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Lithic raw material variation is valuable for assessing the scale of human mobility, differential access to and from raw material sources, and prehistoric exchange patterns. Recent advancements in non‐destructive reflectance spectroscopy have proven to be more accurate in provenance investigations compared with the macroscopic (visual) identification technique for lithic artifacts. Here, we use visible/near‐infrared reflectance and Fourier transform reflectance spectroscopy on a collection of 845 lithic bifaces at Poverty Point (16WC5) site in northeastern Louisiana, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is well‐known for the presence of nonlocal materials, including stone tools. This study describes the first systematic approach to analyzing and interpreting hyperspectral reflectance data for cryptocrystalline silicate (e.g., chert and flint) artifacts at Poverty Point site. The chert materials identified in this study reaffirm the idea that tool stones arriving at the Poverty Point site came from diverse geologic sources, covering an expansive geographic area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the ancient Silk Road began acquiring new centrality in China's soft power strategy in the mid-2000s, so did heritage diplomacy, which developed as an engagement tool for fostering relations with Central Asia. The paper examines China's heritage cooperation with Central Asian countries through the lenses of social constructivism, investigating the conditions whereby the discursive construction of heritage has elicited cooperation. Linking the constructivist canon to Tim Winter's work, the research considers heritage as diplomacy, suggesting that cooperation is fostered when heritage is framed as a link to a shared past among states and heritage positively engages with the core national interests of recipient countries. The research examines China's discursive construction of the 'Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor' joint nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage list with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in media texts. The paper identifies a Sinocentric historicisation of heritage that, on the one hand, shies away from historical memories of conflict and competition and, on the other, connects joint heritage work with the notion of national sovereignty, playing on Central Asia's interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient houses in Hoi An are genuinely remarkable and have contributed significantly to making this town a World Cultural Heritage Site. These old houses are also the embodiment of customs, habits, and ancient lifestyles that have been preserved throughout the years. Previous studies have focused on studying the values of these houses to maintain and promote their historical significance. However, there is still a need to supplement the study of commercial properties in the interior architecture of Hoi An's ancient houses. This would clarify the historical value and cultural interference that have created the architectural form and spatial organisation differences of the old house in this ancient city. Through qualitative research methods, it has been affirmed that Hoi An has a rich history and culture, where many cultural exchanges have been witnessed without a loss of local cultural elements. The study proposes practical solutions to help preserve Hoi An's identity as a museum of living relics and promote sustainable development with the nation's progress towards an ecological-cultural city. The study recommends that the government develop policies to protect these structures and encourage nostalgia business, which will help maintain these houses' architectural and decorative features, enhance educational value and awareness, and benefit both communities and visitors. This is a sustainable and responsible way to develop tourism in Hoi An. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes Paraskeletodes hamiguitanensis sp. nov., the second species of the genus Paraskeletodes Aurivillius 1972 (Coleoptera: Cerambycinae: Phoracanthini) in the world. This rare species was found in Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Province of Davao Oriental, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Thediscovery of this species emphasizes the need to strengthen and expand wildlife conservation efforts in Davao Oriental, Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores and documents the Eocene limestones from the Albeşti village (Argeş County, Romania) in terms of the relationship between geology, geoheritage and cultural heritage. Known as the Albeşti Limestone/Stone, this rock, extracted from small quarries, has been used for centuries in the construction of an impressive number of public buildings, monuments, houses, etc. Nowadays, many of them are on the List of the Historical Monuments of Romania; one is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site (Horezu Monastery, Vâlcea County). The findings of this research are synthesized and presented in several maps resulted from integration of published and unpublished data with our field survey. The study emphasis the Albeşti Limestone both as an important geoheritage (the Albeşti Nummulitic Limestone Nature Reserve, established in 1954) and a significant heritage stone of national interest that could have a substantial role in heritage preservation, geoeducation, and geotourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastics, as supermodern artefacts of the Anthropocene, form a significant part of waste landscapes. But they also pollute landscapes - cultural and natural, marine and terrestrial - across the globe, including in the most isolated of places. The material's resilience means that plastic pollution is one of the biggest global challenges facing contemporary society. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this paper demonstrates how archaeological methods can help address the issue of plastic pollution in Galapagos, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its "Outstanding Universal Value" to humanity. Studied archaeologically, plastics are artefacts that through careful observation can yield precious information about their journey to this archipelago. As objects of story writing and the focus of object itineraries, they can also be used as a window into perceptions of plastic litter locally, as well as providing an opportunity to engage students in the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by a type of quarrying waste nicknamed "bastard rock", this paper uses the concept "bastard" as an analogy for industrial heritage landscapes: conceptually and physically difficult, inherently hybrid and comprised of contested lineages and inheritances. Advocating for relational landscape approaches in heritage management, this paper also addresses the exclusion of active industry from UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscapes and buffer zones, using the case study of Penrhyn Quarry in The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales as an example of when "one-size-fits-all" heritage management strategies risk diminishing the cultural heritage they seek to preserve for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather escalate the pressure of global warming on biodiversity. Globally, synergistic effects of multiple components of climate change have driven local extinctions and community collapses, raising concern about the irreversible deterioration of ecosystems. Here, we disentangle the pressure of increasing warming and frequency of extreme heatwaves on the population dynamics of tropical ringtail possums (family: Pseudocheiridae). Location: The Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Method: Ringtail possums' population dynamics were estimated between 1992 and 2021 using a hierarchical population model that explicitly described the state process and accounted for imperfect detection. Under our model, we propagated the estimated mechanisms governing the system by forecasting ringtails' population dynamics between 2022 and 2050. Derived from this process, we calculated the probability of absolute and quasi‐extinction using different population viability thresholds. Results: We find a strong negative effect of climate change on population dynamics, particularly extreme heatwaves, resulting in a rapid and severe decline in ringtails' population size in the last three decades. Main Conclusions: Forecasted increases in temperature and heatwaves threaten the collapse of rain forest ringtail possums by 2050, with populations falling below viability thresholds within three decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Masjed-e Jāme' of Isfahan is one of the largest historic mosques in the Islamic world. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Due to the arid climate of the region, the building is quite well preserved and presents only localized patterns of alteration. However, due to the risk of biodeteriogenic microorganisms which could be present on these valuable surfaces, this study aimed to isolate the microorganisms associated with the specific deteriorated areas of this monument and determine their deteriorative mechanism. Samples were taken from the deteriorated areas in order to isolate bacteria and fungi. These were tested for their potential to induce biodeterioration via CaCO3 dissolution, pH alteration, and pigment and mineral production. Results revealed that ubiquitous species such as Penicillium spp. and Bacillus spp. were the most abundant microorganisms isolated from the samples, some of which were able to release organic acids and induce CaCO3 dissolution. Very often, the isolated fungi showed a combined biodeteriogenic activity due to solubilization and precipitation of CaCO3. Rarely was CaCO3 solubilization combined with pigment release. These findings are a first step toward providing helpful information to assess the biodeteriogenic potential of colonizing microorganisms and planning a preventive method for the conservation of this monument which has never been studied in terms of biodeterioration risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation focused on the deterioration of the walls in the hypogeum of "San Pietro Barisano" rupestrian church, located in the Matera-Sassi (Southern Italy), one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. The study evaluated the biocide activity of a mixture of natural glycoalkaloids (GAs) extracted from the unripe fruit of Solanum nigrum and applied to clean a hypogeum wall surface in the church affected by bio-patinas. The analyzed bio-patina, collected before treatment and, at pre-established times, after treatment, showed changes in chemical composition detected by XPS, accompanied by visible discoloration and biological activity variation. The biocidal action of the glycoalkaloids mixture, directly employed on the wall surface, was effective after about four weeks for most bio-patina colonizers but not for the fungal species that can migrate and survive in the porosities of the calcarenite. Consequently, the cleaning procedure requires the integration of fungicidal actions, combined with the consolidation of the surfaces, to obtain complete bioremediation and avoid subsequent biological recolonization. SEM images and associated microanalysis of pretreated bio-patina have revealed the biocalcogenity of some autochthonous microorganisms, thus preluding to their eventual isolation and reintroduction on the wall surface to act as consolidants once the bio-cleaning phase has been completed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. Employability has gained increased interest after the respective global shocks of 2008 and 2020. The study deepens the theory of employability in relation to a globally significant tourism industry. The aim of the study is to identify the core dimensions of the employability of tour-guides. Method. The study adopted a qualitatively intrinsic case study at a world heritage site (WHS), namely the Maropeng Visitor Centre. The researcher focused on the notion of employability for tour-guides, based on existing research gaps regarding those two central concepts. Results. The study determines the roles and responsibilities of tour-guides so as to align these to the notion of employability capital of tour-guides. Secondly, the study probed how higher education institutions (HEIs) should contribute to tour-guides' employability particularly, and their employability capital, generally. Moreover, misconceptions emerged about HEIs' offerings concerning employability and tour-guides' education. Conclusions. Employability capital has become a factor influencing success in the work environment. This study revealed the importance of practical courses in tourism education (tour guiding, first aid, and additional languages) and highlighted the imperative to understand students' skills and capabilities within the scope of practical training courses. Originality. The study advances knowledge on employability capital in relation to tour guiding at WHS. This would help to develop a better system that would increase employability capital in the tour-guiding sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the macroscopic spatial-temporal behaviour of hikers plays an important role in targeted planning, marketing and management for regional hiking tourism development. The southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with abundant outdoor tourism resources and several World Heritage Sites, was chosen as the study area, and the development characteristics of hiking tourism and the spatial-temporal behaviour of its hikers were explored by seasonal intensity index, kernel density analysis, line density analysis and K-means clustering with volunteered geographic information (VGI). The results showed that hikers differed significantly from traditional tourists in terms of travel time, travel mode and destination choice, which provide vital implications for sustainable policy-making and tourism management in general and in the southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Microbat studies are uncommon in the Wet Tropics of north‐east Queensland, despite the group comprising 20% of the bioregion's mammal fauna. The significance of fragmentation and habitat connectivity to the echolocating insectivore group is unknown. Over a 12‐month period in 2021–2022, microbat presence was recorded in a 25‐year‐old restored wildlife corridor 1.2 km in length. We deployed Anabat detectors in the restored corridor, in adjacent open paddocks and in mature rainforest at either end of the corridor. Species in reference forest and corridor vegetation were consistently 'clutter‐adapted' bats, with low aspect ratio wings; there was little overlap with high aspect ratio species of the open pasture. Low aspect ratio microbats appear to respond to the similarity in structure between restored and adjacent natural vegetation. Re‐establishing structural and functional connectivity may improve the local persistence of 'clutter‐adapted' microbats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The scientific delineation and conservation of natural heritage sites are important steps in maintaining biodiversity and the dynamic stability of ecosystems. We examined the ecological connectivity of the Three Parallel Rivers Natural World Heritage Site, analysed the impact of boundary adjustments on the landscape pattern and ecological connectivity of the area, and explored the relationship between landscape connectivity and species habitat conservation using the Yunnan golden snub-nosed monkey as an environmental indicator species. The ecological connectivity of the Nu–Lancang River area and the Lancang–Jinsha River area was always high. Meanwhile, the improvement in ecological connectivity in the Lancang–Jinsha River area was conducive to the migration and reproduction of large terrestrial animals, including the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, with increasing numbers of populations and individuals. In this study, we found that, in order to improve the level of conservation of heritage sites, the delineation of the effective conservation areas of protected areas and the landscape connectivity between them should be considered in addition to the total area of the protected region. In particular, in addition to large wildlife habitat protection patches, stepping stones and ecological corridor networks should be established for large terrestrial animals. Landscape connectivity refers to the degree of continuity between the spatially structured units of a landscape. Ecological connectivity can characterise the degree to which ecological functional areas are connected in terms of function and ecological processes. In this study, the landscape pattern index and ecosystem service values were used to evaluate the ecological functional resistance of each landscape type, taking the Three Parallel Rivers Natural World Heritage Site as an example and the habitat distribution and population size of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey as a reference. The minimum cost distance model, combined with the barrier impact index (BEI) and ecological connectivity index (ECI), was used to determine the degree of barrier impact on the study area and the ecological connectivity of the core reserve of the heritage site in both 2000 and 2020. The resistances of the different land types and landscape heterogeneity to the ecological function of species migration between the core protected areas of the heritage site were, in descending order, those of the forest, shrubs and grass, water, unused land, cultivated land, and built-up land. In 2020, the study area had a large BEI, with areas such as built-up areas, major roads, the sides of large rivers, and arable land being significant contributors to the blockage of landscape connectivity. The overall landscape connectivity in the study area was generally low, with clear spatial differentiation and a three-column parallel distribution pattern influenced by the topography and landscape. With the adjustment of the core reserve boundaries of the heritage site, the proportion of areas with high connectivity (ECI = 4–5) increased from 11.31% in 2000 to 34.36% in 2020. This increased landscape connectivity was conducive to the migration and reproduction of large terrestrial animals, such as the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, with increasing numbers of populations and individuals. This study provides theoretical and methodological insights into the delineation and conservation of natural heritage sites and landscape connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention adopted a policy and strategy on climate change in 2007. Many of its actions remain to be delivered. Climate change has highlighted the limits of a system under stress to respond to an immense challenge. The General Assembly is again considering the issue, and a second World Heritage climate change policy is being developed to provide high-level guidance on response measures. The draft second policy emphasises the role of individual States Parties in addressing climate impacts on their World Heritage sites but says less about the responsibilities of the World Heritage Committee, World Heritage Centre or Advisory Bodies to the Convention in meeting the goals of climate action and achieving an equitable, international and shared response. Nor does it tackle issues related to Outstanding Universal Value, the core of any response to climate change. We develop a conceptual framework for substantive reform and propose actions to enable the World Heritage system to effectively respond to climate change and support the resolution of longstanding, systemic issues. Meaningful response to climate change needs to involve strategic as well as operational elements in a staged response with measurable outcomes and outputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific study of Neolithic monuments holds fundamental keys to the analysis of early social complexity. This is often impeded by the challenges involved in understanding their temporality and, particularly, their initial construction dates. This problem is most severe in monuments that were not predominantly used for burial and went on to have long biographies in which activity in later periods obliterated the material record of the earliest phases. That was certainly the case of the Menga dolmen, part of the Antequera World Heritage site (Málaga, Spain), and one of the most remarkable megaliths in Europe, for which, after nearly 200 years of explorations and research, no firm chronology existed. The research presented in this paper shows how this problem was tackled through a multimethod, scientific, and geoarchaeological approach. The analysis of 29 fresh numerical ages, including radiocarbon determinations as well as optically stimulated luminescence, thermoluminescence, and uranium-thorium dates, led to the successful establishment of Menga's construction date and the subsequent contextualization of the monument within the social and cultural background it arose in. Placing the dolmen in the context of its time of "birth" introduces entirely new possibilities for its interpretation, both in terms of local and supralocal social and cultural processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on mapping of ‘landslide susceptibility (LS)’ and evaluating landslide risk on some important ‘world heritage sites (WHSs)’ in Indo-Nepal-Bhutan Himalayan. LS mapping was carried out using ‘eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost)’, ‘Random Forest (RF)’, and ‘convolutional neural network (CNN)’, considering 15 conditioning factors, including seismicity and rainfall. Since rainfall is the triggering factor of landslides, the future rainfall was estimated using four ‘Shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs)’ scenarios of the ‘Climate Model Intercomparison Project-6 (CMIP-6)’ to identify the future LS and vulnerable WHSs of the Himalayan. The XGBoost is the robust model applied in future scenario-based LS assessments. The very high susceptibility zone has an increased tendency, about 13% to 31% area in the future scenarios where the predicted rainfall also increased, about 100 mm in 80 years. The findings of this study will aid strategy makers in conserving the heritage monument while also ensuring sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning ~3,500 to 3,300 y B.P., humans voyaged into Remote Oceania. Radiocarbondated archaeological evidence coupled with cultural, linguistic, and genetic traits indicates two primary migration routes: a Southern Hemisphere and a Northern Hemisphere route. These routes are separated by low-lying, equatorial atolls that were settled during secondary migrations ~1,000 y later after their exposure by relative sea-level fall from a mid-Holocene highstand. High volcanic islands in the Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei and Kosrae) also lie between the migration routes and settlement is thought to have occurred during the secondary migrations despite having been above sea level during the initial settlement of Remote Oceania. We reconstruct relative sea level on Pohnpei and Kosrae using radiocarbon-dated mangrove sediment and show that, rather than falling, there was a ~4.3-m rise over the past ~5,700 y. This rise, likely driven by subsidence, implies that evidence for early settlement could lie undiscovered below present sea level. The potential for earlier settlement invites reinterpretation of migration pathways into Remote Oceania and monument building. The UNESCO World Heritage sites of Nan Madol (Pohnpei) and Leluh (Kosrae) were constructed when relative sea level was ~0.94 m (~770 to 750 y B.P.) and ~0.77 m (~640 to 560 y B.P.) lower than present, respectively. Therefore, it is unlikely that they were originally constructed as islets separated by canals filled with ocean water, which is their prevailing interpretation. Due to subsidence, we propose that these islands and monuments are more vulnerable to future relative sea-level rise than previously identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yaku sika deer (Cervus nippon yakushimae) are endemic to Yakushima Island, whose landscape covered with primary evergreen forest is recognized as a World Heritage Site. In this study, the rumen bacterial microbiota (RBM) of wild Yaku sika was characterized using high throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes combined with targeted cultivation and functional analyses. Comparative analyses of RBM datasets from other ruminant animals revealed distinct community structure among domesticated and wild ruminants. Wild Yaku sika RBM exhibited higher species richness than other sika deer (i.e. wild Ezo sika and domesticated sika deer), likely reflecting their dietary variations associated with unique ecosystem in the island. The Yaku sika RBM of high deer population density samples exhibited higher diversity and contained higher proportion of Firmicutes than those of lower density samples. Moreover, the highest abundance of tannase gene were observed in individuals from the highest population density area, consistent with the previous observation that Yaku sika in the high density areas expanded their feed to include tannin-rich unpalatable plants. This study indicated that RBM of unique wild Yaku sika contribute to the flexibility of dietary shift and thus maintaining nutritional status of Yaku sika under high density conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking animal movement is important for understanding how animals interact with their (changing) environment, and crucial for predicting and explaining how animals are affected by anthropogenic activities. The Wadden Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a region of global importance for millions of shorebirds. Due to climate change and anthropogenic activity, understanding and predicting movement and space-use in areas like the Wadden Sea is increasingly important. Monitoring and predicting animal movement, however, requires high-resolution tracking of many individuals. While high-resolution tracking has been made possible through GPS, trade-offs between tag weight and battery life limit its use to larger species. Here, we introduce WATLAS (the Wadden Sea deployment of the ATLAS tracking system) capable of monitoring the movements of hundreds of (small) birds simultaneously in the Dutch Wadden Sea. WATLAS employs an array of receiver stations that can detect and localize small, low-cost tags at fine spatial (metres) and temporal resolution (seconds). From 2017 to 2021, we tracked red knots, sanderlings, bar-tailed godwits, and common terns. We use parts of these data to give four use-cases revealing its performance and demonstrating how WATLAS can be used to study numerous aspects of animal behaviour, such as, space-use (both intra- and inter-specific), among-individual variation, and social networks across levels of organization: from individuals, to species, to populations, and even communities. After describing the WATLAS system, we first illustrate space-use of red knots across the study area and how the tidal environment affects their movement. Secondly, we show large among-individual differences in distances travelled per day, and thirdly illustrate how high-throughput WATLAS data allows calculating a proximity-based social network. Finally, we demonstrate that using WATLAS to monitor multiple species can reveal differential space use. For example, despite sanderlings and red knots roosting together, they foraged in different areas of the mudflats. The high-resolution tracking data collected by WATLAS offers many possibilities for research into the drivers of bird movement in the Wadden Sea. WATLAS could provide a tool for impact assessment, and thus aid nature conservation and management of the globally important Wadden Sea ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reclamation of tidal flats is implicated in the declines of a large number of migratory waterbird species along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway, and has resulted in the assessment of Yellow Sea tidal flats as an Endangered habitat by the IUCN. Created in their present form by large-scale reclamation, the Hwaseong Wetlands on the Yellow Sea coast of the Republic of Korea are comprised of tidal flats, a large reclamation lake, and extensive areas of rice-fields and fallow land. As part of preparation for increased protections for these wetlands, we conducted bird surveys between late June 2020 and mid-June 2021. During this period, we recorded more than 150,000 waterbirds in the wetland and concentrations of 1% or more of 25 populations of waterbird. We also recorded a total of 16 globally threatened wetland species. As at many other coastal wetlands in the Yellow Sea, tidal flat obligate waterbird species used the tidal flats for foraging; and roosted in artificial wetlands which had been created through the reclamation process. The extensive areas of rice-field and other freshwater habitats in the Hwaseong Wetlands were also internationally important in their own right, supporting globally threatened amphibians and internationally important concentrations of foraging geese and floodplain-associated waterbird species. The movements of waterbirds between foraging and roosting areas we recorded make clear that conservation of the site's biodiversity either as a Ramsar site or within a serial World Heritage Property would require protection of all the contiguous tidal flats and also of the most biodiverse rice-field and freshwater wetland areas. As elsewhere in the coastal zone of the Republic of Korea, this would first require the support of local stakeholders and also a reduction in jurisdictional issues between various local and national decision-making bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have revealed extensive genetic differentiation among some populations of marine taxa that were previously believed to be essentially homogeneous because larvae are widely dispersed in ocean currents. Acanthopagrus pacificus is a commercially and ecologically important teleost fish that is endemic to shallow coastal waters and estuaries of some tropical and sub-tropical areas in the West Pacific Ocean. Here, we examined genetic structure and the inferred demographic history of A. pacificus populations from mtDNA control region sequence data. A 677–678 base-pair fragment was sequenced from 159 individuals sampled at three localities across the West Pacific Ocean. Haplotype diversity was high, ranging from 0.915 to 0.989, while nucleotide diversity was low to medium, ranging from 0.8% to 2.60%. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed significant genetic subdivision (FST = 0.155, p < 0.05) among sampled populations while pairwise FST estimates also revealed strong genetic differentiation among populations indicating that gene flow was restricted. Two distinct cryptic lineages were identified that were estimated to have diverged during the Pleistocene. In summary, contemporary factors including regional oceanic currents and self-recruitment are considered to have played significant roles in producing the population structure in this fish. In particular, the genetic information generated in the current study will allow appropriate fisheries management and conservation strategies to be developed for this important local fish in the waters around Iriomotejima Island, a World Heritage site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shifting Sand is a barchan dune in Ngorongoro Lengai Geopark in Arusha, Tanzania. The geopark, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is protected by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority. The dune ranks amongst the main geosites that have been attracting numerous tourists; it formed as a result of volcanic ash eruptions that led to tephra deposition on a palaeosol (palaeosurface) in the Ootun area. The easterly winds modified the ash into dunes and headed to the Olduvai Gorge area. The age of the Shifting Sand dune is not known in detail. In the present study, we employ the radiocarbon (14C) dating method to date a subsurface palaeosol bed in the Ootun area where the tephra (i.e., original Shifting Sand materials) was originally deposited. An Accelerator Mass Spectrometer was used to determine the carbon-14 date of the palaeosol so as to estimate the age of the Shifting Sand dune, and an Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescent Spectrometer to determine the chemical composition of the Shifting Sand material and the tephra bed for correlative purposes. A radiocarbon (14C) date of 2510 ± 30 years BP for the Ootun palaeosol was obtained to estimate the minimum age of the Ootun subsurface tephra deposited in the area; since then, this started to move westwards towards the Olduvai Gorge area, where it is today defined as the Shifting Sand. The current findings add educational value to the Shifting Sand in Ngorongoro Lengai Geopark and improve our understanding of the eruption history of the Gregory Rift volcanoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe Orchipedum shareeanniae as a new species endemic to Samar Island Natural Park in the Philippines and the fourth species in the genus. It is distinct from other Orchipedum species by its labellum, specifically its spreading, semicircular, pectinate lateral lobes with 6–8 linear appendages which are minutely pubescent apically. We provide a detailed description, illustrations, field images, and notes of this new species. Our discovery highlights the importance of performing botanical explorations in unexplored areas in the Philippines and supports the nomination of Samar Island Natural Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Montane ecosystems cover approximately 20% of the Earth's terrestrial surface and are centres of endemism. Globally, anthropogenic climate change is driving population declines and local extinctions across multiple montane taxa, including amphibians. We applied the maximum entropy approach to predict the impacts of climate change on the distribution of two poorly known amphibian species (Philoria kundagungan and Philoria richmondensis) endemic to the subtropical uplands of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, World Heritage Area (GRAWHA). Firstly, under current climate conditions and also future (2055) low and high warming scenarios. We validated current distribution models against models developed using presence-absence field data. Our models were highly concordant with known distributions and predicted the current distribution of P. kundagungan to contract by 64% under the low warming scenario and by 91% under the high warming scenario and that P. richmondensis would contract by 50% and 85%, respectively. With large areas of habitat already impacted by wildfires, conservation efforts for both these species need to be initiated urgently. We propose several options, including establishing ex-situ insurance populations increasing the long-term viability of both species in the wild through conservation translocations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to assess the impact of the Ms7.0 Jiuzhaigou earthquake that occurred on 8 August 2017 on vegetation, the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model was adopted to estimate the vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) of Jiuzhaigou Valley, one of the World Heritage Sites, in July, August and September from 2015 to 2019. Then the characteristics of the impact of different earthquake-induced geohazards on vegetation were discussed, and a vulnerability-resilience assessment system concerning the seismic intensity was proposed. The results show that the NPPmax and NPPmean values in Jiuzhaigou Valley first decreased and then increased and were 151.5–261.9 gC/m2 and 54.6–116.3 gC/m2, respectively. The NPP value of more than 70% area was 90–150 gC/m2 in July. In August, the NPPmean values decreased, and the areas with lower values became larger; the NPPmean values of most areas affected by geohazards were 60–150 gC/m2. During the earthquake, the NPPmean values of areas hit by geohazards sharply declined by 27.2% (landslide), 22.4% (debris flow) and 15.7% (collapse) compared with those in the same month in 2016. Vegetation in debris flow zones showed a stronger recovery, with a maximum NPP value increase of about 23.0% in September 2017. The vegetation gradually recovered after the earthquake, as indicated by the uptrend of the NPP values in the corresponding period in 2018 and 2019. In general, the reduction magnitude of NPP values decreased year by year in comparison to that in 2015 and 2016, and the decrease slowed down after the earthquake. The vulnerability and resilience index corresponding to the three seismic intensity ranges were 0.470–0.669 and 0.642–0.693, respectively, and those of Jiuzhaigou Valley were 0.473 and 0.671, respectively. The impact coefficient defined to represent the impact of the earthquake on NPP was 0.146–0.213. This paper provides a theoretical reference and guidance for the impact assessment of earthquakes on the ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First time use nanolime for the conservation of Chinese earthen-based murals. • One treatment increases surface cohesion with acceptable color change. • Interaction mechanism between nanolime and pigments particles was investigated. • One treatment with nanolime decreases the pore diameter while keeps the porosity. Mogao Grottoes is a World Cultural Heritage site with splendid ancient murals and sculptures which record the culture and history of the Silk Road. To consolidate these earthen-based murals with multilayer structure, nanolime were synthesized with anion exchange method and the effectiveness and compatibility of using it for the conservation of Dunhuang murals were evaluated. For mural samples, the nanolime treatment increases the surface cohesion and hardness while changing the colors in an acceptable range, in the meantime decreases the pore diameter while keeping the porosity equivalent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time nanolime was used for the restoration of earthen-based murals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hydric (liquid water) dilatation decreases with increasing salinity of pore water. • Salt contamination reverses hygric (water vapour) dilatation phases of clay-rich rocks. • Crystallisation of NaCl develops higher strain than hydration of clay interlayers. • Changes in volume occur more frequently once clay-rich rocks are exposed to salts. • Salt weathering of clay-rich rocks produces granular disintegration and scaling. The mechanisms through which crystallisation of salts and hydration of swelling clays cause deterioration of rocks are generally understood. However, how these two decay mechanisms operate synergistically is less clear. In this study, we investigated the impact of a salt (NaCl) on the deterioration of clay-rich basaltic scoria from which the churches forming the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lalibela in Ethiopia are hewn. The basaltic scoria is rich in smectite (swelling clay) and zeolitic minerals which have micropores and an affinity for efficient water absorption. Hydric and hygric swelling experiments were carried out on 50 mm cube quarry samples and continuous measurements were taken with Linear Variable Displacement Transformers (LVDT). Hydric (liquid water) tests involved partially submerging the samples in deionised and saline solutions. Hygric (water vapour) tests were done in an environmental cabinet where the RH fluctuated between 60% to 90% RH with salt-free and salt-contaminated samples. The results showed that contamination with salts alters both hydric and hygric behaviour. Hydric swelling was reduced in most samples when contaminated with salt, while the expansion and contraction phases in hygric tests were reversed after contamination with NaCl. Continuous measurement of dilatation allowed us to quantify the strain developed during the phase transition of NaCl. Due to the crystallisation pressure, hygric dilatation increased significantly in salt-contaminated samples. Salt-contaminated samples also showed frequent episodic changes in volume that corresponded both with the hydration/dehydration of clay interlayers and crystallisation/dissolution of NaCl. These volume changes correspond with the damage profile on the surface of the samples, i.e., contour scaling and granular disintegration. The results indicate that the mechanism through which salt contamination accelerates the decay of clay-rich rocks is via an increase in the frequency and degree of hygric dilatation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores an impasse in the listing of Hashima Island, also called Gunkanjima as a UNESCO World Heritage site as a symbol of Meiji innovation. The debate centres on authenticity in the site designation process. To overcome this debate and ensure the site's sustainable conservation, this study reinterprets the notion of authentic heritage as a kaleidoscope, including the scarred physical spaces of intangible conflict, forced labour, and a representation of imperial Japan's economic zenith. Specifically, it reviews Gunkanjima Island's rich history and investigates the process of obtaining World Heritage status, highlighting why Hashima Island's World Heritage Site status has been heavily debated. In the field of architectural cities, historians must make compromises for conservation measures when interpreting the value of cultural heritage, such as that of Hashima Island. Such sites need to be sustainably preserved and respected under an expanded interpretation of authenticity. This study concludes that Hashima is a site of continuously reinterpreted memories. As such, its authenticity should lie in the site's recognition as an object of inclusive historical reflection and progress over time, rather than in fixed authentic attributes. This compromise enables the sustainable conservation of the island's heritage for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout history, the different cycles of change that traditional commercial centres (bazaars) have undergone in different Islamic cities call attention to the hidden abilities insuring their resilience until today. To understand the way in which these bazaar areas absorb and adapt to change, this paper investigates the resilience awareness of a specific case study 'the bazaar of Bursa', by dealing with key morphological, behavioural and institutional aspects. Several resilience assessment frameworks have been developed, including cultural, economic, and spatial proxies. However, most of them have focused on physical structures while assessing resilience concretely. This study represents a first step towards a Framework Proposal for resilience assessment in traditional commercial centres (bazaars) combining together tangible and intangible features specific to the historical bazaar of Bursa as a case study using a quantitative approach in a form of a survey. The findings showed a clear overlap between the tradesmen's perception of factors affecting resilience in the bazaar of Bursa and those proposed by authors. This research may help decision-makers gain a better understanding of the key hidden factors promoting resilience in such historical urban fabrics and guide them in making adequate planning decisions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have transformed the worldwide socio-economic environment in various and unpredicted ways. More specifically, the pandemic restrictions and the necessary social distancing have generated questions concerning the 'day after' of religious tourism, especially in association with the value attributed to proximity, sharing, and communal worship in the Orthodox Church tradition. For the time being, pilgrimages and religious tourism in the Greek Orthodox context are quite stable and resilient, and seem to be intertwined with cultural heritage, the modern search for authenticity, and the touristic experience. This analysis aims to explore the key factors that may shape the future trends and plans for pilgrimage and religious tourism in the Greek Orthodox segment. For this reason, it will focus paradigmatically on the region of Central Macedonia in Greece, which is known for its religious and cultural heritage. This is an area in Northern Greece, linked to the missionary journeys of Apostle Paul, and to iconic religious destinations, such as mount Athos and UNESCO World Heritage sites like the Byzantine monuments in Thessaloniki. The analysis will further examine the possibilities of developing new and multidimensional forms of tourism, focused on visits to religious sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bituminous black pelite of the Messel UNESCO world heritage site is an exceptional palaeobiological archive from the Middle Eocene greenhouse climate. The pronounced homogeneity of the annually laminated pelite through a time interval of 640 kyr complicates the relative stratigraphic classification of fossil remains and is, thus, largely dependent on particular marker horizons within the uniform sedimentary column. We analyzed the most prominent marker horizon M using petrographic microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and electron probe microanalyses to identify and characterize its structure and phosphate-dominated mineralogy. Based on our analytical data, we suggest that this phosphatic marker horizon resulted from the exceptional combination of external tephra enclosed in bacteria and algae-rich layers, producing a coupled phosphorus and cation diffusion during diagenesis. Mantienneite (KMg2Al2Ti(PO4)4(OH)3 • 15H2O) is documented for the first time in the Messel fossil deposit. The diagenetic succession of messelite, montgomeryite, and mantienneite precipitation reflects the internal heterogeneities in primary mineral composition of an ash layer. Kerogen maturation and hydrocarbon migration produced acidic, reducing pore fluids with high P concentration, which enhanced the mobility of Al and Ti. The mantienneite-forming reaction marks the change from a regime of reducing to oxidizing conditions. With the deposition and diagenesis of the marker horizon M, a singular event is preserved in a sedimentary sequence otherwise regarded as largely uniform over a time span of about 640 kyr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This timely collation of case studies, written by and with Traditional Owners of diverse Australian offshore islands, offers direct insights into benefits arising from strategic and participatory action planning for biocultural island conservation and monitoring. We pay respect to the Old People and Elders whose dedicated care of their island homelands means we today can still experience their cultural and natural diversity. We extend greetings to our Pacifika neighbours, and to carers of islands around Earth. Our paper scopes socio-economic benefits arising from planning for islands, for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, and more generally. Global, national, state and local co-investments support place-specific planning for some islands by Traditional Owners as a starting point toward shared governance and caring for Country. Case studies describe Country planning for Mayala Country in Australia's northwest, Woppaburra experiences within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and integrated biocultural health monitoring arising from remote island Indigenous Protected Area planning in Torres Strait. New institutional initiatives are also seeking to create solid foundations for more substantive island research collaborations. Across Australia, novel relationships grounded in culturally assured, holistically integrated approaches to island governance and caring for Country involving Traditional Owners and island resource users/managers are creating equity in livelihoods and stronger wellbeing. Australia's innovative Sea Country collaborations, with priorities initiated and led by island Traditional Owners, carry real value for sustained island conservation and provide positive inspirations for global humanity in the accelerating Anthropocene. Earth's islands face grave challenges. In Australia, innovation in island knowledge sharing between Traditional Owners and other island users and managers is moving beyond the participatory action planning space to generate equity in livelihoods and wellbeing on Sea Country. The tangible benefits arising are grounded in cultural governance and authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past few decades have witnessed unprecedented global urbanisation, with direct or indirect impacts on global cultural heritage sites. Research on the spatial relationship between cultural heritage sites and urban areas has provided a new perspective for understanding the impact processes between them, which have previously been discussed at the regional scale. In this article, we analyse the spatial relationship between world cultural heritage sites and neighbouring towns through systematic observations at the global scale and attempt to model change processes and identify impact mechanisms. We adopt spatial analysis and spatial statistics to analyse the changing characteristics of the spatial relationship between world cultural heritage sites and neighbouring towns from 1990 to 2018 and to analyse the impact processes at different spatial and temporal scales by combining indicators, such as income levels and urbanisation rates, at the national scale. The results show that 8.52% of world cultural heritage sites have been incorporated into urban areas over the aforementioned 28 years, with a certain aggregation in the spatial distribution of these sites, and that the growth rate can be divided into three phases, including two periods of rapid growth. The spatial relationship between towns and the 523 world cultural heritage sites that were previously located outside towns has not yet changed substantially, but the distances between most of the towns and these sites have been decreasing, with 81% of the world cultural heritage sites having a variation in distance from the corresponding town of 7.60 km or less. We also analysed the variation in distance between cultural heritage sites and neighbouring towns and found a relationship with indicators, such as the income level and urbanisation rate of the country to which a site belongs. Among the indicators, variation in national urbanisation rates most greatly affected the distance between heritage sites and towns. This study shows that world cultural heritage sites are affected by urbanisation and that particular attention should be given to the relationship between cultural heritage sites and neighbouring towns, especially in countries undergoing rapid urbanisation, so that the authenticity and integrity of cultural heritage are not compromised. This article provides a basis for development plans and policies in urban design, especially those that are sensitive to cultural heritage, and may also provide ideas and references for heritage conservation against the background of urbanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is an indispensable method for systematic monitoring of World Heritage Sites (WHSs) exposed to various anthropogenic factors and natural disasters. Remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS) can eliminate many limitations in traditional ERA methods. In this study, changes in ecological risk at Huangshan Mountain, the first mixed WHS in China, over the period of 1984–2019 were explored using remote sensing images and products by considering both natural disasters and human disturbance. Results show that of the four land cover types in Huangshan Mountain, namely water, forest, building and farmland, the main land cover type is forest. During the 35 yr, lands categorised at low or relatively low ecological risk levels are dominant in Huangshan Mountain, with the lowest and highest ERIs (ecological risk index) in 1990 and 2010, respectively. The areas at the five ecological risk levels have declined as follows: relatively low > low > medium > relatively high > high. Changes in ecological risks are closely related to changes in land cover and natural disasters. Even though major natural disasters may affect the ecological risk level in the whole region, changes in land cover caused by human activities will shift the ecological risk level in some areas. Our attempts can be modified and applied to other sites, and offer policy implications for protection and preservation of WHSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The status of Lake Baikal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to its unique ecology and value as a global aquatic resource have resulted in strict environmental regulations to protect the watershed and biota it supports. Despite this, the ecosystem of the lake is being exposed to negative anthropogenic impact and deteriorating water quality. In this article, we describe the bioecological state of Mukhor Bay – the warmest bay of Lake Baikal and one which is actively visited by tourists. We try to highlight the environmental problems of Baikal and aim to change attitudes towards water resources in this unique ecosystem. We present data on the taxonomic, genetic, and biochemical characteristics of cyanobacteria blooms that develop in the plankton of the bay. Further, we establishing their risk to human health and provide information for the environmental state management. Toxic blooms of Dolichospermum lemmermannii (cyanobacteria) were detected in the phytoplankton of Mukhor Bay. The nutrients content and chlorophyll concentration was low and corresponded to the oligo-mesotrophic status. Microcystins were detected in the dried phytoplankton biomass and the water, coastal samples contained a higher amount of this toxin. We hypothesize that one of the factors contributing to toxic cyanobacteria growth in the Mukhor Bay is the nutrient loadings due to surface and groundwater runoff from surrounding area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wadi Rum Protected Area (WRPA) was formed to protect and conserve a typical area of the Eastern Desert land type. It is one of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's UNESCO world heritage sites. Erosion and tourism have had a negative impact on this region's natural and environmental life. Using satellite images acquired in the period from 1987 to 2018, this research intended to discover any influence of erosion on the geological structure of (WRPA) and any potential of floods, using the topographic wetlandindex analysis. Supervised classification was used to construct land-cover/land-use maps of WRPA. The findings revealed a shift in Wadi deposits, but no change in mountain ranges, indicating that satellite photos might anticipate soil erosion. The topographic wetland-index analysis showed that the area could be classified as a medium-to-high-potential flooding area with values from 14.3 to 29. Furthermore, it is suggested that highresolution satellite images be used to investigate the impact of human activities in the region on the ecosystem and vegetation. Because the utilized satellite images did not reflect the height of the mountains, further research using various remote-sensing methods should be conducted for such monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a time when the world is critical of the Brazilian government and the loss of Amazonian rainforest, Brian J. Godfrey casts his 40-year gaze on Rio de Janeiro. Geographer Godfrey deftly uses various scales of analysis - global, hemispheric, national, regional, metropolitan, and neighborhood - to point out how memory can be used to reinvent places both in Rio and elsewhere. Godfrey's real nugget is chapter 3's examination of Little Africa in Rio. [Extracted from the article]

In this work, the microscopic observation of thin section was utilized to analyse the geological and fine morphological features of the 16th century Amber fort lime plaster -- a World Heritage site. FTIR, XRD and SEM photomicrographs showed the stabilization of different crystalline phases of calcite polymorphs. Chemical analysis and SEM-EDX data revealed dolomitic limestone was probably sourced for plaster works. The high magnesium present in the raw material, the environmental conditions during the application, pH, etc. have stabilized calcite polymorphs in the plaster. The calcite meta-stable phases have undergone dissolution with time making the plaster weak. This has increased porosity, permeability, and resultant lowering of plaster's mechanical strength. Thermal analysis and cementation index revealed use of non-hydraulic, binder-rich, air-lime for plaster works. The granulometric study showed the mixing of reddishbrown sand-size grains, and the aggregates were probably sourced from the same location for major construction activity. The low proportion of aggregates led to reduced mechanical strength, and the plaster is vulnerable to damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of services and goods needs consumption of available material and energy. An economy often focuses on sources of high-quality material/energy first produced by nature for increasing growth. World heritages sites (WHSs) have become major tourist attractions that promote economic development for developing countries. The increased number of tourists has thus brought about threats to ecological environment. Scholars stress that it should be sustainable or "green growth" since it comes to economic growth currently. The aim of this research is to establish a sustainable development model for WHSs to empirically investigate the dilemma between economic development and ecological protection with particular emphasis on strategies that promote the sustainability. The study took China's 45 WHSs as samples and constructed a two-stage sustainable development model to analyze the trade-off between economic development and ecological protection. The dynamic network slacks-based measure was employed for dynamic performance evaluation for the period 2013-2019. The results suggest that a strong balance between economic development and ecological protection would be essential for sustainability. Spearman's rank correlation was also used to verify that there are no conflicts between the two processes. In addition, this study demonstrates that an effective government policy covering regulations of economic development and ecological protection can positively influence sustainable development. The governments are suggested to improve the section that the WHS performs inefficient. Involvement of balanceable sustainable development for WHSs needs necessary cooperation during concerned institutions, practitioners, and communities. The WHSs are recommended to receive strict standard of supervision, management, and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]