Why Modern Society Must Preserve World Heritage Sites: An Essay

This essay evaluates the importance of maintaining World Heritage Sites for modern society by discussing their history, creation, selection, and nomination processes. It highlights the social, economic, and cultural advantages of declaring a place as a heritage site and examines the adverse impacts of tourism on these sites. The essay also offers recommendations for minimizing the negative outcomes of tourism, emphasizing the need for government policies, boundary protection, and public awareness campaigns. It concludes that preserving World Heritage Sites is crucial for understanding cultural traditions, historical development, and ensuring future generations benefit from this knowledge.

Essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Evaluation of importance for modern society to maintain World Heritage Sites..................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
World heritage is a designation for place on globe that are outstanding universal value to
humanity, it is important for world heritage list to be preserve for future generation to enjoy &
appreciation. World heritage is a broad-set sense on process through which will provide society a
abundance of resources that were inherited from ancient, for creating a existing with benefits for
future generation. (Seyfi, Michael Hall and Fagnoni, 2019) In this report there is a evaluation
about importance for modern society to maintain world heritage sites, through the discussion of
history and background and different types of sites with creation process, selection and
nomination of those sites. There will be a discussion of importance for preserving historical sites
with brief of social, economic and cultural advantages on declaring a place to be heritage sites.
Lastly there will be evaluation of adverse impact of heritage sites on tourism industry with
recommendation steps on minimizing negative outcomes of tourism in heritage sites.
MAIN BODY
Evaluation of importance for modern society to maintain World Heritage Sites
A heritage sites is an official location every political, cultural, social and military history
that has been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are protected by laws
and identified with national historic sites with status, the concept of world heritage was
established post world war that are most unique cultural monuments in world, heritage sites are
outstanding universal value significance on cultural and natural.(Kim and et. al., 2018) The idea
behind history of heritage sites is a result of long improvement of history that has different
values attached to building, monuments, work of arts, landscapes, monuments and others. Main
idea behind developing understanding of cultural heritage is that they are irreplaceable and
unique, through the outgrowth of concept it is directly related to idea of preservation and
protection. It is a tradition of collecting little objects which has some impact of understanding
history that has a part of history that includes building, monuments or house are converted into
historical sites. The United States initiate safeguarding places of high natural or cultural
importance, for example there are various historic sites that are preserved and protected perfectly
and has a high value in terms for present and future of entire world. (Hugo, 2020) Concept of
heritage has a key element in a process that led to creating a national museums and commissions
to establishment for memorial protection, it entered into force in 1975 by UNESCO. The idea of
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start protecting heritage sites is to understanding history of he place through any historical
objects that reflects a part of tradition and cultural depicts. (Canale and et. al., 2019) There are
mainly three types of heritage sites such as, cultural heritage sites includes hundreds of historical
important archaeological sites, building & town sites and work of significant sculpture or
paintings. Natural heritage sites are mainly restricted to those natural areas such as, it provides a
excellent illustration of ongoing environment and biological evolutionary processes, it provides a
sense of outstanding examples of Earth's life or geological processes. It also contains a natural
phenomena to rare, unique, superlative and outstanding beauty and lastly it has furnish habitats
on rare or endangered animals or planets that has exceptional biodiversity. Mixed heritage sites
contains elements that are both natural & cultural significance on globe. In order of selection,
process and nomination of creating world heritage sites a status is based on- the location must
have a sense of outstanding universal value and has a significant demonstration of international,
as it must be exceed on national boundaries to be a important part of present and future
generation of humankind.
It is important for modern society in protecting heritage sites, as it helps in understanding
the past, history and traditions which enables to develop awareness about place and ancestors
through future generation will get knowledge about history by experiencing actual history
monument. It is helps in identifying a nation, region and community historical and cultural
heritage which is unique that reflect diverse humankind, heritage has inheritance of physical
artefacts and intangible attributes that were passed down from past generation. (Westaway,
2022)It helps in maintaining present and benefits future generation, it also helps in understanding
a lot of information about history as it is a stone of heritage which led to important part in
society, politics, business and a point of view to world. It is important to maintain heritage sites
because there are only few original details remained in world that proves history of world, which
are continuously being destroyed by society for developing modern world. If there are some part
of history left in places it will helps in keeping touch with cultural and tradition of specific place,
it also provide a important information about history through many artefacts which provide a
image into past with a character. There are various advantages on places from heritages sites
such as. Social benefits- heritages sites are assets that has a ability to make a contribution to
place identity and liveability, as it provides a shape to social cultural that were passed down from
generation. Heritage sites also provides a social benefits through community involvement and
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gives a important aspects on area's identity and a special character to society. It also often
includes a local landmark that helps people to identify town or area with major significant
buildings, monuments and bridges. (Thiaw and Wait, 2018) Economic benefits- there are
various old structure that were built before World War II which are high quality materials, if
replacing such buildings with same hardwood is impractical and unaffordable which led to
importance of keeping old heritage safe. Heritage is one of the reason of rapid increase in
expansion of tourism segments which cause numbers of visitors globally and has a major reason
of attraction in cities/ region. Cultural benefits- it has a possibility on promoting access for
enjoyment for cultural diversity, it also depicts a social capital and helps creating a sense of
individual belongings of collection that helps in maintaining territorial & social cohesion.
Heritage sites have a prospective of understanding a cultural aspect of that place which help
identifying specific cultural and traditions of city/region.
Heritage sites have a conservation perspective on tourism that helps place to raise
monetary resource in protecting natural areas, helps enhancing local tourist awareness of
biodiversity with conservation issues also discourage local people from unsustainable livelihood.
It also helps creating jobs, helps protecting natural resources, provides new business
opportunities and helps in improving the quality of life for residents. (Coningham and et. al.,
2018) World heritage sites has major significance on increased tourism which cause benefits on
place but there are various adverse impact due to tourism that cause affect heritage conservation,
it also has prominent negative impacts from tourism on environmental degradation, exploitation
of cultural resources and considerable socio-cultural related impacts. Tourists visit in heritage
sites and disturb the ambience and place with their throwing wastages in such places which cause
affect on sites. Heritage sites are at risk from tourism that includes a lack of adequate and
communication to significance of place on both visitors and local community members has lack
of understanding and appreciation of culture of heritage places within wider community.
Tourism can held a economy characteristics on heritage that harness from conservation by
educating community, creating funding through influencing policy, it is a essential part of
regional and national economy that is quite important factor through manage successfully in
development. Heritage tourism has a quantitative and economic importance generated with
management and scientific political attention, resources providers are causing cost, multi-used in
danger to damage and depletion. Tourist are causing major impact on heritage sites as it reflect
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on causing carbon release on monuments with every visit in such place people are damaging
them. (Jenkins, 2018) Which cause huge repair and replacing of such objects which are difficult
which led to decreased in value of heritage sites which cost huge impact on national world
heritage status. Necessary steps taken for minimizing negative outcomes of tourism in these sites
are such as, government should create policies related to tourism industry for protection of
heritage sites from such damages. There should a boundary protection across sites so tourist will
not cross borders that will effect objects inside such sites. Government should spread awareness
about preservation and protection of world heritage sites, so individual will also take initiative in
protection of sites. There should be a awareness campaign to educate community about heritage
sites, strict government action plans to save monuments and setting up archaeological
departments to preserve heritage sites.
CONCLUSION
From the above essay it concluded saving , preserving and protecting world heritage sites
is important for modern society to understand and identify their cultural, traditions and
development of city. Heritage sites provide a point of view into past and helps in understanding
its history and get knowledge about ancestors which will be benefits for future generation. There
are various benefits from heritage sites on social, economical and cultural, so society needs to
maintain heritage sites protected. Modern society can spread awareness and take initiative to
protect such sites for gaining their own benefits to future generation.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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.
Canale, R.R. and et. al., 2019. UNESCO World Heritage sites and tourism attractiveness: The
case of Italian provinces. Land use policy, 85, pp.114-120.
Kim, H. and et. al., 2018. Assessing the economic values of World Heritage Sites and the effects
of perceived authenticity on their values. International Journal of Tourism
Research, 20(1), pp.126-136.
Westaway, M., 2022. Archaeology of ancient Australia and the importance of the dark emu
debate. Teaching History, 56(1), pp.9-13.
Thiaw, I. and Wait, G., 2018. Presenting archaeology and heritage at a UNESCO World
Heritage site: Goree Island, Senegal. Advances in Archaeological Practice, 6(3), pp.238-
247.
Coningham, R. and et. al., 2018. Look down, not up: protecting the post-disaster subsurface
heritage of the Kathmandu Valley’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Evolving
Narratives of Hazard and Risk (pp. 159-181). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Jenkins, V., 2018. Protecting the natural and cultural heritage of local landscapes: Finding
substance in law and legal decision making. Land use policy, 73, pp.73-83.
Hugo, N.C., 2020. Overtourism at heritage and cultural sites. In Overtourism (pp. 169-185).
Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
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