Cultural Sites in Danger-The Debate over Germany’s Dresden Elbe Valley
Jun5
UPDATE 8:40 AM Mountain Standard Time: The Committee just voted 14-5 with 2 votes abstaining to remove the Dresden Elbe Valley from the World Heritage List, making the Elbe the first ever cultural property to be delisted. It was apparent that no member of the committee took joy in the decision as the Madam Chair stated after the vote that each member of the committee shares the pain with the state party of Germany and that the decision is a collective failure by all parties to the Convention.
The meeting is running about a day behind schedule. The committee Chair from Spain is taking the time to ensure that each issue has proper consideration. Currently, the committee is discussing cultural World Heritage sites that are on the “In Danger” list.
The cultural site “In Danger” under discussion right now is the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany. Debate is rigorous and fascinating because World Heritage Center staff have provided the Committee the unprecedented recommendation to remove the valley from the World Heritage list.
The threat to the property is the ongoing construction of a new bridge that has been deemed to irreversibly harm the outstanding universal value of this cultural site, which is the amazing river landscape qualities that have been well preserved for centuries. The New York Times published an opinion piece from the Friends of Dresden on the issue last month. From that contribution:
This will be the first time that Unesco will be deleting a site from its list of several hundred World Cultural Heritage sites. The loss will severely tarnish Dresden’s status as a cultural icon. It will also greatly diminish the impact of Dresden’s message for reconciliation.
The bridge will be completed in a few months years. The Germany delegation just spoke along with the Mayor of Dresden. They both oppose the delisting of the site and have asked for an additional year of consultation before a decision is made. A delegate just weighed in saying that a failure to delist the site will set the precedent that countries are free to ignore the concerns and recommendations of the World Heritage Committee.
Public Concern over the Future of Waterton-Glacier is Real
Jun0
Why is the World Heritage Committee even discussing Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park this week in Seville, Spain? Well, the simple answer is because over half a million Canadians and Americans asked them to. The twelve conservation organizations that petitioned the World Heritage Committee represent over 500,000 citizens in both countries. That’s a lot of people.
People who care about national parks, wildlife, and ensuring that the next generation of humanity will have the privilege—and responsibility that comes with it—of experiencing the outstanding universal values of the world’s first international peace park, Waterton-Glacier.
This month over 51,016 people took action and sent emails to officials in both Canada and the United States who have the power to protect Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park from mining. (See letter from 50,000 North Americans). Once again, that’s a lot of people who believe that one of wildest and most pristine places in North America is an inappropriate place for strip-mining and coal-bed methane.
It is clear that the North American public wants protection for the Canadian Flathead. The support is local, as well. Over 70 percent of local British Columbians want protection for Canadian Flathead Valley, as well.
To the 50,016 people from across North America who have asked for the World Heritage Committee to help Canada and the United States reach a long-term solution for the Flathead Valley: Thank You. Your voice and support is why we are here.
African World Heritage sites in Danger
Jun1
The Committee is reviewing the State of Conservation for the 30 World Heritage sites that are currently on the list of sites in Danger. The mood in the room is somber. These sites are at risk from a host of threats; including, armed conflict, poaching, and illegal mining and deforestation.
In the Democratic Rep. of Congo every World Heritage site is on the In Danger list. Committee staff just noted during the discussion on Kahuzi-Biega National Park the poaching of primates (Gorillas and Chimpanzees) continues to this day.
From Wikipedia:
The Second Congo War, beginning in 1998, devastated the country and involved seven foreign armies and is sometimes referred to as the “African World War”.[3] Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, fighting continues in the east of the country. In eastern Congo, the prevalence and intensity of rape and other sexual violence is described as the worst in the world.[4] The war is the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II, killing 5.4 million people.[5][6]
Climate change and coal mining pose a real threat to Waterton-Glacier, but in many ways these threats pale in comparision to the challenges that exist across the world.
Some overall thoughts
Jun0
Much of what we have blogged about to date has been very specific to Waterton-Glacier, but I think it is important to take a step back and think for a moment on the broader context of World Heritage, which is so much more real to me now that I am attending a meeting.
Above all, the very concept of World Heritage is that there are universal values, both cultural and environmental that are shared by all people. This paradigm is both powerful and important.
As an institution, the United Nations was born out of the ashes of the Second World War, when humanity realized that we had the technological prowess to wage war in ever more destructive ways. The was the beacon call for a global forum to provide for security and the exchange of ideas.
The World Heritage Convention is just one of many Conventions within the United Nations, but it is an important one because it is the embodiment of inclusiveness, bringing together people from all over the world to discuss humanity’s most special places and ensure their protection.
It is a vison that we can all be proud of.
Will Hammerquist
Chairman James Steele Jr. Video Address to the State Parties of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee
Jun0
Draft Resolution
Jun1
We have seen the draft resolution for the Waterton-Glacier site. The document contains some positive items-and it also includes some items that could improve the document.
There are some strong recommendations that are intended to prevent the site from ending up on the “In Danger” list, which is the most important aspect of this effort. See below:
Something that is not noted in this report is indigenous concerns. Check out this video to hear them.
The Canadian and American delegations have been working on a new version of these recommendations, and the report will be open for discussion during the meetings in the next few days. Lets hope that something is added to recognize the concerns of the first nations of the area. Stay tuned for updates.
Opening Ceremonies
Jun0
The 33rd World Heritage Committee meetings opened in style last night in Sevilla Spain.
Afterwards a grand dinner was served in the courtyard of the FIBES conference centre. Check out the pictures below.
I sat with representatives from Germany, Italy and Greece. Will shared a table with the delegations from Spain, Madagascar and Brazil.
It was great to talk to different nationalities about the concerns we have for the Waterton-Glacier site. Most everyone was surprised to learn that Canada is considering mines in the headwaters of a World heritage site.
Opening Ceremonies
Jun0
Arrival in Sevilla
Jun0
We finally have arrived in Sevilla and just checked into our hotel.
The high speed train ride from Madrid went smooth this morning, very smooth!
Our hotel is nice and quiet and is only a block from the conference centre where we will be meeting for the next 10 days.
The location of the conference centre is in a bit of an odd location on the eastern outskirts of the city. I cant wait to get down to the town core to check out this historic city.
Coalition petitioning for Glacier Park protections
Jun0
By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian
WEST GLACIER – Glacier National Park and its neighbor to the north are endangered by mining proposals, and the international community must intervene to protect the region’s natural and cultural heritage.
That’s the message being delivered this week by tribal leaders, community organizers, business interests and conservationists, whose concerns will be aired at the 33rd annual meeting of the United Nations World Heritage Committee.
“Our petition,” said Will Hammerquist, “asks the World Heritage Committee to hear the concerns of local communities and indigenous peoples by recognizing the threat these projects pose to a globally significant ecosystem.”
Hammerquist works for the National Parks Conservation Association, which joined a dozen other groups in petitioning for the endangered status.
Glacier, along with adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, was named a World Heritage Site in 1995, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. At the time, UNESCO recognized the region for its “outstanding universal value.”
As two of the 157 signatories to the World Heritage treaty, Hammerquist said, both the United States and Canada accepted certain conservation obligations. But Canada has failed to meet those, he said, by moving ahead with controversial coal and coalbed methane energy development plans in southeastern British Columbia, on the borders of the parks.
Last year, NPCA joined a bi-national coalition representing a half-million Americans and Canadians, asking for a UNESCO review. Currently, only 30 World Heritage sites around the globe are listed as endangered. None is in North America.
In the past, however, endangered listings have helped to deter development on the edges of both Everglades and Yellowstone national parks.
The coalition, Hammerquist said, was somewhat surprised that UNESCO agreed to hear the petition, and he was even more surprised when he was selected to present it this week in Spain. Joining him will be Ryland Nelson, of the Canadian group Wildsight.
“We’re honored that the World Heritage Committee has placed our concerns on the meeting agenda,” Nelson said. “Our petition puts forth a conclusive case that strip mines and coalbed mining in the headwaters of the Flathead River will harm the Waterton-Glacier Peace Park – a World Heritage site that Canadians are proud to share with the U.S.”
The men – who have long advocated for protections based on environmental grounds – also will carry an address from James Steele Jr., chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
Steele, in his video presentation, stresses cultural reasons for protection, saying “the area is a traditional area for us, as tribes.”
In addition to providing fishing and hunting grounds, he said, the region remains “a very important area for cultural and religious reasons.”
Steele’s reservation encompasses the southern half of Flathead Lake, where Canadian waters settle after flowing south into Montana, along Glacier Park’s western edge.
Millions, Steele said, have been spent protecting water quality there, and the proposed mining puts that effort at risk.
“This,” he said, “is our homeland. … We don’t have another homeland. This is it.”
Hammerquist isn’t expecting the World Heritage Committee to actually list Glacier-Waterton as endangered (only 30 of 880 worldwide are), but he hopes the international community will put political pressure on Canada to protect the region. A site visit from UNESCO would be welcomed, he said, as would some “positive guidance and recommendations.”
“The World Heritage Committee cannot stop British Columbia from mining in the Flathead,” Hammerquist said, but it can influence outcomes.
“This is an opportunity to present the concerns of local communities, first nations, and people who care about Waterton-Glacier and the Flathead River, to the global community.
The timing is good, he said, as the world watches for Glacier Park’s 100th birthday and the arrival of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, both in 2010.
The Waterton-Glacier complex is the world’s first international peace park, and is listed as a U.N. Biosphere Reserve. But for nearly three decades, Canadian wildlands west of Waterton have also been eyed for energy development, creating an ongoing international debate.
Most recently, Nelson said, a proposal has emerged from Cline Mining Corp., to remove an entire mountaintop, digging out 40 million tons of coal and depositing waste rock into Foisey Creek, a headwaters stream of the Flathead River.
Others are exploring for phosphate, gold and coalbed methane.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., often has been at the center of the discussion, and two years ago he requested a similar “endangered” listing.
“Senator Baucus and his staff have done great work,” Hammerquist said, “working with the State Department and Interior, moving this ball forward. We’ve had tremendous political support on this issue.”
Hammerquist and Nelson have established a new Web site, savewatertonglacier.com, and will be blogging from Spain throughout the weeklong meeting, in addition to posting pictures and video from the conference. It is, Nelson said, critical to generate international awareness, as the landscape has such international significance.
It is home to several endangered species, he said, and was recognized by National Geographic magazine as “one of the most diverse and ecologically intact natural ecosystems in the temperate zones of the world.” Canadian Geographic described it as “a nursery, incubating wildlife that disperses and repopulates neighboring habitats.”
It is home, Nelson said, to the highest density of grizzly bears in the interior of North America.
“The current land use plan for the Canadian portion of the Flathead Valley prioritizes mining and energy extraction over all other uses,” he said. “Until British Columbia changes the land-use plan for the Canadian Flathead Valley, the Waterton-Glacier World Heritage site will be in danger.”
As will those who live below.
The mine, tribal chairman Steele said in his address, will certainly produce pollutants. Those pollutants, in turn, “will definitely go downstream. And we’re downstream.”
SOURCE: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/06/22/news/local/news03.txt