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| *About the World Heritage |
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The World Heritage can be interpreted as "Irreplaceable heritage
of human beings." Relics give you a hint to know the old civilization.
Also, buildings have high cultural value. Moreover, precious nature
those human beings should preserve. Those are registered as World
Heritage sites in order to hand them down to the next generation.
In this sense, the Parthenon shrine in Greece, Shirakami-Sanchi
Mountains in Japan are not only for their nations, but also for
people in the world.
Definition of the World Heritage is categorized
into the following three.
1. Cultural Heritage
Monument, group of buildings or site of historical, aesthetic, archaeological,
scientific, ethnological or anthropological value
eg) Shrines and Temples of Nikko
2. Natural Heritage
Outstanding physical, biological, and geological features
eg) Yakushima
3. Mixed Heritage
Cultural heritage and natural heritage are mixed in a site.
eg) Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia
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There are 122 countries and 690 sites of World Heritage with the
time of December 2000. The World Heritage consists of 529 sites
cultural heritage, 138 sites of natural heritage and 23 sites
of mixed heritage. Also, 30 sites are in danger of destruction
and collapse.
The World Heritage site is registered based upon
"Preservation of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
Treaty." It was adopted in 1972 by the 17th UNESCO Conference.
Unesco asked every country in the world to ratify the treaty.
Japan signed the treaty and became the 125th nation of treaty.
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Treaty country recommends candidate sites from own country to the
committee of World Heritage. The committee asks International
Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to investigate and evaluate
candidate site of cultural property. On the contrary, the committee
asks World Conservation Union (IUCN) to investigate and evaluate
candidate site of natural property. Finally, registration will be
decided in the World Heritage Committee, which will be carried out
once a year.
A world heritage center was established in 1992,
in the Paris, where head office of UNESCO was located. The world
heritage center manages World Heritage Committee, World Heritage
Fund, and supports for world heritage.
The system of world heritage is supported by international
cooperation, which protects the precious article of human beings
and the earth. Also, it aims to inherit the relics and nature to
the next generation even if those heritages are in crisis of collapse.
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