Search

This paper uses a mixed methods approach to understand local and foreign tourists’ views of the World heritage (WH) site of Lijiang in China. A good majority of both foreign and local tourists knew of Lijiang’s WH status before their visit. But the WH status appeared to be a strong brand to initially only attract first-time foreign tourists but this was however not the main reason in the final decision to visit Lijiang. Importantly, there was a divergence in the reasons between domestic and international visitors visiting this destination. This has implications for targeted marketing especially the growing international market which Lijiang needs to address by way of sustaining tourism which is the mainstay for this area. One strategy to attract both visitor types is to highlight the clustering of other WH sites near Lijiang. For the domestic tourist cohort, it will be helpful to devise destination marketing around the young and old and for international tourism, marketing based on Asian-Non Asian segmentation should be further examined.

The islands in the Gotō region off Kyushu Island were refuges, mountains providing both terraces for growing potatoes and rice; and hideaways for clandestine religious practices; seas and bays providing fish and seaweed. Religious refugees arrived here in the 18th and 19th centuries, but had to contend with a harsh winter climate, the strong prejudices of indigenous inhabitants, and the long arms of the Nagasaki magistrate. This article locates a migrant people known variously as the senpuku, the kakure, kirishitan, or Hidden Christians (HC), and their descendants who acknowledge the natural world’s imprint on them: their characteristics and cultural heritage are shaped by the interstitial spaces of the islands in which they subside(d). World Heritage Cultural listings in 2018 included sites on the islands and were rightly acclaimed. Yet, here, as in other places, the World Heritage campaign was at times driven by shallow motivations reflecting exotic and unfounded prejudices and tourist-related economic aspirations. Even in the nomenclature, the World Heritage listing mentions the HC, but this group of people are not singular, and require more careful definition. This article seeks to demonstrate how by examining new sources of oral history, we stand to enrich our knowledge by a ‘deep’ engagement, taking account of both human and non-human processes, practices and awareness of place. Secondly, by focusing on this region we may re-orient our understanding of Japanese and East Asian History in a wider context than often understood, and inclusive of this coastal and marginal place. An analysis four of the sites of World Heritage ascribed by UNESCO on the Gotō Archipelago off Nagasaki Prefecture Japan alongside the historic documents and supported by oral history reveals a religious cultural hybridity integrated into a severe environment.

In the Galapagos, as elsewhere, tourism is promoted as a means of reconciling biodiversity conservation interests with the economic aspirations of local populations. However, the rapid expansion of...

Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm, one of the four components of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites inscribed in 2014, was the starting point for advancements in sericulture farmhouses, emphasizing the importance of ventilation. Through Yahei’s experimentation surrounding the ideal space to breed silkworms, a new sericulture theory was invented, and a sericulture farmhouse architecture was formed. For the purpose of preserving this cultural heritage for future generations, it is important to understand the idea that led to the cultural and industrial advancement of the village of Shimamura and to revise the preservation plans prepared by stakeholders. This paper will discuss the development of the sericulture theory, seiryō-iku theory, and the formation of a sericulture farmhouse architecture; describe the adaptation of former sericulture farmhouses and the surrounding landscapes in terms of the industry and environment; outline the plans and efforts for the preservation and revitalization of Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm, its surrounding area and its underlying issues; and propose a direction for future preservation plans.

The paper deals with the problem of the seismic stability of excavation fronts in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, a famous UNESCO World heritage site near Napoli, Italy, buried under 4–6 m of volcanic ashes and pumices during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The attention is focused on the Insula dei Casti Amanti, a block of masonry buildings in the city centre partly excavated in recent years. Ground motion recorded on outcropping rock compatible with the seismo-tectonic background and the spectrum specified by the Italian code for the life-safety limit state criteria were used for wave propagation analysis. Both 1-D and 2-D Seismic Response Analyses were carried out to identify both surface (topographic) and valley (morphology) effects. This study allowed to quantify in a detailed manner the seismic demand in the excavation fronts. Re-profiling interventions based on the classical pseudo-static approach would be too invasive for the archaeological site. On the contrary, the alternative Newmark-type approach, based on the evaluation of the permanent rotations of the potentially unstable soil mass, is much more appropriate for a sustainable definition of slope stabilising interventions.

The earthquakes in 2015 brought Nepal to the centre of attention of the global heritage community. At the Patan Durbar Square and Royal Palace – part of the Kathmandu Valley’s UNESCO World Heritage...

Byblos, a Lebanese City, a UNESCO world heritage and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, is a member of the 100 Resilient Cities project. To help mitigate its stresses and chocks, Bybl...

Re-examination of the holotype and paratype of Sphaerillo boninensis Nunomura, 1990 from Chichijima Island of the Ogasawara archipelago, which is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, indicates that this species is a junior synonym of a pantropical species, Venezillo parvus (Budde-Lund, 1885).

Information on marine litter in general and beach litter in particular from Sudan and to some extent from the Red Sea region is insufficient. The aim of this study is to assess the beach litter composition, distribution, and abundance in some selected beaches of the World Heritage Site of Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island National Park (DMNP) located in Sudan, Red Sea coast, and to examine the rate of beach litter flux and the cleanliness of its beaches in order to provide baseline information for beach litter management at DMNP. A total of 6 sites were investigated for beach litter over a 10-month period from January to October 2017 on a quarterly basis. A total of 24 collections of beach litter were performed covering a stretch of 600 m or 7700 m2 of DMNP coastline. In total, 3037 beach litter items were collected during the study time from DMNP with an overall average of 506.2 ± 409.8 items/100 m (0.4 items/m2). Plastic beach litter was the most abundant (1738 items), constituting 57.23% with an average density of 289.7 ± 242.2 items/100 m (0.23 items/m2). The beaches of DMNP were clean (CCI = 4.6) at the time of the study. The rate of flux of the beach litter decreased steadily from 21.9 to 16.43 items/100 m/day with an overall average of 18.82 ± 2.8 items/100 m/day. The gradual decrease in the net accumulation of beach litter over the period of the study suggests that the beach litter at DMNP was likely of a local land-based origin and the beaches of DMNP are not a potential sink of marine litter. The determination of the rate of flux of beach litter is a reasonable indicator of the dynamics of beach litter in DMNP. Accordingly, application of preventive measures accompanied with awareness activities and investment in plastic collection and recycling would further enhance and preserve the present status of beach cleanliness and encourage tourism activities.

The Angkor monuments in Cambodia were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site and consist of Buddhist or Hindu temples built mainly of sandstone and laterite. We surveyed the area around a 2 km east-west bank in Kulen Mountain’s southeastern foothills for Angkor’s sandstone quarries and confirmed 145 locations. Because the magnetic susceptibilities and size of sandstone blocks at Angkor changed systematically over time, we measured these aspects at each quarry. Based on this data, we identified seven Angkor quarrying areas (Areas A to G). The results clarified that in the Angkor period, sandstone block quarrying began near the bank’s eastern end, then moved counterclockwise to the north side of the bank. Because quarries are important Angkor period heritage sites, they should be designated as conservation areas for their protection.

International audience; The archaeological complex of the Amalfi Coast represents a sector of great development capacity within an area defined as a UNESCO World Heritage site on the basis of the typical stratified cultural landscape. The project presented in this report acts in a specific field of archaeology, prehistoric and protohistoric, of which there are many examples in the Amalfi Coast, even if they are not always clearly legible, and focuses on the analysis of old data, on the acquisition of new information and on their processing through an open-source GIS database. The project seeks results on two different levels: the purely scientific and the more sociocultural.

Tajik National Park struggles with overgrazing, illegal hunting and ill-managed tourism. The designation of the park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 was meant to ease some of these struggle...

The southeast of the Iberian Peninsula counts with a large number of earthen defensive architecture built in the medieval period. This heritage has been granted the highest level of protection by Spanish legislation and some of these structures are even listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites worldwide. Notwithstanding, the natural and anthropic risks threatening their survival and the advanced deterioration state they present place them in a position of imminent loss if appropriate action is not taken. The present paper proposes a methodology of study implemented on 8 of the 229 fortifications located in the southeast of Spain focused on the combined analysis of the risks affecting these structures in relation to the damage they generate, with the novelty of considering them both at the macro-scale, which implies the consideration of the property integrated in its geographical environment, and at the micro-scale, which enables to know precisely the effect they cause on the material features. In this way, we provide an innovative strategy based on a multidisciplinary study (geology, chemistry, architecture, archaeology, engineering) that is meant to contribute to the complete understanding of these sites, with the aim of ensuring the proper management and conservation of this particular heritage.

Purpose Considering that the historic city of Yazd was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and given the necessity of improving the environmental qualities due to the increased number of domestic and foreign tourists, the concept of acoustic comfort seems to be of considerable importance. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the role of sound space components affecting acoustic comfort in the historic urban spaces of the City of Yazd and its two historic squares named Khan Square and Fahadan Square. Design/methodology/approach Accordingly, a total of 632 foreign tourists visiting these squares were asked to enumerate different sounds they could hear in the square and identify their relation with acoustic comfort. In terms of the objectives, this is an applied research using survey and correlation methods. In addition, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings The results of this study indicated that motorcycle and automobile noises were considered as the most important sounds disturbing the acoustic comfort, and sounds of children’s play, water, talking and businesses were the most important factors promoting the acoustic comfort in the historic squares. Originality/value The paper highlights the soundscape and acoustic conditions that affect the tourisms in the traditional and tourism square in historical context of Yazd city.

In this study, we empirically examine whether the inscription of heritages on the UNESCO Lists attracts more international tourists. To do it, we suggest two main points. One is the use of a logit model in change variables. We emphasize that the reason for conflicting results in previous studies is the use of misspecified models. The other point is to differentiate the impacts of tangible and intangible heritages on tourism. Given the cultural diversity that exists across borders, information gap about the value of the heritages is larger in the case of intangible cultural heritages (where cultural contexts matter more) than the tangible heritages. Once inscribed in the UNESCO Lists, intangible cultural heritages are therefore expected to gain bigger signaling effects. Similarly, among tangible heritages, information gap is larger in the case of cultural heritages than natural heritages, as cultural characteristics are more relevant in the former. Based on the data collected from 72 countries for the period of 1995~2012, the empirical results reveal that the UNESCO-listed Heritages significantly promote international tourism. It is also shown that the intangible cultural heritages benefit more than the tangible heritages from the inscription because the inscription in the UNESCO Lists guarantees the value of the heritages. Among the tangible heritages, the cultural ones are shown to benefit more than the natural ones.

During the height of the Industrial Revolution, North Wales was the largest global producer of slate. Welsh slate was extensively utilized as a roofing material by industrializing countries around the world in the late nineteenth century. Although several surface quarries remain open, the last underground slate mines in Wales closed in the 1960s. An industry that once employed more than 17,000 now supports 400 jobs in the region. Today, slate tourism sites tell the story of this important aspect of North Wales’ industrial and geologic heritage. In 2012, a “Slate Industry of Wales” site was nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List by the UK. Though Welsh coal tourism sites have been widely analyzed in the literature, few studies have investigated the country’s slate tourism. This paper explores the interpretive discourses presented at three prominent slate tourism attractions in North Wales and compares them with the justifications provided for World Heritage designation. Among the themes discussed are the importance of Welsh slate, geo-interpretation, slate technology, the life of Welsh quarrymen, and impacts of slate mining.

Fungi are powerful biodeteriogens and when colonizing stone monuments are often responsible for severe physical, chemical and aesthetical modifications. Recently the old cathedral of Coimbra (Portugal) was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site distinction as an integrant part of the “University of Coimbra- Alta and Sofia” area. The limestone walls in this cathedral show clear visual signs of biological colonization and biodeterioration. The aim of this work was to obtain an extensive fingerprint of the biodeteriorating fungal agents in this affected ancient limestone through the application of traditional cultivation and modern Next Generation Sequencing techniques. Due to high diversity of distinctive biodeterioration phenomena affecting this site, a rapport between the identified fungal populations and the different biodeterioration types found was also established and their importance for the monument preservation discussed. The results obtained through the application of this approach, not only allowed a robust characterization of the fungal communities colonizing this monument, but also elucidated that distinct fungal communities are dissimilar according to the type of biodeterioration analyzed. In addition, we verified that both cultivation and metagenomics methodologies should be employed synergistically in limestone biodeterioration studies in order to tackle inherent limitations regarding both techniques.

Danube Delta is the second largest European delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a famous paradise for nature lovers and bird watchers, which attracts increasing numbers of tourists every year....

This study aims at contributing to the body of research on visitor satisfaction at UNESCO World Heritage Sites with a case study of the Oasis of Bahla and Land of Frankincense, two Cultural World Heritage Sitesin the Sultanate of Oman. To analyse the level of satisfaction of visitors to the Oasis of Bahla and the Land of Frankincense, a questionnaire was developed which consisted of five main sections in accordance with the research model and in total, 250 visitors took part in the survey. The results showed that the tourists’ overall satisfaction for both sites was above average and that visitors would recommend them to other people. The research recommended that UNESCO needs to acknowledge the importance of on-site interpretation and tourism infrastructure for heritage tourists. Also, Omani government needs to develop thought-out management plans and an efficient implementation mechanism in order to enhance the quality of the World Heritage Sites which are attractive for many visitors.

This paper aims at investigating whether the inscriptions in the UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) sites influence tourism attractiveness. An empirical analysis, based on dynamic panel data methodology, was implemented to study the effect of WHL cultural and natural properties inclusion on international tourist arrivals in Italian provinces in the 2000–2014 time span. Results suggest that being awarded with a World Heritage recognition, together with the province’s wealth, environmental habits and the openness to external markets, may influence attractiveness, confirming a tourism-enhancing role of the List, beyond the simple heritage preservation.

The Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site (the Jurassic Coast) was inscribed in 2001 on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. The inscription recognises the Jurassic Coast’s outstanding universal value in the history of geological science and thought, particularly its special contribution to Mesozoic palaeontology and stratigraphy and evidence of coastal processes and geomorphology. This Special Issue of the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association celebrates this Site’s unique contribution to geosciences and education, and sets the scene for further research and collaboration.

The overall seismic response of Hakka Tulous, massive traditional earth constructions located in the Fujian Province (China) and part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage buildings, is investigated. For this aim, non-linear static analysis (pushover) was used. Since Tulous are complex circular earth structures (about 50 m in diameter) stiffened by wooden frames along the whole inner perimeter of the circular earth wall, non-linear finite element models are hard to implement because convergence is difficult to achieve and very long computation time would be required given the large number of elements and degrees of freedom. For the above reasons, the equivalent frame approach is often used for masonry structures. Even if a few approximations are needed, non-linear static analysis of even very complex masonry structures can be successfully performed with fewer convergence problems and lower computational efforts. The seismic analysis of a representative circular Tulou is carried out. An extension to circular masonry structures of the analysis by macroelements through the equivalent frame method is hence studied. The results provides insight on the Tulou's failure modes and on its overall seismic response. Since this is the first study on the overall seismic response of these complex earth constructions, further research is needed to deepen our knowledge of their structural behaviour.

Indoor environment in heritage buildings can be cause of damage for architecture and artefacts which depend on several physical and chemical parameters: air temperature, relative humidity, volatile organic compounds, etc. How is it possible to evaluate their damage, or the risk of damages? How “aggressive” is indoor microclimate? The scientific literature proposes several different criteria for the evaluation of the risk of damages, especially in the field of museums, while there are few studies which take into consideration historic buildings. In this paper we propose an index – the Heritage indoor Microclimate Risk (HMR) – that allows to define the risk concerning the whole environment and not only the artefacts. Moreover, we propose its application to a real case study of a UNESCO Heritage World Site, obtained through indoor microclimate on-site monitoring and building simulation. The case study reported is Villa Barbaro, built in Maser (1554–1560) by the architect Andrea Palladio and registered in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 1996, as Palladian Villa of Veneto. The research is structured as follows: monitoring campaign of the microclimatic parameters; virtual modelling of Villa Barbaro and its validation (by comparing the simulated data and the monitored ones); construction of scenarios which can aid to guarantee the historic building’s conservation and the occupants’ comfort; definition of HMR. The innovative aspect of the proposed methodology is the use of a virtual building model of heritage buildings, to determine, through a single index, the degree of risk and the level of indoor microclimate aggression.

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a unique monastery complex included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The first mentions of the caves in the chronicles date back to the year 1051. The idea of creating a 3D model of Lavra’s caves was suggested by the Kiev Pechersk Lavra coenobites with the aim to attract public attention to the problem of preserving the Lavra Caves for future generations. It consists of an above-ground part (a complex of religious buildings) and an underground part (caves). The caves form a system of underground corridors subdivided into several parts – the Near Caves, the Far Caves, and the Varangian Caves. Today the caves are in an emergency state and need urgent restoration. Results presented in the paper comprise all steps of the 3D model of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra caves creation. At the first step, a spatial underground geodetic network for scans georeferencing was created. Totally over 60 stations with quite short distances from 2 m up to 15 m, with many open traverses were measured. Terrestrial laser scanning for over than 450 m tunnels and entrance structures has been performed. At the last step, data processing and modelling have been done with a result in the form of plans, cross-sections and TIN model of the whole complex. The paper devoted to features of those works and prospective applications of the results.

Outdoor sport events evidently have an impact on the environment. If they are taking place in naturally protected areas this impact is even greater. By taking &rsquo, Le Grand Raid R&eacute, union&rsquo, an international ultramarathon annually organized in the heart of an UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, as a case study, this paper concentrates on assessing the ecological impact of an outdoor sports event in a protected natural site. On the basis of datasets taken from official logistics lists and from a survey conducted among all event participants the analysis embraces ecological and carbon event footprinting. Measuring those two indicators allows identifying the specific event-related ecological impacts, including diverse variables caused by the athletes, the spectators, and the related organizational requirements. The results of the study thereby have the ability to strongly influence the future event policy and to function as a model for the assessment of the ecological impact of other outdoor sports events.

Urban World Heritage and the Historic Urban Landscape approach in the Netherlands Within the category of cultural landscapes on the UNESCO World Heritage List the ‘continuing urban landscapes’ are a small but interesting group of sites. This group consists of urban and suburban areas (‘urban landscapes’) with outstanding historical and heritage values, while at the same time they are characterized by a high degree of spatial dynamics. Many developments take place that lead to change of the environment. Rio de Janeiro, the mining landscape of Nord-Pas de Calais and the Italian Amalfi coast near Naples are examples of these urban cultural landscapes on the World Heritage List. Next to these sites, there are urban World Heritage sites that formally are no cultural landscapes, but have similar characteristics. Historical city centers of Rome or Bruges, the Amsterdam canal ring or Speicherstadt in Hamburg are comparably stretched out and have comparable values. These sites are confronted with similar challenges with respect to conservation and management of change. The obligation to preserve the outstanding universal value of the site could become under pressure. This surely is the case in some urban and suburban World Heritage sites in the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Amsterdam Canal Ring, Defence Line of Amsterdam and Willemstad, Curaçao. The World Heritage status requires a strict management of the site. UNESCO’S Historic Urban Landscape approach can be helpful to make preservation and development compatible. In this article the opportunities and dilemmas of the HUL and ICOMOS’S role in it are discussed. A stronger emphasize on HUL when reviewing developments in urban World Heritage sites is advocated.

The Chauvet cave (UNESCO World Heritage site, France) is located in the Ardèche Gorge, a unique physical and cultural landscape. Its setting within the gorge—overlooking a meander cutoff containing a natural arch called the Pont d’Arc—is also remarkable. Investigating possible associations between sites’ physical and cultural settings, chronologies of human occupation, and access conditions has become a major theme in archeological research. The present study aims to reconstruct the landscape of the Pont d'Arc meander cutoff during the Upper Paleolithic, when humans were present in the Chauvet Cave. We used uranium-series and electron spin resonance analyses to date the formation of the Pont d’Arc natural arch in the Combe d’Arc meander cutoff, near the Chauvet Cave. Results show that the meander became totally cutoff between 108 and 138 ka (95%). Hence, the natural arch formed before the Upper Paleolithic and the first known human presence in the Chauvet Cave, dated to 37 ka cal BP. These results allowed us to reconstruct a key part of the landscape surrounding the Chauvet Cave when it was being used by Upper-Paleolithic societies.

The aesthetic beauty of a landscape is an integral value reflected in artistic inspiration. Science, in contrast, tries to quantify the landscape using various methods. Of these, geodiversity indices have been found to be a useful approach, and this geomorphological diversity is characterized through derivatives made from digital terrain models (DTM). While these methods are useful, they have a drawback that the value of some landscape features may be underestimated if they have regular forms. For example, the aesthetic and scientific attractiveness of our study area, the Cha&icirc, ne des Puys (Auvergne, France), a UNESCO World Heritage site, is strongly related to the distinctive small volcanoes, but despite being an outstanding element of the landscape, the scoria cones do not stand out well in geodiversity indices. This is because they have almost symmetrical conical forms and regular slopes that score low in the available geodiversity methods. We explore this problem and investigate how to overcome the low geodiversity performance of these distinctive landscape elements. We propose a modified approach for scoria cones using the normal input layers but adapted to the cone geometry. The modified indices are easy to compute and consider the uniformity and symmetry of larger landscape elements that form scientifically integral and aesthetically vital components of the landscape. The method is applicable to the tens of thousands of small monogenetic volcanoes in the hundreds of volcanic fields around the world, and could be extended to other volcanic features, such as domes. It would be possible to use the method to study larger volcanoes, as they often share and replicate the small-scale monogenetic morphology considered here.

On May 25th, 2016, following a massive water leakage from the city water supply pipeline a portion of the urbanized riverbank collapsed along the Arno River in the city centre of Florence (Italy), UNESCO World Heritage site. Understand the dynamics driving the landscape evolution (from the slope up to the riverbank) is useful to know the historical growth of such a territory and to plan a farsighted and sustainable urban development. Therefore, a historical characterization of the area surrounding the Arno riverbank collapse was made considering the interaction between the anthropic pressure and the local geological hazards or those factors that activate them. Based on this reconstruction, some advanced technologies (like satellite imaging), integrated with more traditional techniques, have been employed (a) to analyse the landscape condition almost up to the trigger moment, (b) to study the dynamics of the event, (c) to monitor the possible spatial evolution of the 2016 landslide, and (d) to characterize the damage condition of the involved structures. The results show very low deformation rates, indicating relatively stable ground conditions before the event.

Matera, Italy is one of the oldest towns in the world, as is the City of Sassi, along with the Park of the Rupestrian Churches. Matera is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. The original urban core developed from natural caves carved into the rock and then molded into increasingly complex structures within two large natural amphitheatres, which are the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. Matera has also received a coveted award: having reached the short list with 20 other Italian cities such as Venice, with Mibact Decree signed by Minister Dario Franceschini on December 23, 2014, it has been officially designated as European Capital of Culture for 2019.

In 1985, the region of Cappadocia, Turkey, was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a combined cultural and natural site. Capadoccia’s distinctive landscape is a product of volcanic activity, which resulted in the formation of tuff rock strata that were gradually eroded into dramatic peaks. The tuff is easily hollowed out, and for this reason the region has long been a place of rock-cut settlements. Carving techniques remained unchanged for centuries. In the fourth century A.D., Cappadocia became a religious center both for hermits and monastic communities. This led to the architectural development of rock-cut churches and monasteries. The Goreme Valley contains some of the most important rock-cut churches. These have been, and continue to be, a particular focus of conservation efforts regarding their rock structures and wall paintings. Environmental exposure leads to a wide range of problems, including rock erosion, rainwater infiltration through cracks and fissures, exfoliation and collapse of rock, and deterioration of wall paintings. Added to these natural problems are growing tourist numbers and inappropriate touristic developments. This paper describes efforts to address these various issues.

“Dong Village” is the shorter form of the village of Dong Ethnic Group, which is distributed through Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan and other provinces in China. In January 2013, the Unesco World Heritage Committee added 22 Dong Villages to the World Heritage “Tentative Lists”, most of which are concentrated in southeast Guizhou Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefectures (hereafter referred to as southeast Guizhou).

Fortunately for Tuscany, and for the legacy of Carlo Lorenzini (1826–1890), “Collodi’s,” Pinocchio, the Tuscan countryside has been much revived following World War II. There are six UNESCO World Heritage sites (including Florence, Siena, and the Cathedral of Pisa), and over 120 nature and scientific reserves. But with over ten million tourists per year, pressures on Tuscany’s biological heritage are not diminishing. Throughout Italy, 547 birds have been identified, many in Tuscany, and an abundant flora, including the native Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea), which has been cultivated in Tuscany for some six millennia, and out of which the character of Pinocchio, one of the world’s great ecological doppelgangers, was fashioned.

Tourism contributes to the conservation and protection of mountainous areas, and even the characteristics and activities of tourism also affect the environmental sustainability of an area. This study aims to identify tourist characteristics, their opinion towards a sustainable environment, their activities conducted at the park and environmental impacts. Overall, 383 respondents agreed to participate, and the response has been analysed using the relative importance’s of these activities, and environmental impacts were quantified by the relative importance index method. Most of them visited Mount Kinabalu to experience natural sightseeing and hiking activity. Majority of them know environmental concern but feeling that KNP is rather crowded. Overall, the most popular activities were mount climbing and wildlife sightseeing by domestic and international tourist. The result of the study also has shown that noise and air pollution were ranked as the most important environmental impacts factors. Considering mountain tourism is an attraction and contributor to the economy of Sabah, there must be effective preventive measures. Because of that, planning, implementing and strengthening new policies and rules for tourist activities regarding the conservation and protection will help to minimize the impacts of tourism. Through the results of the study using the Relative Importance Index (RII) analysis, it is hoped that it will be able to help provide suggestions and solutions to balance the impacts of tourism in Mount Kinabalu towards sustainability.

Access to the original Lascaux cave, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its 18 000 year old paintings, has been restricted since 1963. In 2016, an accurate facsimile, Lascaux IV, was designed and built. In the original cave, Lascaux I, classical contemporary room acoustics measurement systems could not be used. However, it has been possible to perform simplified measurements in a few minutes. Similar measurements were made in Lascaux IV once completed. The data provide a unique insight of the acoustic behavior of the Lascaux cave: it shows that the two caves, the original and the copy, have similar acoustical characteristics. In both cases, in the famed Hall of Bulls, the impulse response is smooth, reverberation time is relatively long, and speech intelligibility is fair; this environment is suitable for the ceremonies that presumably took place there. Because of the precision of the copy, Lascaux IV could be used as a 1/1 scale-model of Lascaux I. Therefore, sophisticated acoustical tests could be undertaken in Lascaux IV to help specialists in their archeological investigations. For example, resonances could be precisely documented to explore the potential relationship between parietal painting positions and echoes or sound effects that may have been used in ritual ceremonies.

The Old Town of Vilnius City is a valuable site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. One of the most important tasks is to protect the area from noise, pollution, and vibration caused by transport. Currently, over 30,000 vehicles cross the Old Town core daily, most of which do not have a destination in the Old Town, and drivers only use a shorter route to connect within the city. To this purpose, the Vilnius City Municipality has developed a Loop Traffic Scheme in the Old Town of Vilnius, which allows only loop traffic, i.e. for entry/exit to/from a specific restricted area. The main purpose of the article is the discussion and evaluation of measures how the Old Town area can be returned to the people (i.e., pedestrians, cyclists, public transport) to minimize traffic flows and eliminate transit traffic. To achieve smart solutions and to open public spaces for Old Town residents and visitors, we compare different traffic organization and parking measures, analyse their efficiency. We propose integrating innovative technological solutions and smart tools (parking, ridesharing system, integrated pedestrian and bicycle routes, smart traffic control, etc.) by using the best practices of other cities. As a result, we propose the methodology for humanizing open spaces in the Old Town area and beyond. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/enviro.2020.723

Situated in eastern Switzerland the UNESCO World Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona and its surrounding region isvery well known due to its most spectacular structural feature, the Glarus thrust, visible as a clear line, cutting along mountain faces. The Glarus thrust represents one key for the inscription into the UNESCO World Heritage List; other key features include clearly exposed examples of mountain building phenomena and spectacular geomorphological features highlighting the formation of the local relief. The prerequisite for their appearance on the Earth’s surface, besides differential uplift of the region from great depths, is its erosive history. Deep valleys cut through the entire region, providing spectacular outcrops of an entire range of stratigraphic units, tectonic structures, and Quaternary landforms.

The Mogao caves in Dunhuang, located in the inland desert region of China, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within this site, cave 285 is one of the most important caves. As a great deal of deterioration has taken place in this cave, a large amount of research has been carried out on the environmental effects that caused these changes. The deterioration such as changes in color and cracks in the mural paintings are due to physical environmental factors. In this work, the influence of the hygrothermal and light environments on the deterioration of the mural paintings in cave 285 was examined through several experiments using simulated mural paintings, focusing on the time period when the entrance hall had collapsed. In the drying experiments, many cracks in the Bengal red, a few in the lapis lazuli, were observed but none could be seen in the others. White crystals appeared in all the paint layers mixed with salt, and a herpetiform swell appeared in the talc substrate to which the saturated NaCl solution was added. The UV radiation caused the chroma saturation changes in most of the paint layers, showing a significant change in the case of the organic pigments. To examine the influence of light on the deterioration of the mural paintings, the simulation of illuminance under natural lighting condition during the period when the entrance hall collapsed was conducted, and the calculated results were compared with the visual observation. It was found that many discolored paintings or color changes of the layers are related to the large amount of annually integrated illuminance. Previous researches show that the East wall has been least affected by moisture, solar radiation, and sunlight compared to the other walls and ceiling. However, the effects of deterioration, including scratches, detachment, and discoloration, are also seen on the east wall. Hence, we investigated the effects of adhesion and the collision of windblown sand as factors contributing to the deterioration of the east wall. We conclude that sand blown by high velocity wind has led to detachment, flaking, and losses including fading of the paintings. To examine the effects of the hygrothermal environment on the deterioration of the mural paintings in cave 285, simulations of heat, moisture, and salt transfer were conducted for the time before and after the fall of the entrance hall. It was shown that the cracks caused by drying shrinkage were mainly created soon after the production of the paintings. The cracks caused by thermal expansion are likely to keep increasing; biodegradation and destruction due to freeze-thaw are scarcely progressing currently but they probably occurred more frequently when the entrance hall had collapsed. A part of the paintings on the west wall deteriorated due to the crystallization of the salt contained in the paintings (or the soil wall) just after the production of the paintings. Regarding the relationship between temperature in the cave and insect excrement or secretion, the black-spotted soiling spread over the entire walls and the brown deposit seen in the cracks or peeled parts on the ceiling is considered to be the results of the excrement or secretion of insects on the wall paintings. The inside of the main chamber where temperature is stable throughout the year provides the insects a suitable space to live in.