Rudolff, B, 2006. Between ‘outstanding universal value’ and ‘cultural diversity’ – Heritage values in transition. In M. Albert and S. Gauer-Lietz (eds.). Constructing World Heritage Frankfort: IKO-Verlag. pp. 109-120.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage and Intangible Heritage Conventions illustrate a broader trend towards greater appreciation of the role of communities concerned in identifying, managing and protecting their heritage today. This paper will discuss requirements for greater community involvement in heritage identification and management under the two Conventions, with special attention to the determination of heritage value and the question of authenticity. The Nara Document on Authenticity of 1994, incorporated into the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Convention in 2005 (: Annex 4), encouraged a broader definition of authenticity that is sensitive to cultural context. Nevertheless, the determination of heritage value and authenticity remains in the hands of experts rather than communities associated with World Heritage properties. Although there is no reference to authenticity in the Intangible Heritage Convention, States Parties are specifically requested to ensure that it is communities, groups or individuals concerned who identify the value of their own intangible heritage. Yet because of a lack of oversight mechanisms under the Convention, it is difficult to ensure that this is done, especially since there is no permanent mechanism for community representation to the Organs of either Convention.

The aim of this paper is to share some experiences, based on the Costa Rican society, which address the risks of some of the intangible cultural heritage and to estimate the role of different institutions facing the challenge of safeguarding this heritage. This cultural heritage is threatened by the substitution of identity and the transformations which result from alienation or foreign imposition. In the current phase of globalization, tourism has great influence in equity. However, this industry may either play a role of threat or opportunity, depending on the way it is inserted in public policies and programs of heritage conservation. The ambiguity and complexity of this phenomenon hinders the possibility of a clear and objective management in favor of projects which include both sustainability of cultural heritage and tourism is a particular region or village. ICOMOS paid attention to this challenge by adopting the “International Charter on Cultural Tourism,” to facilitate and encourage dialogue between the interests of the industry and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. However, it is difficult to follow the recommendations provided in this document, as several factors influence the achievement of this goal. On one hand, there is the community which produces the assets and receives the tourists and on the other hand, various public and private entities. To overcome this challenge, we propose a tripartite partnership between communities, municipalities or local governments and educational institutions, both formal and informal. ICOMOS could assume an educational role in this process.

Traditional knowledge of the system of water distribution to farmlands sharing the same scarce fresh water resources has created relationships which are based on justice and equal rights among members of the farming communities of Bahrain. Over the centuries, the need to manage water irrigation led to the development of customary codes which regulated schedules of irrigation, the division of water resources and their equitable distribution. This framework was informed by both pre- Islamic customary oral traditions and Islamic ethics, and was transmitted from generation to generation. The inherited intangible heritage of irrgation law is complex and remained in use until the 1960s. In more recent times, individual farmers using water pumps and networks of pipelines of government treated sewage effluent (TSE) were not motivated to maintain traditional water management customs and have consequently stopped attending communal gatherings and disregarded the customary laws which regulated notions of fairness among them for centuries. The resulting uncontrolled usage of the underground aquifers y those digging their own wells has in many areas, led to over-exploitation of water resources and to the increased salinisation of the underground water reservoirs. At present, initiatives are being set up to raise awareness of A network of traditional knowledge: the intangible heritage of water distribution in Bahrain the importance of the customary irrigation laws in ensuring the fair distribution and sustainability of a rare resource on the island. Fortunately, a number of Bahraini farmers continue to follow the traditional codes and have become valuable knowledge bearers who are encouraged to share their wisdom and skills with their colleagues. In this article, the authors document aspects of the sophisticated intangible heritage of customary water irrigation law in Bahrain, covering its features, key players, and the cross-generational transmission as part of an oral knowledge system, which in parts survived and in other parts ceased to exist. They further highlight how this ancient knowledge can become a basis for sustainable water resource management in Bahrain, as well as playing a role in disseminating notions of fairness, equity and consent, public deliberation and conflict resolution.

Rudolff, Britta. 2006. ‘Intangible’ and ‘tangible’ heritage. PhD Thesis: Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Germany.

The subject of this paper is “Intangible Values as Heritage in Australia”. This is the same title as a recent paper of mine in ICOMOS News list issue 2000), the international ICOMOS newsletter. That paper and others, including one by Dawson Munjeri, were designed to engender discussion leading into the next ICOMOS General Assembly in Zimbabwe in 2002. These papers can also be found on the ICOMOS International website http://www.icomos.org.

The above Thai proverb is one of many reflections on the inseparable relationship between people and elephants in Thai life. It is an enduring relationship that reflects the close connection between the natural and cultural elements of a lived, experienced and imagined landscape, imbued with traditions and practices, beliefs and life ways, and social processes that serve to create identity, community and a sense of ‘being in place’.