Many World Heritage sites face elements of change and threats from development proposals that can negatively impact their values. Before development decisions are made, it is essential to identify, evaluate, avoid, assess alternatives and mitigate the potential environmental, social and heritage impacts of such proposals. This module addresses the capacity needs for the efficient use of Impact Assessment tools to provide support to State Parties and other actors in areas of legal support, consultation and community participation.
A crucial focus of this module is to support mainstreaming World Heritage sites into Impact Assessment methodologies and standards at international level, as well as in the shorter term bringing together advice on culture and nature within the World Heritage Convention. The programme aims to produce a holistic toolkit to address World Heritage conservation issues in impact assessment and pursue capacity building activities to raise awareness of diverse audiences on the relationship of development threats and World Heritage.
Module Activities
- Toolkit for Impact Assessment
The module aims to produce a toolkit for Impact Assessment and World Heritage, covering culture and nature, with the objective of undertaking systematically and effectively impact assessments to avoid damage to World Heritage Sites from inappropriate development and to understand opportunities to contribute to conservation and sustainable development. This work will be conducted in close collaboration with the International Association of Impact Assessment.
- Capacity Building activities
Capacity building activities are implemented for diverse professionals involved in Impact Assessment based on work already being carried out by ICCROM, universities, and WHITRAP.