WHNEWS 13.2 (17 April 1997) Contents News: * World Heritage site of Butrinti, Albania, reported looted * Great Barrier Reef legal case proceeds through Australian Courts * Nordic Council of Ministers Announces World Heritage Seminar in Iceland * Canadian Rocky Mountains World Heritage site Bow Valley Report available - ** World Heritage site of Butrinti, Albania, reported looted Agence France Press, in a story dated 28 March 1997, reported that the World Heritage site of Butrinti, in the extreme south of Albania, had suffered damage from looting as a result of the civil unrest in the country. The story was based on an interview with the Director of the Albanian Archaeology Centre, Mr. Namik Rodinaku. According to Mr. Rodinaku, the looting began on 10 March with a raid on the site's museum, located in a restored Venetian castle on the acropolis at Butrinti. Glass cases containing coins, statuettes, and pottery were broken into, and a famous antique theatre mosaic depicting a woman among flowers and animals was also damaged. Unexploded ordinance is also believed to be still in the park, and will need to be removed before visitors are permitted to return. Representatives of UNESCO and ICOMOS met with the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO from Albania on 16 April 1997 for an update of conditions at the site, and to plan a rapid assessment mission to Butrinti. The mission will provide a first-hand report of conditions and assess the need for possible emergency support from the World Heritage Fund. - ** Nordic Council of Ministers Announces World Heritage Seminar in Iceland From: Director, Nordic World Heritage Office Date: 15 April 1997 Based on the mandate from the Nordic Council of Ministers to the Working Group for Nature and Outdoor Recreation, Norway took the initiative for an interdisciplinary Nordic project to consider new Nordic areas for nomination to the World Heritage List. Each country has been represented in the project by two representatives, one from their cultural heritage and one from their natural heritage authorities respectively. The project report was presented by the Council of Ministers to arrange a Nordic follow-up seminar in close cooperation with the State Party of Iceland. Iceland ratified the Convention in 1996 and accepted with enthusiasm to host the seminar, which will be held from 11 to 13 August 1997. The Nordic State Parties are of course free to choose in what ways they would like to follow up the suggestions from the project group. The target group for the seminar consists of the State Parties' authorities responsible for the World Heritage Convention. It will be important for the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and IUCN to pass on information on experiences from nomination processes and management and monitoring of World Heritage sites in general. It is also important for the Nordic countries to discuss how their possible nominations will fit within UNESCO's Global Strategy and to share experiences in managing the Nordic sites on the World Heritage List. An assessment of further Nordic follow-up of the suggestions and cooperation concerning the World Heritage Convention will be an important part of the seminar. A seminar report will be available for all State Parties and other interested countries or organizations. - Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 11:49:56 +1000 From: David John Haigh ** Great Barrier Reef legal case proceeds through Australian Courts In Australia the court case about the controversial Port Hinchinbrook tourist resort and marina complex at Oyster Point on the Hinchinbrook Channel in Far North Queensland is continuing to progress through the Federal Court of Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia and the developer, Cardwell Properties applied to the Court for an order that Friends of Hinchinbrook Incorporated, an NGO, lodge a bond for their costs of the appeal to the Full Federal Court of Australia. On Monday, 14th April 1997, Mr Justice Davies rejected the Application. Judge Davies found that the case was of substantial public interest. The judgment is an important precedent in Australian case law to protect the environment. An NGO being required to lodge a large monetary bond for cost could severely limit the use of the Australian courts to ensure protection of World Heritage and the en vironment. The full appeal will be heard in Sydney before the Full Federal Court of Australia on the 27th and 28th May 1997.' - ** Canadian Rocky Mountains World Heritage site Bow Valley Report available Banff National Park, part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains World Heritage site, has been the subject of a recent planning study, examining threats to the ecological integrity and natural beauty of the park from the rapid growth in tourism and infrastructur e construction. Bow Valley, in the heart of Banff National Park, has been particularly at risk. In March 1994, the Minister of Canadian Heritage launched the "Banff-Bow Valley Study" to assess the "cumulative environmental effects of development and use in the entire Bow River watershed within the Park." In a move described as "unprecedented in the history of national parks," the Bow Valley Task Force established a Round Table, to bring public participation into the decision making process for the Valley. The World Heritage Committee at its last session requested that the report be distributed widely. The report of the Task Force has now been published to the Web in PDF format at the following location: www.worldweb.com/parkscanada-banff/whatsnew.html - For the latest information, consult the UNESCO World Heritage Centre WWW pages at http://www.unesco.org/whc/welcome.htm. Mail submissions to WHNEWS to whnews@unesco.org or to the Editor, wheditor@unesco.org. The next electronic issue of this Newsletter will appear in one week, or later depending on the volume of news submitted. The printed Newsletter is available at: http://www.unesco.org/whc/news/index-en.htm. | |
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