UNESCO world heritage sites and sustainable local community development

ABSTRACT While the literature connects the development of World Heritage Sites (WHS) and their host communities, issues of mutual developmental relevance to the sites and the communities are hardly explored for collaborative development actions. This study explored issues of common developmental relevance to selected WHS in coastal Ghana and their host communities. Data were collected from local-level stakeholders – heritage site managers, community residents, and municipal authorities. Common issues of developmental relevance that needed to be addressed related to poor sanitation, harassment of tourists, demarcation of the heritage-protected areas, and beach sand mining. Since the development of WHS and their host communities is linked, the stakeholders are urged to collaboratively develop and implement management plans that take into account the development imperatives of the two entities. Such action-oriented, mutually beneficial plans need to be informed by research and driven by a stakeholder-participatory framework to ensure inclusion and ownership for sustainable development.