Academic Writing: Maintaining World Heritage Sites for Modern Society

This essay evaluates the importance of maintaining World Heritage Sites for modern society, highlighting their historical, cultural, and scientific significance as recognized by UNESCO. It discusses the background and history of World Heritage Sites, including their selection process and the different types of sites (natural, cultural, and mixed). The essay emphasizes the social, cultural, and economic benefits of preserving these sites, such as fostering national pride, creating business opportunities, and promoting cross-cultural understanding. It also addresses the negative impacts of tourism on these sites, including climate change, environmental degradation, and the destabilization of local economies, and recommends strategies for sustainable tourism development and regulatory measures to mitigate these adverse effects. The conclusion reinforces the role of World Heritage Sites in reflecting cultural values and promoting sustainability.

World Heritage Site

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES:...............................................................................................................................7
Books and Journals.................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
World Heritage sites refers to an area or landmark with legal security through an
international pattern administered by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, scientific and
cultural organisation. It is designated through UNESCO for having historical, cultural, scientific
as well as many form of significance (Amar and Tyvimaa, 2022). World heritage site are judged
to carry natural and cultural heritage across the globe reasoned to be outstanding measure to
humanity. There are many sites such as Taj Mahal, Petra, The Great Wall of China, Machu
Picchu, Chichen Itza, The colosseum in Rome, Christ the Redeemer. It is important for travellers
and youngsters to know the importance of world Heritage sites in order to retain their tradition
for life time. The aim of this essay is to evaluate the argument that it is important for modern
society to maintain the World Heritage Sites.
The essay highlights significance of modern society in maintaining World Heritage Sites.
Further, it highlights the background and history of World Heritage Sites. Along with it defines
the adverse impacts of the World Heritage Sites as well as relate it to tourism industry with
recommendations.
MAIN BODY
World heritage sites are selected as having 'outstanding worldwide value’ under rule
concerning the security of world natural and cultural heritage (Bear, Feldman and Avieli, 2021).
It was adopted in 1972 by United Nations Educational, scientific and cultural organisation as
well as formally forced in 1975 after sanctioned by 20 nations. It gives a model for global
cooperation in protecting and preserving natural areas addition to cultural treasures in all over the
world. In 1959, United Arab Republic governments turned to United Nations Educational,
scientific and cultural organisation for help in belongings the monuments and ancient sites of
Egyptian Nubia. Further, United Nations Educational, scientific and cultural organisation reacted
with a request to international community for help addition to resulting it was the biggest
archaeological rescue movement or operations in world history.
A world heritage site refers to a cultural and natural site which demonstrates
significances and influence in a global context which is outstanding Universal Value. Heritage
means the variety of monuments, inherited traditions, culture and objects. There are 3 types of
World Heritage Sites like natural, cultural and mixed. Cultural heritage sites involve many

historic town sites, buildings, works of monumental painting and sculpture, important
archaeological sites and many more. Natural heritage sites are limited to natural areas such as
ongoing biological and ecological evolutionary processes, include natural phenomena which are
unique, rare, outstanding beauty and superlative furnish outstanding such as geologic process and
record of earth life (Bell, Molloy and Tomko, 2019). Addition to this, furnish habitats for
endangered or rare plants and animals as well as sites of exceeding biodiversity. Moreover,
mixed heritage sites include factors of both cultural and natural significance. A heritage site or
historic site is a formal location where parts of military, political, social and cultural history has
been canned because of their cultural heritage value. It is usually secured by law as well as
various are recognised with national historic site. The process of creation, selection, and
nomination of a heritage site is world heritage community by following whole procedure. The
nomination process consists tentative list in which community take inventory of its cultural and
natural heritage site situated among its national borders. It is most important step in which World
Heritage committee cannot give approval on a nomination for inscription on list unless the place
or construction has already involved in the tentative list. This process includes various other
steps such as the nomination file, the advisory body, the world heritage committee, the criteria
for selection (World Heritage site, 2022).
Heritage sites and buildings are remnants of predecessors as well as it is reflection of past
addition to important source of information to vestige evolution of a society or culture as a
civilisation. It helps new generations and youth to know about the freedom fighters, historical
palaces, monuments and history behind it to continue their tradition and culture. Historic
preservation is a significant way for people and old generation to transmit their understanding of
past to youth or future generations (Hosseini, Stefaniec and Hosseini, 2021). Historic
preservation and a nation's history has multiple facets which help people to tell story to their
children and other people about many places. It is necessary to save and prevent tradition in
order to maintain culture, peace and unity among a community. The social, cultural and
economic advantages to a place being declared as a World Heritage Site (Nustad, 2020). The
cultural benefits are heritage preservation prevents and protects national or local pride as well as
identity addition to remind people of their culture's past common history or progress. It also
creates many new business opportunities, jobs addition to strengthens local economies. It saves
cultural and natural resources that improves the standard of living for local people and travellers

who involved in attractions as well as services. It also promotes or encourage cross cultural
understanding, connections and appreciation. It helps the country to boost their economy by
attracting people and tourist to visit their places which leads to increase in employment, jobs,
national income, development of backward areas and many more. The social benefits are
Heritage building have capacity to make contributions to a place's identity and liveability. In
several cases, historic places are those places which are a focus for society activities like schools,
public halls, places of parks or religious worship and mechanics institutes (Seyfi, Michael Hall
and Fagnoni, 2019). The heritage site is capable to receive amounts or funds for its conservation
addition protection also it helps a country to increase their popularity in order to gain leading
position in international market and increase the economy from their tourism sector. The people
of another country can develop their understanding about cultural, natural as well as religious
properties which helps them to make connections.
Negative impacts of the World Heritage Sites and relate it to the tourism industry are
climate change, dynamic environmental conditions, insufficient resources and management as
well as increases of tourist are the major issues are nowadays. Tourism can increase funds for
preventing natural places, improve tourist and local awareness of conservation and biodiversity
issues along with discourage local community form unsustainable living. Poorly managed or
excessive tourism as well as tourism related activities can harm the integrity, physical nature
along with significant characteristics. The culture, ecological setting, lifestyle of local
communities also be affected and degraded. It can decline the conservation and protection of
cultural heritage, harm the natural resources, ocean health, creates pollution, wastage, local
economy destabilisation due to increasing in number of tourism. It has been evaluated that some
cases of tourism development are occur without any planning as well as proper regulatory
control. The negative aspects are destructive infrastructure development, tourist pressures from
unsustainable development, social impacts, pollution deriving from unsuccessful expectations.
An increase in visitor’s number are major issues which leads to increase in heavy traffic,
congestion, serve negative effects to diversity. In order to remove all these negative aspects, it
has been recommended to communities of World Historic sites that they have to give focus on
the planned tourism development. Regulatory measures aid offset negative influence such as
controls on movements of tourist, number of visitors’ activities under the protected areas can
reduce the negative impacts on ecosystem addition to help maintain the vitality and integrity of

sites. It also declines the adverse impacts on natural and cultural resources. By implementing
tourism investment laws or regulations, collaboration with other community, construction of
proper infrastructure, laws or provision of pollution, safety and health facilities (Yang and Lau,
2019). By selecting sustainable operators and eco-friendly activities, support local businesses
and people to reduce wastage, pollution and many others. By offsetting of carbon and adopt
those practices which reduce pollution such as offsets land transportation, flights and boat trips
which harm environment and nature. By staying in sustainable resorts and booking Eco lodging
to contribute in reducing the adverse impact of tourism.
CONCLUSION
As per above presented information, it has been concluded that World Heritage sites
remind people of potency of landscapes and monuments at global, national and local scale. They
present the actions of cultures past along with present as well as their social relations, diversity,
innovation, beliefs and values. There are various benefits of World Heritage sites such as
economic sustainability, energy savings benefits, economic advantages, tax base stabilisation,
less waste, generate job opportunities and many more. The negative impacts of World Heritage
sites are discouraged local communities, generate pollution, harm environment and historic
monuments and many other which is created by tourism sectors. As many tourists give
negatively comments on culture or society of a country. The various recommendation are offsets
carbon, control the unplanned activities and tourism development and many more.

REFERENCES:
Books and Journals
Amar, J. H. N. and Tyvimaa, T., 2022. World heritage designation and residential property
values: the case of Old Rauma, Finland. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and
Sustainable Development.
Bear, L., Feldman, J. and Avieli, N., 2021. Imagining communities through friction in the World
Heritage Site of Luang Prabang, Laos. Tourism Geographies. pp.1-17.
Bell, D., Molloy, L., and Tomko, M., 2019. A new World Heritage site for Aboriginal
engineering. Nature. 572(7767). pp.32-33.
Hosseini, K., Stefaniec, A. and Hosseini, S.P., 2021. World Heritage Sites in developing
countries: Assessing impacts and handling complexities toward sustainable
tourism. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management. 20. p.100616.
Nustad, K. G., 2020. Notes on the political ecology of time: Temporal aspects of nature and
conservation in a South African World Heritage Site. Geoforum. 111. pp.94-104.
Seyfi, S., Michael Hall, C. and Fagnoni, E., 2019. Managing world heritage site stakeholders: A
grounded theory paradigm model approach. Journal of Heritage Tourism. 14(4). pp.308-
324.
Yang, F. X. and Lau, V. M. C., 2019. Experiential learning for children at World Heritage Sites:
The joint moderating effect of brand awareness and generation of Chinese family
travelers. Tourism Management. 72. pp.1-11.
Online:
World Heritage site. 2022. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.britannica.com/topic/World-Heritage-site>