World Heritage Discourses and the Potential of Conceptualizing Water

Abstract

Conceptualizing water and heritage together is a key challenge. Only in recent years has heritage management started to embrace sustainable development in the context of heritage preservation. The UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach and policy recommendations for sustainable development integration exemplify this recent development. This contribution examines World Heritage discourses through the lenses of water and heritage as a system. It specifically explores the relation between World Heritage management and water management of World Heritage sites. In doing so, it aims to reinforce the role of water and water management in the World Heritage framework, both in terms of theory and process. It concludes with a call for a stronger acknowledgment of water management as part of good practices for World Heritage sites and their management.