An international conference which aims to develop and promote new ways of thinking about the protection of World Heritage sites is being held at Kent on 15/16 January.
The two-day conference, open to students and professionals, has been co-organised by Kent Law Lecturer Dr Sophie Vigneron in her role as principal investigator for the Research Network on the protection of Cultural World Heritage Sites, a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Dr Vigneron is working on the project alongside co-investigator Professor Rob Pickard from Northumbria University.
Dr Vigneron said: ‘This conference will evaluate the efficiency of national laws, policy mechanisms and management plans that protect World Heritage Sites and will assess the implementation of the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention.’
Focusing particularly on cultural heritage sites (such as monuments, old buildings and ancient remains), the conference will bring together academics and stakeholders involved in their management.
Dr Vigneron said: ‘Delegates will be engaged in a critical analysis of national laws and policies and will be asked to enhance stewardship of cultural heritage sites by suggesting possible improvements both to regulatory frameworks and to the World Heritage Convention itself.
‘There are now 759 cultural sites on the World Heritage List which, whilst not in danger of wilful destruction, do face a range of man-made threats – these include the pressure to build infrastructure, unsustainable tourism and inadequate legislative provisions.’
A programme for the conference, entitled ‘World Heritage Sites in a National Context’ is available online, together with a registration form for those who wish to attend.
Dr Vigneron, a senior Lecturer in Law at Kent Law School, has research interests in cultural heritage law and has been working with a network of European scholars on a Dictionary of Cultural Property. For more information about her publications and research interests, visit her staff profile.
Further information about the AHRC network on the protection of Cultural World Heritage Sites is available on the project’s website, World Heritage Sites for the Nation.