Connecting Practice Phase II: Report Available
ICOMOS and IUCN are delighted to announce that the final report for the Connecting Practice project: Phase II has been completed and is now available online. The Connecting Practice project explores new methods and practical strategies for the recognition and support of the interconnectedness of natural and cultural heritage at World Heritage sites.
Phase I (2013-2015) applied a local-global learning approach engaging with three World Heritage properties in Mongolia, Ethiopia, and Mexico (please see the final report for Phase I here: https://www.iucn.org/downloads/connecting_practice_report_iucn_icomos_.pdf). Phase II translated the lessons learnt from the first phase into practical interventions, and explored how to achieve a better understanding of the interconnected character of the natural, cultural and social values of the properties. Two individual field visit reports are presented for Phase II: the Cultural Landscape of Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta (Hungary) and the mixed site of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park (South Africa/Lesotho), with additional reports from Switzerland and Finland on the use of the Enhancing Our Heritage (EoH) Toolkit, a natural heritage management effectiveness methodology which was adapted to various uses at cultural heritage sites during the project. This completed final report presents the results achieved, lessons learned and challenges encountered in the implementation of Phase II of the project. Connecting Practice has now reached a stage where successfully tested interventions need to be incorporated into policies, guidelines, institutional practices and other programmes.
The project was supported by funding from The Christensen Fund, with contributions from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), as well as various indirect contributions from case study hosts. We would like to thank all those who participated in the field visits, workshops and meetings associated with this phase, and who worked diligently to ensure this project was a success.
