29 trainees this year consist of heritage site managers, natural/cultural conservation specialists, and trainers, decision makers and government officers within national World Heritage administrations such as the Ministries of environment, culture or forestry. Some were also representatives of national academic institutions. The course long-term objective is to foster a better use of the World Heritage Convention through national policy making and planning and exchange of information on best practices and case studies. The 2006 training workshop introduced the participants to basic knowledge, information and updates on the World Heritage regime and current topics regarding heritage management, study leading policies and strategies including their successes and failures, explained legal and policy planning techniques, discussed case studies and practical exercises, and enhanced long-term learning and exchange among the participants. The study tours to two world heritage sites in Hiroshima, the A-Bomb dome and Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, provided additional learning opportunities and a case study during the training workshop.

Issue of Museum Intl magazine dedicated to intangible heritage

A-Bomb building and UNITAR offices in black building

UNITAR offices interior

Typical commercial street in Hiroshima

First Day of the Workshop

Nassrine AZIMI, Director of the Hiroshima UNITAR Office, welcomes trainees and introduces the ice-breaker exercise Trainees in UNITAR offices during first day plenary sessions

Introductory remarks
Nassrine Azimi, UNITAR Hiroshima Office Director, welcomed the 41 participants from 26 countries and said a few words concerning the Hiroshima UNITAR office and the mission of this UN organization. Following a brief presentation of the partner organizations in this workshop, Richard Engelhardt, from the UNESCO Bangkok office gave the first paper.

World Heritage regime: trends and realities in the AsiaPacific region

Richard ENGELHARDT, UNESCO Bangkok Regional Office for Education

By Richard Engelhardt, Office of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO Bangkok. In the past heritage belonged predominately to princes, priests and politicians but since the early 1990's the movement is expanding the concept of heritage as belonging also to the public and the local community, thus activating a real grassroots movement for World Heritage nomination. New types of heritages have also emerged including vernacular, domestic, industrial and commercial heritages. The international community really started to come together to address global heritage issues when the Egyptians took the decision to build the Assouan dam on the Nile River in the 1960s. This project was going to send the Abu Simbel temple under water. There was an international reaction and expression of solidarity to save the temple that was considered to be not only the heritage of the Egyptians but of all humankind. Of all the international conventions currently in force in the world, UNESCOs 1972 World Heritage Convention is now one of the two most ratified. He reminded participants that once the government of a country signs the World Heritage Convention, it automatically and immediately becomes law in that country. One of the first steps a country must make after signing the Convention is to prepare an indicative list of the sites it intends to present. There are some 3,000 sites that have been identified on the tentative lists for Asian countries.

Kaori OKABE UNITAR Staff

Sergei SHAPOSHNIKOV UNITAR Staff

At the beginning, countries wanted to inscribe the Cadillac sites, the best of the best. The World Heritage List was almost seen as a beauty queen con-

test. Since then, it has evolved and it strives to represent all cultures of all periods, not only the major cultures. Its aim is to conserve our common heritage. There are untold stories on the World Heritage List. Stories such as forced migration, survival in the ice age, engineered transformations of natural landscapes, religious education, trade and war that have created new cultures etc. We have a long way to go to meet the intent of this very successful convention. As much as we cant afford to lose a single gene in our body, we cant afford to lose any of the worlds cultures. Some of the challenges facing us include: infrastructure development, lack of respect of world heritage sites, risk to wildlife, increase in illegal practices, destruction of vegetation, crisis management and becoming advisors to community-based management.
Hiroko NAKAYAMA UNITAR Geneva

Community-based management is the main management tool that will be used in the near future to safeguard and care for our cultural and natural heritage sites. There are simply not enough government resources to do the job. And we, as professional managers, are going to have to learn how to become advisors to these communities, talk to them, work with them, and learn with them. Working behind our desks, in boardrooms, or on our PCs developing policies and regulations is not the answer. Richard talked about significance, authenticity and integrity that are essential concepts in the Convention. He explained that in order to inscribe a property on the World Heritage List, it must meet the criteria of outstanding universal value. This is determined by the use of 10 criteria, six of which apply more specifically to cultural sites and four to natural sites. In previous years, these criteria were in two categories, nature and culture. Now, the Committee responsible for the Convention has created a single list of criteria, from one to ten and has bridged the gap between the two domains. They are now truly considered to be two sides of the same coin. This is the first important message that the trainees should remember. Some of the challenges facing the Convention at this time concern: Empowerment of communities in order for them to care for this heritage Staged authenticity which is a misuse of heritage (enactment of traditions) Exploitation of indigenous cultures Vandalism and illicit sale of cultural properties Cultural xenophobia (blasting of the Bamiyan Buddha by the Taliban) Ensuring the continuity and continued relevance of culture in the community Adding value to heritage assets while protecting these public resources from exploitation, misappropriation, and unsustainable and inappropriate use and degradation Safeguarding the authenticity and integrity of the heritage, imbuing physical heritage with intangible value thereby ensuring its significance The credibility of heritage listing as a framework for protecting the entire range of the diversity of the worlds heritage

Christopher MOORE UNITAR Staff

Atsushi YASUI UNITAR Staff

Sharapiya KAKIMOVA UNITAR Staff

Richard concluded his presentation by talking about UNESCOs most recent Convention on Intangible Heritage that was adopted in 2003 and will go into effect in 2005 after the minimum required number of signatory States has been reached. He explained that both conventions were developed on the same model and are meant to work synergically, to give the heritage a life in the community.

The notion of intangible heritage

By Franois LEBLANC and Jeffrey CODY
Francois LeBLANC, Getty Conservation Institute

I presented a conceptual basis for understanding heritage and introduced the notion of intangible heritage. Jeff explained UNESCOs definition of intangible heritage as per the new UNESCO Convention and used it as the basis for a practical exercise that involved all participants.

What is heritage?
The concept of heritage is the basis for all the discussions during this Workshop. This concept is used in many different ways in contemporary society to designate a broad spectrum of subjects. As managers of heritage sites, it is important that everyone develops his own personal definition of what the concept of heritage encompasses and be able to share it with a broad spectrum of people. Following is my own definition of heritage.
Dien The NONG Vietnam Ba Be national Park

Put in simple terms, heritage is: whatever each one of us individually or collectively wishes to preserve and pass on to the next generation. If we want to preserve something, then it is our heritage. This of course varies quite a bit, depending on the person or the group of persons expressing their interest. The following diagram was used to explain that heritage could be something natural or man-made, someone living or intangibles such as traditions and customs.

Nobuyuki UEMURA Japan The Environmental Research and Management Center,

Mizuko UGO Japan, JSPS Researcher, National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo

It begins with you as an individual and moves on to your family, country and finally to the whole world. On the third scale, some cultural groups will value certain things more than others. For example, some cultures value greatly living heritage but not so much the buildings or structures that surrounds them. Other cultures value more architectural heritage but much less living and intangible heritages.

Jeffrey CODY, Getty Conservation Institute

Jeff quoted George Abungu, a GCI Guest Scholar whose research focused on intangible heritage The act of cooking is intangible, and the kitchen does not become the kitchen if it is not used for cooking. Then he explained that intangible has to do with things we can feel. It is not the opposite of tangible. Intangible provides the meaning for the tangible, giving it its uniqueness. He briefly explained UNESCOs definition of intangible heritage and used it for a practical exercise where he asked participants to write on a small piece of paper an example of something they considered to be intangible and to position it on a two-dimension grid of activities and categories as per UNESCOs Convention on Intangible Heritage definition: Article 2, Section 1: The intangible cultural heritage means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. Article 2, Section 2: The intangible cultural heritage, as defined in paragraph 1 above, is manifested inter alia in the following domains: oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, knowledge and practices, and craftsmanship. He concluded with five unresolved questions and gave references for further readings: 1. what is the relationship between ownership of culture and the control of that culture? 2. How do we manage the relationship between emerging global norms or ethics and local traditions?

Participants visiting the A-Bomb Dome

Participants visiting the A-Bomb Dome

Here he presented the following interesting issue: Japanese have a strong tradition for eating whale. The international community is coming up with norms to forbid whaling. How can we reconcile the two e.g. maintain the tradition without commercial whaling? 3. How do the inequities of industrial societies vs. smaller scale societies relate to defining intangible heritage? 4. What is the relationship between the intangible and the objectified? 5. What is the relationship between documentation and the actual protection of intangible cultural heritage?

LeBlanc and Cody at the A-Bomb Dome site opened exceptionally for the course participants

Hiroshima World Heritage sites and introduction to Peace Park and A-Bomb Dome/Miyajima
By Yushi Utaka, School of Human Science and Environment, University of Hyogo Prof. Utaka explained the structure of Japanese heritage conservation at the government, prefecture and municipal levels in light of current social trends such as an aging society, depopulation, natural disasters and economic downturn. Hiroshima heritage sites and specificities of management policies and methods were explained in the context of the social situation as well as contradicting value evaluations by different parties. He then gave a brief overview of the two Hiroshima sites on the World Heritage List, the A-Bomb Dome and the Itsukushima Shrine on Myajima Island.

Yushi UTAKA, University of Hyogo

The Commercial Exhibition Hall built in 1915 (before A-Bomb)

The Commercial Exhibition Hall and downtown Hiroshima on August 6, 1945

The Hiroshima Peace memorial (Genbaku Dome) was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded in 6 August 1945. Through the efforts of many people, including those of the city of Hiroshima, it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing. Not only is it a stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind, it also expresses the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons.

The A-Bomb building declared World Heritage Site in 1996

The Peace Memorial Museum designed by KenzoTange

The Peace Memorial Museum located near the A-Bomb Dome offers a very moving experience for the visitor on the events surrounding the drop of the first atomic bomb in human history. The people of Nagasaki where the second atomic bomb was dropped decided not to commemorate the event and

simply move on with their lives. The people of Hiroshima decided that what happened to them should not be forgotten and should be shared with the whole world in an effort to promote world peace and to eliminate atomic bombs altogether by showing to the world the human tragedy that accompanies such an event.

Dr. Katsuko KATAOKA, Japan, Hiroshima Univ. School of Medicine

Hiroshima before blast

After A-Bomb explosion

Location of explosion

Peace Memorial Museum and the A-Bomb Dome

The trainees visited the Peace Memorial Museum designed by world famous architect Kenzo Tange and the A-Bomb Dome World Heritage Site. At the museum, they were welcomed by the museum Director and listened to a presentation by medical doctor Katsuko Kataoka.

Medical Effects of the A-Bomb

Dr. Kataoka, a member of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) spoke to the trainees about the effects of the bomb and the efforts of the Hiroshima people to ensure that such an event never happens again.
A-Bomb survivor being treated

She reminded us that on August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb, the equivalent of 15 kilotons of TNT, was dropped over the heavily populated commercial area of Hiroshima. The city was destroyed almost instantaneously by the blast and the heat within a 2 km radius from the hypocenter, and countless lives were lost immediately. A few days later, many people began to show symptoms of acute radiation. Within a few weeks, people were dying of causes such as gastrointestinal bleeding, infection and sepsis. About 140,000 people out of a total population of 350,000 were killed by the end of 1945. Dr. Kataoka went on to describe the various and numerous physical and mental effects of the A-Bomb on the population and concluded by saying that the Atomic Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum show the destructive, cruel and inhumane nature of the atomic bomb to people worldwide. At the same time, Hiroshima citizens have appealed for reconciliation instead of retaliation, humanity instead of animosity. The Memorial Cenotaph in the Peace Park reads: Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil. Following these presentations, Jeff Cody told the participants that following the site visit, they will be seated in small groups and asked to discuss the following questions: 1. What surprised you the most at this World Heritage Site? 2. Why were you surprised? 3. What connections or disconnections did you notice about this sites tangible and intangible heritage?

The Nagasaki atomic bomb was nicknamed "Fatman" because of its shape. The TNT implodes on the core of plutonium, causing nuclear fission

After the visit, the trainees exchanged their impressions in groups of three and reported in plenary on the questions Jeff had given them. Here are some of their remarks. Shadow left on stone where a person was standing when the ABomb exploded on 6 August, 1945 at 8:15 AM

Dr. Katsuko KATAOKA and N. AZIMI of UNITAR

Why was only one building remains chosen for World Heritage nomination? The A-Bomb Dome site is somewhat disconnected from the rest of the park Almost half the population of Hiroshima perished with the Bomb, yet the people decided to rebuild their city. This is a powerful lesson for other post-war countries (important tangible and intangible value) Shame on the nuclear-weapon countries and producers, to have created such instruments of death How do you connect the tangible and intangible values? The story is the most important part for the design and management of the site There are still today survivors from this tragic event who can recall and tell the story; what will we do when they are all gone? The A-Bomb actually modified the ethics of scientists who are now questioning their researchs purpose An A-Bomb does not discriminate between military and civilian The Peace Park and the A-Bomb Dome should be part of the same nomination to the World Heritage List; only the A-Bomb Dome site was nominated The message of peace is a difficult message to convey There is not sufficient interpretation of the intangible values of this site

The peace message that Hiroshima proclaims is far from having been heard by the world; the Japanese people should continue to work on educating the world on the suffering generated by nuclear arms

Second Day of the Workshop

Tangibles and intangibles in cultural sites By Duncan Marshall, architect, ICOMOS Australia
Enrique BLANCO UNITAR intern from Spain

ICOMOS is an advisory body to the World Heritage Committee, along with IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and ICCROM. When a State party sends a nomination for a cultural property to UNESCOs secretariat for the World Heritage Convention, it is reviewed by the secretariat and if found to be complete is sent to ICOMOS for evaluation and recommendation. In this context, the values attributed to the property are very important. The following graphic was used by several instructors to explain the world of tangible and intangible values.

Duncan MARSHALL, architect, ICOMOS Australia

Betl Yanilmaz EKIMCI Turkey Istanbul Technical University

Mehmet GURKAN Turkey Directorate General for Cultural Heritage and Museums

Shamal ALMUFTI Iraq, Director General, Ministry of Environment

We must begin with the premise that all values are intangible. They are formed and only exist in the minds of human beings. They dont exist by themselves. There are values (scientific, historical, archaeological, aesthetic etc.) that are attributed to tangible heritage and there are values that are attributed to intangible heritage (traditions, songs, dance etc.). During this workshop, we will focus on the values that are attributed to tangible heritage, or, in other words, the intangible that is associated with tangible heritage. For example, certain songs and dances that are of universal value can be performed in many places in the world without necessarily being tied to a specific place. They are not the objects of the World Heritage Convention concerned with cultural and natural heritage. What are tangible and intangible aspects of built heritage? - Fabric - Use that relates to heritage values (activities, ceremonies, songs, dances, story telling etc.) - Associations that relate to values (special link between people and place; for instance, at Itsukushima Shrine, we wash our hands before entering the shrine; this activity is associated with the place; again at Itsukushima, last year we witnessed a wedding ceremony; again, this activity was associated to the place. At the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima, the flowers on the cenotaph was an expression of an association some people have with the place) - Practical and economic activities (when operating, an industrial steam mill has a great deal of intangible heritage associated to it; when it ceased to operate, it looses most of these intangible values) When talking about intangible heritage, the aboriginals at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia say: it is a clear listening which starts with the ears, then moves to the mind, and ultimately settles in the heart as knowledge. With the World Heritage Convention, a criterion VI addresses specifically the intangible values. It states be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria).

Nimali DISSANAYAKE ARACHCHIGE Sri Lanka Central Cultural Fund

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Also, associative cultural landscapes nominated to the World Heritage List is justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic or cultural association of the natural elements. Other questions that lead us into the intangible are the ones concerning authenticity. Following the discussion held in Nara, Japan in 1994, it was internationally recognized that the authenticity of a particular property must be understood within a cultural context and that it is not a de facto objective thing, and that it is not necessarily related to fabric. Authenticity could be defined as the accuracy of the information coming from the place, not necessarily the fabric. How do we conserve the tangible and intangible values of a property? For the intangible, it is pretty much straight forward: repair the painting, replace the damaged parts, maintain the property etc. In the case of intangible heritage, it is not so easily described. One approach would be to respect the traditional law in force at the place, nurture the people and their culture, respect land ownership, control should be a joint management effort, try to preserve language and ensure economic livelihood. There are general issues that still need understanding and research such as: - Understanding all issues that relate to intangible aspects - Keeping values alive - Intangible aspects can change over time - Monitoring - Understanding the strength of a place as it relates to its intangibles

Itsukushima Shrine

Miyajima commercial shops

Study tour to Miyajima and Itsukushima Shrine

Bark roof detail

Master Carpenter showing the bark used for roofing

During the afternoon of the second day, participants went on a study tour of Miyajima Island and the Itsukushima Shrine. From ancient times, people have sensed the spiritual sanctity of Miyajima, and have revered and worBamboo nails for the bark shingles

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shipped the island itself as goddesses. The main shrine is said to have been constructed in 593 by Saeki Kuramoto. It is believed that the goddesses chose this island because an enclosed bay was sought for the site of the shrine. The first record of Itsukushima Shrine in Japanese history was in the Nihon Koki (Notes on Japan), dated 881, and it was noted Itsukishima Shrine along with other famous shrines. During the era of Taira-no-Kiyomori, it became a place of worship for the Heike clan, and around 1168, the main shrine building was constructed. As the power of the Heike clan increased, the number of worshippers at the shrine increased, the shrine itself began to become known among the members of the Imperial Court, and its grandeur became more and more magnificent. The emperor and the Imperial Court paid visits to the shrine, and the culture of the Heian Period was amiably incorporated. Bugaku, ancient Japanese musical court dance, also began during this period. Even after the fall of the Heike clan, the culture of the Heian Period was warmly accepted by the Genji clan and the shrine continued to experience a stable and prosperous era. The main shrine was damaged by fire in 1207 and 1223, and although restoration was done, it is believed that with each restoration, the scale of the shrine was changed. It is recorded that the shrine was damaged by a typhoon in 1325, and from that time on, the layout became similar to its current state. From the Kamakura Period through the age of civil wars when the political situation was unstable, the shrine's influence gradually declined. Although there was a period when it fell into ruin, when Mori Motonari won the Battle of Itsukushima in 1555, under his control the shrine regained the reverence it had before and once again its grandeur was restored. In addition, Toyotomi Hideyoshi also visited at the time of his expedition to Kyushu, and ordered that a large library for Buddhist sutras be built at Ankokuji Temple. Itsukushima Shrine, which has been revered by many people since ancient times and venerated by the various sovereigns in power throughout history, is an example of the rare and unique architectural design, the symbol of Japanese culture and history that is alive and has continued to this day, in addition to being the representative of the Japanese spirit. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. The present shrine dates from the 13th century and the harmoniously arranged buildings reveal great artistic and technical skill. The shrine plays on the contrasts in color and form between mountains and sea and illustrates the Japanese concept of scenic beauty, which combines nature and human creativity.
Trainees discussing tangible and intangible heritage with Itsukushima shrine priest

Course participants were treated to a traditional Japanese dinner

Deers cohabit the site on Miyajima Island with humans

Kapila Dharmasena SILVA, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and urban Planning, Sri Lanka

The trainees were welcomed in Miyajima City Hall by municipal representative Mr. Masaki. Then they visited the Itsukushima Shinto shrine, where they were welcomed by the head priest. In honor of these international guests, the priests performed a sacred ceremony, the Bugaku dance and songs.

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Bugaku
Bugaku is a dance accompanied with the orchestral Bugaku-ensemble and a genre of gagaku performance. Gagaku is the Japanese traditional music that was introduced about one thousand four hundred years ago from China and India. The first institute of gagaku in Japan was established by the Prince Shtoku as the regent of the Empress Suiko (593-628) in Shitennoji temple in Osaka. Bagaku had at first a close relation with the ceremonies of Buddhist temples and afterwards also with those of shrines. In the Heian era, Bagaku began performances in the court. Aristocrats in the Heian era enjoyed playing Bagaku and composed some new Bagaku pieces. Bagaku has been handed on since the Heian era to today with its style completely unchanged, whereas Bagaku does not exist in the countries from which it derived. The Bagaku tradition of Itsukushima shrine was founded by Kiyomori Taira. When he was a governor of Hiroshima region, he worshipped Itsukushima shrine as the guardian deity of the Taira family and rebuilt the shrine in 1146. He exploited this opportunity and brought over a part of Bagaku tradition of Shitennoji temple to the Itsukushima shrine in order to ornament the shrine with the highly refined urban culture. He established the first gagaku institute of Itsukushima shrine. This institute, supported by some feudal lords, has survived to today through many war disturbances.

Priests playing traditional Bugaku music

Priest performing Bugaku dance for the Gods

Traditional Carpentry Skills

Master Carpenter showing tools of the trade in his workshop

Master carpenter demonstrating how to use traditional tool

Painters using traditional materials to paint the shrine

Maintaining the shrine requires special traditional carpentry skills. The participants were exceptionally hosted by the head carpenter and his team in his workshop. Trainees were able to ask questions and the tools and techniques used by the carpenters were explained. Of particular interest was the roofing technique. Trees are grown on the sacred island of Miyajima specifically for the restoration of the shrine. The carpenters use the bark of these trees to restore the shrines roof. They soak the bark in water to make it soft and then build a thick layer by nailing multiple layers of the bark in place with bamboo nails that the carpenters keep in their mouths.

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Debriefing session
The debriefing session was lead by Duncan Marshall. Some of the participants commented the following after the visit: - The visitor is left with a wonderful feeling of beauty and calmness after the visit - Here, the intangible dominates the tangible - The management of the place seems not to be very good - The economic activities should not dominate - There seems to be a lack of a professional on site to record the restoration activity going on - It is remarkable that the shrine was built entirely on water because the mountain was considered to be sacred; it is regrettable that part of that sacredness seems to have been lost - The carpenters have a strong link with the shrine, but do not appear to have any link to the citizens of the town - It appeared that the Bugaku dance was more for tourists than for religious purposes, though the priest explained afterwards that the dance was really for the Gods, not for us or for the tourists - The site appears to have been reduced to a tourism attraction and its holiness seems to have been reduced.

Peace Museum Director welcoming UNITAR course participants

HAN Qunli, UNESCOs Jakartas office

Third Day of The Workshop

Tangibles and intangibles in natural sites By Han Qunli, UNESCOs Jakartas office It is not evident in the field of natural heritage to talk about intangible heritage. But it is obvious that natural sites dont have inherent value. Value is attributed to them by people, and those values are intangible. People have been living in harmony with nature for thousands of years and have attributed all sorts of values to nature. For instance, in the following Japanese drawing (to the left), one can see that mountains, river and villages are harmoniously integrated together and form a single entity. The same concept can be noticed in the Chinese drawing (below) that also integrates the same plus a city. Most natural sites certainly have scientific values, and many have economic and aesthetic values. People have been living in harmony with their natural environment for generations. So it makes a lot of sense to think of our natural environment as having intangible heritage and for cultural heritage to be set in a natural environment without which it could not exist. Mixed (nature & culture) sites that were nominated to the WHC certainly illustrate the importance of recognizing and managing their intangible heritage. Mount Taishan in China was nominated to the WHC under criteria 1,2,3,4,5 (cultural criteria) and 7 (natural criteria). It is not a particularly exceptional natural property, but it has inspired artists and was part of an imperial culture for more than 2000 years. This is certainly a good example of a natural site which is connected with a great deal of intangible heritage. Sacred natural sites and cultural landscapes are also great examples of natural sites that bear exceptional intangible heritage. Because until recently we have not looked at natural sites from this point of view, we really dont know what we have and therefore we dont know what we are losing.

Japanese drawing where nature and culture are totally integrated

Chinese drawing where nature and culture are totally integrated

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From a UNESCO standpoint, science is part of the heritage of humankind and constitutes a unique component. Hiroshima brought the scientific community to rethink its role and responsibilities.

Tangibles and intangibles in natural sites in Japan

By Kumiko Yoneda, Senior research Scientist, Japan Wildlife Research Center (JWRC)
Kumiko YONEDA, Senior research Scientist, Japan Wildlife Research Center (JWRC)

Mankind holds nature in awe for the sustenance it gives and, at the same time, for the huge destructive power it has, such as Indian Ocean Tsunami at the end of 2004. Because of this, many natural areas in the world maintain spiritual values. In Japan, like in many other countries, spiritual values played a big role in the protection of natural areas. The interrelationships between cultural and natural values are well acknowledged. However, during the process of preparing new nominations for the Natural World Heritage in the last several years, the spiritual value of the area was not considered much. This is because of the definition of what is a World Heritage property. In the Operational Guidelines, the word intangible is used five times but in all cases it concerns cultural sites. In World Heritage concepts, values relating to human beings are considered to be cultural values, and intangible or spiritual values of nature are considered as cultural landscapes and analyzed with cultural criteria. The woods surrounding the Itsukushima Shinto Shrine are an example of this. There have been several workshops held on sacred natural sites, and the role of spiritual value for the conservation and management of sites was discussed. The IUCN / World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), that assists the IUCN evaluation process of World Heritage, has created a task force on cultural and spiritual values; it currently leads the discussions on this subject. Kumiko briefed the participants on the management system of protected areas in Japan, and explained the process of identification of value for the Natural World Heritage sites in Japan. Then she discussed the intangible heritage of three Japanese natural sites, Yakushima, Shirakami-Sanchi and Shiretoko, and the implications for the management of these sites.

Marichu TELLANO Philippines National Commission for the Culture and Arts

Maxym ALEXANDROV UNITAR intern from Ukraine

Values-based management and statement of outstanding universal value

By Franois LEBLANC and Jeffrey CODY Values play a real and important role in the management of heritage properties. It is important for heritage managers to have a good understanding of all the values attributed by stakeholders to their site and to manage them. If they dont, they could be in a lot of trouble. Since 1987, the Getty Conservation Institute has been involved with valuesbased site management planning through research efforts, professional training courses, symposia, and field projects. As an extension of this commitment, and associated with a related research and publication effort on values

Kiran JOSHI India Chandigarh College of Architecture

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and heritage conservation, the Institute has led an effort to produce a series of case studies that demonstrate how values-driven site management has been interpreted, employed, and evaluated by four key organizations. In this project, the GCI has collaborated with the Australian Heritage Commission, English Heritage, Parks Canada, and U.S. National Park Service. The case studies in this series focus on values and their protection by examining these agencies roles in management. By looking at one site and the management context in which it exists, they provide detailed descriptions and analyses of the processes that connect theoretical management guidelines with management planning and its practical application. The analysis of the management of values in each site has been structured around the following questions: How are the values associated with the site understood and articulated? How are these values taken into account in the sites management policies and strategies? How do management decisions and actions on site affect the values?

Rikiaua TAKEKE Kiribati Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development

Three cases were presented during the session; they are:

Grosse le and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site in Canada

Rosanit MANEESAI Thailand International Wildlife Trade Subdivision

Wissam Jaleel Iskander SANO Iraq, State Board of Antiquities and Heritage

Chaco Culture National Historical Park in the U. S.

Jeff CODY and Nassrine AZIMI on ferry to Miyajima Island

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Hadrians Wall World Heritage Site in the United Kingdom

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Cenotaph

After the presentation of each case, two trainees were asked to comment on the tangible and intangible values associated with the case and what they would have done had they been the manager of that particular site. The studies do not attempt to measure the success of a given management model against some arbitrary standard. Rather, they illustrate and explain how different groups have dealt with the protection of values in their management efforts, and how they are helped or hindered in these efforts by legislation, regulations and other policies. Each case study highlighted the original set of values that were defined by management for development of the site, and a new set of values that clashed with these at one point. Jeff Cody built on this by presenting a statement of outstanding universal value for Hadrians Wall. He linked the statement to various threats to the property and to the values expressed in the statement to show the relationship from a management standpoint between a statement of significance and conservation of a property. The trainees were then asked to each write a statement of significance for a heritage property they knew well and to link it to threats to that property.

Paper cranes are sent constantly from children all over the world in memory of a young Japanese girl who died from cancer due to ABomb radiation

Review of the Operational Guidelines

By Richard Engelhardt
Paper cranes are now recycled into notebooks that are given to children all over the world

Richard gave an introduction to the procedures for management, reporting and nomination of World Heritage Sites. He discussed the revised Operational Guidelines that have major changes and new requirements to reflect recent development in considering intangible aspects. He concluded with case studies of recently inscribed sites and showed how the cases were presented to reflect a new understanding of outstanding universal value.

Working Group Exercise

Based on the pre-workshop essays by the participants, five working groups were established. Each group worked on creating a nomination dossier of a selected site for inclusion in the World Heritage List. The trainee who was from the country nominating the site was called a data provider and was responsible for feeding the group with essential information concerning the site. A group leader was chosen from among the others and the workgroup had more or less two days (and nights) to prepare the nomination in the form of a PowerPoint presettation.

Jeff coaching the trainees for the statement of significance exercise

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The nominations were presented to a panel composed of the workshop resource persons. The trainees prepared the following nominations:

Workgroup 1 Imeong, Palau

Resource person: Kumiko Yoneda Data provider: Rita Olsudong The Imeong area pro-posed for nomination covers an area of 1,252 m encompassing savannah, rain forest, wetland and mangrove swamp with several small streams that flow into the mangrove resulting in steep ridges. In the middle of the area are four mountains namely Etiruir, Tmerou, Seche-dui and Ngeruach col-lectively they form the highest point in the state. The tallest mountain is Etiruir reaching an elevation of 213 meters above sea level. The Imeong conservation area includes sacred cultural sites such as Ii ra Milad, Ngeruach and Ngerutechei traditional villages that are still observed by the communities. The diverse ecological zones support a wide variety of plant species with over 100 species representing over 57 families with 15 being endemic along with 59 indigenous were identified at Ngerutechei traditional village. Other unidentified species were also found. Diverse habitats including freshwater wetlands, streams, mangroves, agro forest, upland forests and grasslands offers a high number of bird species (94) representing 12 families and 18 species of which 10 are endemic to Palau. They were identified from Ngerutechei traditional village and up a deep gorge

Rita OLSUDONG Palau Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs data provider for Palau workgroup

Traditional celebrations in Palau

Palau landscape

Palau landscape

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Workgroup 2 Borobudur, Indonesia

Resource person: Yushi UTAKA and HAN Qunli Data provider: Laretna Trisnantari ADISHAKTI In 1991, Borobudur temple, Central Java, Indonesia, a Buddhist temple built in 7C, was inscribed in the World Heritage List no. 592 under cultural criteria unique artistic achievement, exerted great influence, and directly or tangibly associated with events or ideas or beliefs. This temple had been restored and designed as a National Archaeological Park during 1975 1983. There are three basic concepts in the main goals and characteristics in the restoration: a) Parks for Permanent Preservation of the Monuments, b) Center of Archeological Research in Indonesia, c) For All Children in the Future. Five management zones were delineated. Year 2003 was a celebration marking 20 years of restoration. However, there were heritage concerns and protests from the local community and organizations from around the world against the proposal of a large commercial project to take place near the Borobudur temple. This world heritage area has been a source of conflict ever since. At the same time, the 4th UNESCO Experts Meeting was held in Borobudur. This meeting, as part of its routine monitoring of sites, considered the wider cultural landscape setting of the temple, the tourist impact on the structure itself and surrounding region, including the role of local community. It stated that a study on Borobudur cultural landscape should be urgently undertaken. Presently, there are various traditional villages producing such things as ceramic, tofu, glass noodle, crafts and present various local performing arts; there are more than 200 types of flora, and beautiful scenery surrounding the temple. But those are mostly neglected. In 2004, the Indonesian Government through Department of Culture and Tourism established the Steering Committee to prepare the 2nd Stage of Borobudur and Prambanan Restoration emphasized on Intangible Cultural Heritage and community empowerment. The site exhibits an exceptional stage in the interchange of Buddhist values within a cultural area of the world while the sites landscape layout design illustrates a very distinctive intangible relationship between nature and architecture. The Borobudur cultural landscape thus illustrates a perfect worldclass example of the intellectual understanding of the cosmos and the organization of the universe at that time.

Laretna Trisnantari ADISHAKTI Indonesia Gadjah Mada University data provider for the Borobudur workgroup

Borobudur - detail

Borobudur was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991

Rachavadee SRIPRAPAT Thailand Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

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Workgroup 3 Lomanthang, Nepal

Resource person: Duncan MARSHALL Data provider: Keshav BIDARI Lomanthang, the only walled city in the kingdom of Nepal, is the capital and cultural centre of Upper Mustang; an ancient kingdom presided over by a king who is the 24th in line of descent. It is located in the northern part of Upper Mustang, the part of Nepal that is north of the Himalayan range, about 84 kilometers from Jomsom, the district headquarters of Mustang. It is situated at an altitude of 3750 meters on the Tibetan plateau. The present day city has 900 inhabitants and 300 houses. The 15th century Buddhist temples of Thubchen Gompa and Champa Gompa are two of the monuments selected as part of the American Himalayan Foundation (AHF) Conservation Training Programme - the Upper Mustang Cultural Heritage Conservation Project (UMCHCP). Apart from these monuments the walled city also contains the historic Royal Palace and Choede Gompa. The AHF funding for the Mustang Project started in 1996 with the aim of restoring Thubchen Gompa of Lomanthang. The project was later expanded into UMCHCP, which has been formulated on a programme to restore several gompas and the cultural landscape in the region of Upper Mustang but primarily to train the local community in the process of conserving and protecting their historic buildings. The project covers Tsarang Gompa, Ghar Gompa and Sumdu Chhorten which all lie within a 3-hour horse ride from Lomanthang.

Keshav BIDARI from Nepal was the data provider for the nomination of Lomanthang

Lomanthang architecture

Samir SINHA India Department of Forests, Government of Uttaranchal

Lomanthang architecture

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Workgroup 4 George Town (Malaysia)

Resource person: Jeffrey CODY Data provider: Helena Aman HASHIM

Helena Aman HASHIM Malaysia Heritage Trust data provider for the George Town workgroup

George Town architecture

George Town architecture

The port cities of Melacca (state of Melaka) and Georgetown (Island of Penang) on the west coast of the Malay Peninsular stand as examples of living multi-cultural heritage forged from the mercantile and civilization exchanges of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultures. Their strategic location along the Straits of Melaka, one of the busiest waterways for trade enable them to function as important ports between the trading route from China to India. The domination of these port cities would provide an administration control of the lucrative spice trade within the Asian region. This important factor led to attempts by various European powers, and in the case of Melaka, also that of regional Ancient Kingdoms to seek control over the administration of these cities over a period spanning 600 and 200 years respectively, and leaving behind a unique multi-cultural, social and built heritage legacy. The Malaysian Government is keen to present these two cities as heritage sites and is seeking a joint nomination of these sites on the World Heritage list. Work is currently on going for the preparation of a joint nomination dossier based on the cities rich multi-cultural characteristics, which is distinctive in both their built-form and culture as the tangible and intangible heritage aspects of outstanding universal value.

Arthur GANUBELLA Papua New Gunea Department of Environment and Conservation

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Workgroup 5 Spanish Lighthouses in the Philippines

Resource person: Francois LeBlanc Data provider: Manuel Maximo L.C. NOCHE The Spanish Lighthouses in the Philippines were built during the last quarter of the 18th century when Spain as the colonial authority of the islands was trying to maintain its control of a strategic trade route, which she established way back during the mid 16th century. This Pacific trade route connected not only the Philippines with Spain through Mexico but also established a direct link with China, the main source of trade of Europe. This trade route, significant for one colonial power in its conception has evolved as an important contributor to global trade particularly within the Pacific allowing more countries to become prosperous and globally competitive. This series of 24 lighthouses represent the first use of modern Fresnel lenses in a system of lighthouses across the entire Pacific trade route. As such, they represent an important development of technology being put to large-scale use for maritime safety. The lighthouses bear exceptional testimony to an important page of our shared global history. They are an important part of the political and cultural history of the Philippines in particular and other Pacific nations in general. (Criterion iii- bear exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition..) These series of lighthouses are representative of the most elaborate and unique series of 19th Century lighthouses, which survive today. They are also unique in that they are navigational lighthouses rather than warning lights, which most lighthouses of the day are.
The 19th Century Pacific Trade Route: Spain ->Acapulco->Manila->China

Manuel Maximo L. C. NOCHE Philippines College of Architecture, Univ. of Santo Tomas data provider for the Spanish Lighthouses workgroup

Togtokhbayar DAMIRAN Mongolia Altai Sayan Eco-region

They are an outstanding example of a maritime tradition of the Pacific and of human interaction with the ocean, an interface that is rapidly being lost. This maritime tradition rewrote the trading history of the world through the Pacific and helped define the economic, political and social landscapes of the societies it embraced. These Spanish lighthouses in the Philippines were directly and tangibly associated with Spains efforts in the 19th century to retain and maintain its competitive edge against emerging competition on a trade route, which it monopolized for over two centuries.
Group 5 working together on the nomination of the Spanish Lighthouses in the Philippines

Fourth Day of the Workshop

Practical exercises continued ...
During the first hour, four trainees presented a case from their country. Amir Mohammed Foladi presented the case of the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan; Dorji Yanki talked about Bhutan and the Semtokha Dzong 17th C Buddhist monastery built on top of a mountain to control the demon; Samir Sinha from India presented the Nanda Devi Biosphere reserve and Mitsuko Ugo from Japan talked about the historic villages of Shirakawa and Gokayama. The workgroups continued to prepare their nomination cases.

Group 1 presenting their nomination of Imeong, Palau

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Public Round Table

Dorji YANGKI Bhutan Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs

Workshop Resource Persons during public round table; from left to right Han Qunli, Kumiko Yoneda, Richard Engelhardt, Yushi Utaka, Francois LeBlanc, Duncan Marshall and Jeff Cody

Mohammad Amir FOLADI Afghanistan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development

Towards the end of the day, the resource persons were asked to participate to a round table in the Peace Museum. Professor Yushi Utaka facilitated the round table and it was opened to the public. Approximately one hundred persons attended. This event was quite successful with several very interesting and challenging questions asked by the public concerning development issues surrounding the Peace Memorial and other historic sites in the area that are threatened by modern development.

Farewell reception by Hiroshima Prefecture

Wei TONG China State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China

F. LeBlanc thanking the Hiroshima Prefecture on behalf of UNITAR and the participants for its generous hospitality and support

The Hiroshima Prefecture offered a farewell reception during which I was asked to thank our Japanese hosts on behalf of UNITAR and the participants. The trainees had an opportunity to exhibit their national costumes and share with our hosts some of the workshops tangible results. This workshop would not have been possible without the support of the Hiroshima Prefecture.
Yasuyoshi OKADA Japan, Kohushikan Univ. Institute for Cultural Studies of Ancient Iraq

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Fifth Day of the Workshop

Presentations and evaluations of practical exercises
During the morning session, the five workgroups presented their nominations to the expert committee and received comments on their work. Trainees all agreed that the practical workgroup exercise was the most useful element of the workshop for them, bridging theory and practice.
Workgroup 2 presenting their re-nomination of Borobudur as a cultural landscape

Workgroup 4 presenting their nomination of Lomanthang, Nepal Group 5 presenting their nomination: Spanish Lighthouses of the Philippines

Tomo
During the afternoon, the resource persons were invited by the Hiroshima Prefecture to travel to Tomo, a small historic fishing village in the outskirts of Hiroshima. They were asked to comment on the threat of a major bridge construction that would literally cut the village from the sea and ensure its rapid demise.
Workgroup 4 presenting their nomination of George Town, Malaysia

Aerial view of the village of Tomo; to resolve a traffic issue, the government proposes to construct a bridge that would cut across the bay Poster illustrating graphic representation of proposed bridge that would cut across the bay

The fishing port of Tomo-no-Ura, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a unique township, and is inscribed on the World Watch endangered Heritage List. It contains approximately one hundred Edo 24

period and one hundred Meiji buildings, including nineteen temples. During the period of more than two hundred years when Japan was closed to foreign trade, Tomo was the only port open to trade with Korea. Delegations of hundreds of Koreans came to Japan to trade commercial goods. Port facilities of 17th to 19th century still shows how the port worked, and it is an important example for civil engineering or transportation history. There is also much low-grade modern development and much deliberate damage, including a drastic road widening of the 1960s. The major threat is now a proposed road bridge that would cut right across the ancient harbor. Many local inhabitants resisted this, and the proposal has been dormant for some time. Now there are moves to revive it. Last year subsidies to private owners for restoration ceased. Government-owned buildings such as the old fishing net factory have been left vacant. Illegal building on the foreshore by fishing companies has not been stopped. Old buildings in the town have been demolished to create car parking. Hiroshima Prefecture, Fukuyama City, Tomo Urban Planning Factory, a local conservation group and others have in the past restored some buildings. The resource persons met briefly at Taichoro, an officially designated historic site in Tomonoura and were introduced to the villages history and architecture by Kazuhiko Ikeda, Deputy representative of the Society for the Study of Korean Mission and former Director of Tomonoura History and Folklore Museum in Fukuyame City. They were also hosted in Ota-Ke Jutaku (the house of Ota family) where they were treated to a tea ceremony and talked with local activists.

Prof. KAZUHIKO Ikeda talking about the history of Tomo

UNESCOs R. ENGELHARDT interviewed by the media

Typical street in Tomo

Tea ceremony

View of the village of Tomo from the breakwater wall

Mother and daughters who performed the tea ceremony

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Public Relations

Khieu CHAN Cambodia National Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and Region of Siem Reap

Md. Shafiqul ALAM Bangladesh Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Department of Archaeology

The resource persons and workshop participants met with Japanese authorities and press representatives during and after the workshop.
Victor KUZEVANOV Russia Irkutsk State University

News about the workshop was published in several regional and national papers. This years workshop received more media attention than the other two preceding workshops.

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Conclusions
At the course conclusion, participants were asked to share with the group one important lesson that they had learned during the course or comments they felt were important. Everyone said that the course had definitely improved their knowledge of what the World Heritage Convention was all about, and how to prepare a successful nomination. The lessons learned applied not only to world heritage sites but also to all types of heritage within their countries. The field trips to the two Japanese World Heritage sites were considered to be essential to the success of the course and the practical exercise of preparing in small groups a nomination of a real site was deemed to be the most useful of all exercises and the one that pulled together all the information shared during the week on tangible and intangible heritage.

Abdul Ahad ABBASY Afghanistan, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism

Zhenpeng LI Ministry of Construction, China

Sitorus TAMEN Head of Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Indonesia

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