November 2017: Training Workshop on the Application of Space Technologies in the Monitoring of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Publication time:2017-11-24

On the morning of November 23, 2017, the HIST-hosted Workshop on the Application of Space Technologies in the Monitoring of UNESCO Sites kicked off in Beijing. The twoday workshop aimed to enable administrators of UNESCO World Heritage, World Biosphere Reserves, and Geoparks (collectively known as UNESCO sites) to better understand the essence and role of space technologies and learn more about HIST and the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Chaired by HIST Secretariat Ms. Sijia Huo, the opening ceremony was honoured by the presence of Wang Zhenyu, Deputy Secretary General of Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere Programme and division chief for International Organizations, Bureau of International Cooperation of CAS, Zheng Yuan, Director of the Office of UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, and Hong Tianhua, HIST Executive Deputy Director and Secretary General. Among the audience were 15 workshop participants from 10 UNESCO sites in China and lecturers from RADI.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Wang recognized RADI’s competitive space technologies and HIST’s work in applying space technologies to UNESCO sites. He hoped participants would take the opportunity to raise their demands and questions and exchange with specialists from HIST and RADI, and introduce space technologies to their sites.

Explaining the characteristics of geoparks, Mr. Zheng Academic Activities ● Beijing Unveils the Workshop on the Application of Space Technologies for Monitoring of UNESCO Sites many rugged limestone islets, the lake’s brackish waters harbor numerous endemic species including an endemic sea snake. The property was the first natural property inscribed on the World Heritage List with customary ownership and management, and approximately 1,200 people of Polynesian origin occupy four villages within the boundaries of the property, living mainly by subsistence gardening, hunting and fishing. During the Round Table, the Government announced its decision to revoke and or refuse granting any felling license within the East Rennell World Heritage site, thus temporarily banning all logging in the property. While this measure can serve as a temporary solution, in the longer term it will be important to introduce a legal mechanism, such as an application to be submitted by the customary owners, to designate the property under the Protected Areas Act and adopt its Management Plan, which would protect the property from commercial logging. Despite its Danger-status, a technical workshop organised by HIST in February 2016 concluded that unspoiled forest cover remains at 95% of land area within the property and at 90% in other parts of Rennell Island and that no logging has occurred within the property. East Rennell was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013 for threats to its Outstanding Universal Value posed by commercial logging of its forests and the introduction of invasive rats. The site also suffers from overexploitation of its marine resources of which little is known to date. Following a 2015 UNESCO/IUCN mission led by the World Heritage Marine Programme, a Desired State of Conservation (DSOCR) was developed following discussions with East Rennell landowners and Solomon Islands authorities. At its 41th Session in July 2017, the World Heritage Committee adopted the DSOCR, which describes 5 key indicators and a 4-year timing. The Government has recently created an inter-ministerial task force to lead the implementation of the DSOCR (Ministry of Environment Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology; Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Ministry of Education; Provincial Government and Prime Minister’s Office). 05 Yuan believed that space technologies would certainly play an important role in the administration and sustainable development of global geoparks. He hoped that the workshop could give participants a better understanding of the working mechanisms and application scenarios of space technologies and thus promote the cooperation between HIST and geopark administrators.

In the report on space technologies’ role in the conservation of UNESCO sites, Mr. Hong Tianhua introduced the background of the workshop, the differences and similarities between World Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks, and the role of remote sensing technologies, and outlined the courses to be given in the following two days.

After the opening ceremony, workshop participants visited and had group photos taken at the Airborne Remote Sensing Centre and the Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station (RSGS).