Heritage values and attributes

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.   includes all inherited assets which people value for reasons beyond mere utility and consider worth protecting for present and future generations. There is a range of reasons for which heritage places are valued which are often categorized as: aesthetic, architectural, biological, ecological, historic, scientific, geological, social, spiritual, and potentially many others. In this manual, those reasons are called heritage values. 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.   places may have been long valued by people and transmitted from one generation to another; other places may have come to be valued by people more recently or for new reasons. Examples of newly emerging reasons reflect the increasing recognition of heritage associated with space or those associated with recent technology developments.

The values of the heritage place should inform all major decisions on how to manage it, who should be responsible for managing it and what mechanisms should be used, so that what makes the place special lasts into the future. Having an in-depth understanding of why the place is important for whom and what needs to be conserved, informs decisions and appropriate actions on how best to protect and manage the heritage place. Once identified and defined, heritage values become the foundation for all management processes, including, for example, management planning, disaster risk preparedness, impact assessment and visitor management.

Different people value places for different reasons. Those reasons are determined by a range of social and cultural factors at a specific point in time. The reasons why a heritage place is valued by one section of society may not be shared by others. Present generations may value a heritage place that was not valued in the same ways in the past. Together, all the values of a heritage place, including the interactions between them, can be called its overall significance. When a place is considered to be of exceptional importance to all humanity, then it can be considered for inscription in the

It is worth noting here that for many people, nature and culture are inseparable, and that many throughout the world consider that nature has an intrinsic value in itself. It is also common for people of many different cultural backgrounds to ascribe an ‘existence value’ to both cultural and natural places. In many ways, the underlying ethic of the World Heritage Convention The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage is an international treaty adopted by the UN in 1972 that defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List for their Outstanding Universal Value for all humankind. Commonly known as the World Heritage Convention, it establishes how the international community as a whole is responsible for
the protection of such heritage and sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites that may be eligible for inscription onto the World Heritage List and their role in protecting and preserving them. By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve not only the sites situated on its territory that have been recognized as being of Outstanding Universal Value, but also to protect its national heritage and to be involved in international efforts to protect, conserve and promote the heritage of humankind. reflects this idea that places are of common importance to present and future generations, even if they are never visited, used or personally experienced.

In the past, judgments about values were primarily made by heritage professionals working with governmental institutions and guided by their specialist knowledge. These areas of expertise are still needed in heritage conservation and management, but the notion of heritage as something important to society and which is usually being held in trust on behalf of a larger group of people, demands that more voices be heard. Which values are recognized depends largely on who is involved in identifying or assessing them: an architect, a biologist, an elected official, an Indigenous person, a farmer or a shopkeeper might value the same heritage place for considerably different reasons. Participatory and inclusive values assessment processes are needed so that the many reasons why a heritage place is considered important to different people can be identified. Likewise, management approaches need to be culturally and place specific, inclusive of different world views and cosmologies, and respectful of different forms of knowledge.

Through the process of investigating and identifying different values, the importance of a place can be more clearly described. As different people may legitimately value the place in different ways, the place will often have a range of values, and they may not always be self-evident. Some values can be in conflict and it is important to address this where it arises, requiring heritage practitioners to work together with associated communities and knowledge-holders, to find common ground (governance).

Values In the context of heritage conservation, values are the qualities for which a heritage place is considered important to be protected for present and future generations. Values are determined by a range of social and cultural factors. What is valued by one section of society may not be valued by another, or may be valued for different reasons, or one generation may value it but it may not be valued by the next generation. Heritage places normally have a range of values: aesthetic, architectural, biological, ecological, historic, geological, social, spiritual, etc. These values are embodied in and conveyed by the attributes of the heritage place. assessments are usually made against defined sets of criteria established to determine a particular level of recognition. The inclusion of a heritage place on the World Heritage List is perhaps the most visible example of this. However, similar approaches are used for other types of international designations (such as Ramsar Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Geoparks, Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Sites, Intangible Cultural Heritage and Memory of the World), as well as national designations (such as national parks or listed buildings). Some places will have multiple designations (international, national or local), sometimes with different emphases. However, when it comes to management, it is important that the overall significance of the heritage place is recognized and that the focus of one designation does not detract from considering the place’s other values as well.

For 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.   , emphasis must be placed on OUV, the reason why the heritage place is considered to be so exceptional that it is of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity. To be included on the 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.   List, places must meet at least one of ten defined criteria, as well as the relevant conditions of integrity and authenticity and must have adequate protection and management mechanisms. All these elements are essential parts of the OUV (paragraph 49).

For a heritage place to be considered as having OUV it must meet one or more of the following ten criteria:
(i) represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
(ii) exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
(iii) bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
(iv) be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
(v) be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with
the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
(vi) be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);
(vii) contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
(viii) be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
(ix) be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals; and/or 
(x) contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of OUV from the point of view of science or conservation.

Authenticity 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 that are nominated under criteria (i) to (vi) (i.e. cultural heritage) must meet the conditions of authenticity. Depending on the type of cultural heritage and its cultural context, properties may be understood to meet the conditions of authenticity if their cultural values (as recognized in the nomination criteria proposed) are truthfully and credibly expressed through a variety of attributes including: form and design materials and substance use and function traditions, techniques and management systems location and setting language, and other forms of intangible heritage spirit and feeling other internal and external factors. applies to cultural heritage and refers to the degree to which knowledge and understanding of the property’s heritage values are understood and believed to be credible: whether their cultural values are truthfully and credibly expressed through attributes including form and design; materials and substance; use and function; traditions, techniques and management systems; location and setting; language and other forms of intangible heritage; spirit and feeling; and other internal and external factors.

Integrity All properties nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List shall satisfy the conditions of integrity. Integrity is a measure of the wholeness and intactness of the natural and/or cultural heritage and its attributes. Examining the conditions of integrity therefore requires assessing the extent to which the property:
a. includes all elements necessary to express its Outstanding Universal Value
b. is of adequate size to ensure the complete representation of the features and processes which convey the property’s significance
c. suffers from adverse effects of development and/or neglect is a measure of the wholeness and intactness of the natural and/or cultural heritage and its attributes: the extent to which the property includes all elements necessary to express its OUV; whether it is of adequate size to ensure the complete representation of the features and processes which convey the property’s significance; and whether it has been protected from adverse effects of development and/or neglect.

Protection and management relates to how a property’s OUV, including its integrity and/or authenticity, are sustained and enhanced over time.

For 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.   , the criteria under which a property is inscribed provides an indication as to the rationale for its listing but is not detailed or specific enough to identify values and then attributes that convey those values. This will be elaborated to an extent in the formal Statement of OUV for the inscribed property.

When the 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.   Committee inscribes a property on the 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.   List, it also adopts a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (SOUV) that outlines how a property satisfies the relevant criteria, the conditions of integrity (for all properties) and authenticity (in case of cultural properties), and how it meets the requirements for protection and management to protect and conserve the property in the long term. The SOUV is structured on an agreed format which includes the following sections: a brief synthesis, the justification of the criteria according to which the property has been inscribed on the 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.   List, the statements of integrity and authenticity, and the protection and management requirements.

Attributes Attributes are the elements of a heritage place which convey its heritage/conservation values and enable an understanding of those values. They can be physical qualities, material fabric and other tangible features, but can also be intangible aspects such as processes, social arrangements or cultural practices, as well as associations and relationships which are reflected in physical elements of the property.
For cultural heritage places, they can be buildings or other built structures and their forms, materials, design, uses and functions but also urban layouts, agricultural processes, religious ceremonies, building techniques, visual relationships and spiritual connections.
For natural properties, they can be specific landscape features, areas of habitat, flagship species, aspects relating to environmental quality (such as intactness, high/pristine environmental quality), scale and naturalness of habitats, and size and viability of wildlife populations.
Attributes, and the interactions between them, should be the focus of protection, conservation and management actions.

The term ‘attributes’ is particularly used for 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 and a clear understanding of the attributes that convey their Outstanding Universal value is critical for their long-term protection. The spatial distribution of those attributes and respective protection requirements should inform the boundary of the property and other management responses. are the elements of a heritage place that convey its OUV and other heritage values. They can include physical structures, material fabric and other tangible features, but can also be intangible aspects such as processes, social arrangements, cultural practices, as well as associations and relationships which are reflected in physical elements of the property.

For cultural properties, attributes can be buildings or other built structures and their forms, materials, design, uses and functions but also urban layouts, agricultural processes, religious ceremonies, building techniques, visual relationships and spiritual connections. For natural properties, attributes can be specific landscape features, areas of habitat, geological features and processes, aspects relating to environmental quality (such as intactness, high/pristine environmental quality), scale and naturalness of habitats, and size and viability of wildlife populations including flagship species.

Distinguishing between heritage values and attributes is not always easy because the two concepts are interrelated. One simple way to distinguish between them is to ask:

• ‘Why is the heritage place important?’ – the answer will be a sentence about a heritage value;
• ‘What needs to be conserved so that the heritage place maintains its heritage values?’ – the answer will be a list of attributes.

Attributes Attributes are the elements of a heritage place which convey its heritage/conservation values and enable an understanding of those values. They can be physical qualities, material fabric and other tangible features, but can also be intangible aspects such as processes, social arrangements or cultural practices, as well as associations and relationships which are reflected in physical elements of the property.
For cultural heritage places, they can be buildings or other built structures and their forms, materials, design, uses and functions but also urban layouts, agricultural processes, religious ceremonies, building techniques, visual relationships and spiritual connections.
For natural properties, they can be specific landscape features, areas of habitat, flagship species, aspects relating to environmental quality (such as intactness, high/pristine environmental quality), scale and naturalness of habitats, and size and viability of wildlife populations.
Attributes, and the interactions between them, should be the focus of protection, conservation and management actions.

The term ‘attributes’ is particularly used for 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 and a clear understanding of the attributes that convey their Outstanding Universal value is critical for their long-term protection. The spatial distribution of those attributes and respective protection requirements should inform the boundary of the property and other management responses. are what need to be conserved within the heritage place for people to continue considering the place important, worth protecting and transmitting to their descendants. A careful identification of attributes is vital to ensure that the multiple values of the heritage place are maintained. For example, a temple located at the peak of a mountain conveys the spiritual values of the mountain to the local community and expresses particular architectural and building traditions. Those spiritual values may also be embodied in natural features of the mountain, as well as in the access routes to the temple and in the ceremonies and rituals that people hold within and around the temple. Similarly, a natural site may be considered important because of its scientific value in understanding part of Earth’s history. This value may be conveyed by landforms, sediments and rock sequences as well as by fossil records.

Attributes Attributes are the elements of a heritage place which convey its heritage/conservation values and enable an understanding of those values. They can be physical qualities, material fabric and other tangible features, but can also be intangible aspects such as processes, social arrangements or cultural practices, as well as associations and relationships which are reflected in physical elements of the property.
For cultural heritage places, they can be buildings or other built structures and their forms, materials, design, uses and functions but also urban layouts, agricultural processes, religious ceremonies, building techniques, visual relationships and spiritual connections.
For natural properties, they can be specific landscape features, areas of habitat, flagship species, aspects relating to environmental quality (such as intactness, high/pristine environmental quality), scale and naturalness of habitats, and size and viability of wildlife populations.
Attributes, and the interactions between them, should be the focus of protection, conservation and management actions.

The term ‘attributes’ is particularly used for 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 and a clear understanding of the attributes that convey their Outstanding Universal value is critical for their long-term protection. The spatial distribution of those attributes and respective protection requirements should inform the boundary of the property and other management responses. , and the interactions between them, should be the focus of protection, conservation and management actions. While a clear identification of all the attributes that convey the 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’ OUV is needed, in some circumstances it may help to focus on certain of them to facilitate management. For example, in natural heritage cases it may be helpful to focus on individual species, for instance if the focus is on tiger conservation. In other cases, the better approach may be to look at a group of attributes in a common way; for example, the richness and health of freshwater fish populations in a lake system will likely need overall management of water quality. A conservation project for a historic building might need to identify attributes at the level of specific architectural
features, design and engineering details, whereas in a historic city, the overall urban layout and the relationship between the buildings as an architectural complex would be the attributes.

Having an in-depth understanding of why the place is important and what needs to be conserved is necessary to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions on how best to protect and manage the heritage place. For this reason, identifying heritage values and attributes is a critical first step for the effective management of heritage places.
As noted in the section above, there is a need to identify the full range of heritage values, that is, why the heritage place is important and to whom. It should be recognized that sometimes there may be a conflict between heritage values. For instance, a forest which is important for its biodiversity may need to be left as undisturbed by humans as possible to protect endangered species; however, the cultural values of the forest may mean that an associated community need access to sacred sites within the area. It is important to be aware of such issues so that they can be discussed by managers and rights-holders, to avoid tensions and find mutually acceptable solutions. Adopting a pluralistic approach to assessing heritage values provides the best chance to ensure management actions are informed and appropriate to the range of values ascribed to the place. In this example, negotiated arrangements could be reached by providing access only to members of the associated community and identifying together any critical areas which could be left with limited or no human contact to protect the endangered species.

It is also important to recognize that many attributes will be connected and cannot be managed in isolation. Indeed, some values can be conveyed by the relationships and dynamics between different attributes. For example, the geological process of a spectacular waterfall will be a product of various attributes: the geomorphology, water quantity and quality, vegetation communities and meteorological dynamics at play. All the attributes and their connections need conserving in a way that maintains their relationships and important processes. A place-based approach aims to identify all the attributes of the heritage place, together with the relationships and connections that define them, so that they are all functionally conserved. The spatial distribution of those attributes and their respective conservation requirements should inform the boundary of the property and its buffer zone (see 3.5).

Finally, there is a need to understand the interdependencies between nature and culture which are evident at many heritage places. Natural and cultural values are often treated separately in heritage management systems. However, for many people, particularly Indigenous Peoples, this separation does not exist. By recognizing these connections, it is possible to identify all the relevant attributes and recognize that a cultural value may be conveyed by one or more natural attributes and vice-versa. For example, some areas of high biodiversity are dependent on traditional farming practices to maintain their particular ecological systems. In other cases, architectural styles and building materials are dependent on the particular natural and geological resources of the heritage place. In such cases, both natural and cultural attributes will need to be managed together in order to adequately protect and conserve the OUV and other heritage values.

Effective heritage management is based on the identification and full understanding of the overall range of heritage values of a place and the attributes that convey those values. This requires research and may include looking at publications, documentation and inventories. However, effective cooperation
with associated communities and knowledge-holders is also important, so it is key to find appropriate ways to involve, consult and collaborate with various actors, from associated community members (especially Indigenous Peoples) to heritage specialists. In the case of heritage places including lands or territories of Indigenous Peoples, any research and cooperation to identify values should be carried out in accordance with their right to free, prior and informed consent. In a World Heritage context this should start when a place is being considered for inclusion on the Tentative List.

Once the heritage values have been assessed, the attributes which convey and enable an understanding of those values can be identified. (EOH 2.0 Tool 1) In many cases, field surveys and detailed observations of the heritage place will be needed to draw up a list of relevant attributes (tangible and intangible, natural and cultural). Establishing mechanisms for ongoing documentation and monitoring are essential, to inform decision-making and assess the state of conservation over time.

An existing 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. should have an SOUV that describes its OUV; many other heritage places have a statement of significance which serves a similar purpose. This is a useful starting point, although these documents are by their nature summarized and can be quite general. It will almost always be necessary to go more deeply into values and attributes to create useful lists and maps to effectively aid the management of the heritage place.

There are various approaches and tools to support an analysis of values and attributes at differing levels of heritage significance. Tool 1 of the EOH 2.0 and in particular Worksheet 1a (on p.30 of EOH 2.0 Toolkit), provides a template for listing values and their attributes, to assess whether there is a good understanding of them. A similar template is included in the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact The effects or consequences of a factor on the attributes of the heritage place, both in terms of the attributes’ state of conservation and their ability to convey the heritage/ conservation values. An impact is the difference between a future environmental condition with the implementation of a development project, and the future condition without it. Note that for there to be an impact, there must a source of impact (e.g. noise from an industrial site), a receptor or attribute of the 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. that is affected (e.g. residents living nearby) and a pathway or route by which the harmful action or material is able to reach the receptor (e.g. the air). Impacts can be positive or negative, as well as direct or indirect, current or potential and originating within the heritage place, any existing buffer zone(s) and even beyond it.

See also: Direct impact, Indirect impacts Indirect impacts are impacts on the environment which are not a direct result of the project, often produced away from or as a result of a complex pathway. Sometimes referred to as ‘second’ or ‘third-level’ impacts, or ‘secondary’ impacts.

See also: Impact, Direct impacts, Cumulative impacts , Cumulative impacts Assessment in a World Heritage Context, which includes an example of a fictitious 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. showing how the SOUV can be analysed for values and attributes (on p. 68 of IA guidance). The importance of getting this step right cannot be over emphasized as it drives all management processes and activities that follow, and the evaluation of results relates back to the values and their attributes which are the focus of protection.