2.4

How to use the Toolkit?

As all heritage places are different, you will need to adjust and adapt the use of the Toolkit to your own situation. The scale and detail of each assessment will vary depending on its purpose and the willingness of various people to undertake the assessment, as well as the time they are willing to commit to it, and the information, resources and capacity available. Overall, the assessment should be relatively straightforward and inexpensive to implement.

If management effectiveness is new to you, it is advisable to follow the Toolkit from the beginning and aim to use all twelve tools. This will allow you to run a complete ‘diagnosis’ to determine the main strengths and challenges of existing management arrangements. However, if certain arrangements are not yet in place, you will not be able to use all of the worksheets that accompany the tools. For example, if there is no management plan or other main planning document to guide management at your heritage place, then Worksheet 6b – designed to assess how adequate that plan is – cannot be completed. That said, you can still use parts of the guidance associated with that worksheet to discuss why there is no such plan, whether one is necessary, and identify follow-up actions necessary for developing a plan.

If using all the tools seems to be too complex, you can initially select a few tools to apply to critical issues that you know already require attention. While from an evaluation perspective such an assessment will inevitably be incomplete, it can still provide useful information, which you can build upon and improve in the future by using the remaining tools.

You can also use the tools selectively to complement existing monitoring and evaluation methods and avoid repeating prior work. In such cases, you can replace the suggested worksheets with what you already use, or you can create something ‘hybrid’, by incorporating aspects of the worksheets into what you already use. Remember that the worksheets are generic and can be adapted to your specific context. For instance, new sections can be added, and sections that do not apply can be omitted, as long as this does not undermine the purpose of the tool.

Certain types of heritage places may require a more flexible use of the Toolkit. This is particularly the case for serial World Heritage All inherited assets which people value for reasons beyond mere utility. Heritage is a broad concept and includes shared legacies from the natural environment, the creations of humans and the creations and interactions between humans and nature. It encompasses built, terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments, landscapes and seascapes, biodiversity, geodiversity, collections, cultural practices, knowledge, living experiences, etc.   properties. Here, you will need to decide how best to adapt the use of the tools to your needs, the complexities of the property and the management system in place. Box 2.1 outlines how you can determine which approach is best for your situation.

Box 2.1 How to use the EoH 2.0 Toolkit?

Determine which approach is best for your situation and heritage place:

  • Management effectiveness assessments are new to you and you want to do a full diagnosis. The Toolkit will help you understand the purpose of each tool and take you through a systematic process to assess critical elements of the management system for the heritage place you are working with. Even if you are not ready to use all the worksheets that accompany the tools (e.g. because certain management arrangements are not in place), that is not a problem. The Facilitator’s Manual includes advice on how you can adapt the worksheets to your circumstances and focus on the important questions underpinning each tool.
  • You are not ready yet to use all the tools but want to start addressing some critical issues that you know require attention. Perhaps you are concerned that people will find the process too complex and time-consuming and will not want to get involved. Perhaps you feel that they will get discouraged if they recognize that certain management arrangements are not yet in place. In this case, you may prefer to start by undertaking a partial assessment to understand and address critical issues that have previously been identified. Or you might want to use as many tools as possible, based on what your management arrangements allow at a particular point in time. You can always build upon the results of your first efforts by using the other tools at a later date, or by digging deeper into the tools that you have already applied. We suggest that you start by studying the specific objectives of each tool and its accompanying worksheet(s), then discuss what combination of tools and worksheets you want to use and, finally, use these to develop a plan for the assessment. Note that Tools 1 and 2 should always be completed, as they provide the foundations for the use of the other tools.
  • You want to use the tools selectively to complement existing assessment efforts addressing the same topics. Maybe you have already identified other methods to explore the critical management issues embedded in some of the EOH 2.0 tools and you don’t want to repeat previous efforts – this is often the case for worksheets that help you compile existing information and data. In such cases, you can replace the worksheets by the alternative methods or adapt the worksheets to limit data gathering and analysis to elements not already fully covered. Just make sure that you still draw the necessary conclusions, identify gaps and challenges, and agree on necessary follow-up actions. We suggest that you check the list of questions to help you with the final steps of completing each worksheet.
  • You have already used other management effectiveness methodologies, but want to undertake a more in-depth assessment that is specific to the needs of a World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
    When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.         .     T    EoH 2.0 allows you to undertake an assessment that focuses on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and is more in-depth and detailed than other management effectiveness methodologies. This might require extra effort, especially when you are using the Toolkit for the first time. This is why it is suggested that you use the Toolkit only at certain points in your management cycle. To facilitate the transition from one methodology to another, EoH 2.0 includes a number of revisions to make sure it comprises all the critical aspects of those other methodologies. Although EoH 2.0 is designed to fit the particular needs of World Heritage properties, this does not prevent you from applying the Toolkit to other heritage places, since values are always used as the foundation for the assessment.
  • You want to use the Toolkit for a serial property or one with complex governance and management arrangements. Certain types of heritage places require more complex management systems, involving multiple actors and sometimes across different countries (e.g. World Heritage transboundary and transnational properties). Adapting the use of the Toolkit to these situations can be challenging, but it is possible. Remember, this is a Toolkit that is designed to be adapted to your particular context. This means you can adapt the worksheets to analyse certain elements from multiple perspectives but also reapply them to examine the particular management mechanisms of the component parts of serial properties. For instance, the legal framework can change from one component to another if they are located in different countries, or within different administrative regions. In such circumstances, you can complete the same worksheet for each component and then analyse them collectively. Remember that regardless of the number of component parts, serial properties are included on the World Heritage List in their entirety – that is, they count as a single property. Therefore, the management effectiveness assessment should provide insights for the property as a whole, as well as for each component part.
  • You work or are involved with a heritage place that is not included on the World Heritage List. You can use the EoH 2.0 Toolkit for any heritage place and you are encouraged to do so. You may be thinking of nominating a place for inscription on the World Heritage List, for which you want to build a complete picture of the effectiveness of existing management mechanisms and how they might be improved. Or you may want to improve the management at a heritage place, regardless of any designation that it has. All heritage places are important and, therefore, should be effectively managed to ensure that they are protected for future generations. The tools address management elements that apply to all heritage places, whether World Heritage listed or not. EoH 2.0 includes a few steps in some of the tools that are specific to World Heritage properties; for non-World Heritage properties, you can skip those steps and, as always, adapt the tools and worksheets to your needs.
  • Your heritage place has a traditional management system. Although it is best suited to use by formal public administration systems, EoH 2.0 includes considerations and questions related to traditional management practices and governance arrangements. You will see that there are numerous references to the need to respect the rights, responsibilities, knowledge and experiences of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and their connections with the heritage place. This is a Toolkit you can adapt to your needs by retaining what you find helpful and adding extra elements where necessary. You might even develop your own versions of the worksheets, just as long as you respect the specific objectives of each of the tools. You can also choose to focus on the set of reflection questions included at the end of each worksheet – developed to help you analyse critical issues, draw conclusions and identify what actions are needed.

All heritage places are distinctive and special and so should be the way in which you use this Toolkit. Make it your own!

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