The Our World Heritage Case Studies Approach to African Heritage, Social Capital and Participation

• Published in: African journal on land policy and geospatial sciences Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 259 - 270
• Main Authors: Pamela Durán-Díaz, Lucia Pesci, Ege Yildirim, Juliana Strogan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: EL-AYACHI 01.03.2022
• Subjects: unesco convention, african heritage, sustainable management, governance
• ISSN: 2657-2664
• DOI: 10.48346/IMIST.PRSM/ajlp-gs.v5i2.31141

Context and background The Our World Heritage Foundation was created in 2020 as a global network to include different stakeholders in the review of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, in its 50th anniversary. The Convention is in urgent need for a scientific-based participatory policy review, as it does not respond to the current global and regional challenges. With the world in crisis, threats from pandemics to economic depression, resource exploitation to politics, conflict to climate, development, disasters and more, today strain the very core of this treaty. Goal and Objectives: World Heritage is a medium to achieve our transformation into more locally empowered, just and resilient societies. The aim of this research is to generate scientific evidence with a participatory approach for policy recommendations for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention to adapt to the current challenges, threats, trends and strengths of World Heritage in general and African heritage in particular. Methodology: The paper focuses on the work and findings of the OWH Sustainability team in the 10 African World Heritage Sites selected, analysed and discussed within a global participatory process. The methodology involved self-assessment forms with a set of sustainability criteria and indicators, the parametrization of the data in a global barometer of the sustainable management of World Heritage for data analysis and visualization,  a focus group discussion with 10 African case study proponents, and a series of public debates with 109 international stakeholders. Results: Slow implementation processes in the management of African World Heritage is hindering sustainable development, due to the high urban development pressure, pollution, illegal hunting, poaching of wild life, logging, mining, population pressure, and climate change among other impacts on environmental sustainability of our African World heritage. However, inherent strengths of African culture could become key strategies to safeguard heritage, advance towards sustainable development and keep heritage alive, for which we provide recommendations.