Australia Icomos

Conservation Mangement Plan for Sarah Island Historic Site, Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania

European Association of Archaeologists Awards European Heritage Prize to Dr Henry Cleere

Invitation to nominate material for the Australian UNESCO Memory of the World Register

Two new publications reveal outstanding universal values of Australia's World Heritage places.

International Workshops to Combine Building Conservation Training with Hands-on Help to Historic Sites

Britain Signs up to UNESCO Convention to Tackle Illicit Trade in Cultural Goods

Inspirational Landscapes - Heritage Places? On-line Conference 6 & 7 November 2002

United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage: Prioriy on Reconciliation and Development

Cultural Ministers Council Releases Deakin University Study into Key Needs of Australia's Heritage Collections

Report of the 26th Session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee (8-13 April 2002)

UNESCO, ICCROM, Pilot International Workshop on Integrated Conservation of Territories & Landscapes of Heritage Value, Rome Nov-Dec 2002

E-Conference: Cultural Heritage and the struggle against poverty and social exclusion

The Director-General of UNESCO launches an appeal for the protection of historic, cultural and religious heritage in the Palestinian autonomous towns

Preliminary draft Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage: the legal experts get down to work

UNESCO’s Culture Sector in Afghanistan
Preserving and Restoring Afghanistan’s Monuments, Sites and Museums

Report of the 25th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee NOW AVAILABLE

The report contains contributions from over 40 national committees, several thematic contributions from the International Scientific Committees, interesting introductory texts from ICOMOS President Michael Petzet, and Mounir Bouchenaki, UNESCO's Assistant Director for Culture. There are many specific issues and case studies covered by the report, as well as comment on the threats to Iraq's cultural heritage and the widespread impacts of the Boxing Day tsunami in southern Asia and parts of eastern Africa. However, the majority of the risks and threats discussed are not related to war or natural disaster, but a wide range of management issues, and the report provides examples of resolution of such issues from around the world. This year, the Australian contribution focuses on landscape issues - thanks to members who contributed ideas for the text (especially Marilyn Truscott, Juliet Ramsay, Kristal Buckley, Jane Lennon).

Our congratulations to the many contributors to this interesting volume, and to Marilyn Truscott (Australia ICOMOS), Michael Petzet and John Ziesemer (ICOMOS Germany) who worked closely together to coax and cajole the many authors, and to collect, translate and edit the contributions.

The Australia ICOMOS Conference Corrugations: The Romance & Reality of Historic Roads will be held this year in Melbourne, 25-28th November. Information about the call for papers is now available from the website at www.corrugations.net.au . The online registration will be up and running soon.

Roads tie us together, and hold great cultural significance, but what bumps have there been along the way, and what rough patches do we face in their future conservation? The Corrugations Conference aims to explore a range of themes, and facilitate discourse on the emerging issues of historic roads and their conservation.

The organising committee members are principally based in Victoria, and come from a wide range of disciplines.

Dr. Timothy Hubbard (Chair)
Dr. Max Lay
Annabel Neylon
Helen Weston
Gary Vines
Gillian Miles
Roger Borrell

Each fortnight, we will post a brief introduction to a member of the organising committee and post updates and information on the conference.

This week, we will highlight the Conference Organising Committee Chair, Dr. Timothy Hubbard.

Dr. Timothy Hubbard
Timothy Hubbard. A long term member of Australia ICOMOS is a registered architect and planner with extensive qualifications and experience as a consultant in the conservation of historic buildings, gardens, sites and areas. Alone, and in association, he has authored over 80 heritage reports. His company, Timothy Hubbard Pty. Ltd currently provides heritage advisory services to four municipal governments in south west Victoria and provides consultant services to the Royal Melbourne Zoo. Prior to establishing his own practice in 1988, he worked with the Department of Planning during the formative years of the Historic Buildings Council and conservation planning controls under local planning schemes. From 1994 to 1998, he was a member of the RAIA Victorian Chapter Council. He has been a guest editor for Architect, the Chapter's monthly journal and has been the Chairman of the Conservation category for the Institute's Awards. He was founding chairman of the RAIA Victoria Heritage Committee until March 1998 and wrote the Institute's national Heritage Policy. From 1999-2002 he was an alternate member to the Heritage Council of Victoria. He still sits on its Landscape Committee and has written articles for its newsletter, Inherit.

He is currently restoring Old St. Andrews, the former Presbyterian Church and Manse at Port Fairy, where he now lives, for his own use. He recently passed his Ph.D. in architectural history at Deakin University. The thesis, titled Towering Over All, the Italianate Villa in the Colonial Landscape, looks at the origin and meaning of the architecture of Government House, Melbourne.

Australia ICOMOS National Conference 2005
- Call for Papers -
Corrugations - The Romance and Reality of Historic Roads
Closing Date: Friday 3rd June 2005

Abstracts are invited for Oral and Poster Presentations at the ICOMOS 2005 Conference to be held at the new RACV Club Melbourne from 25 - 28 November 2005.

Invitation from Convenor
Roads tie us together and hold great cultural significance, but what bumps have there been along the way and what rough patches do we face in their future conservation? Australia ICOMOS is calling for abstracts to be submitted from all quarters which explore the following themes. It should be remembered that Australia ICOMOS '... is devoted to improving conservation philosophy and practice for culturally significant places'.

15th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of ICOMOS
Xi’an, China
17-21 October 2005
Monuments and Sites in their Setting – Conserving Cultural Heritage in Changing Townscapes and Landscapes

Information about the 15th General Assembly and the Scientific Symposium can be downloaded by clicking here: Xi'an Information (English version), including the call for papers.

The General Assembly will mark the 40th year of ICOMOS. The triennial General Assembly is a key part of the activities of ICOMOS and the theme of the Scientific Symposium is a very important one, with great relevance in Australia and in the Region.

ICOMOS China is working with the International Executive Committee to make the 15th General Assembly a memorable event - not to be missed!

Download the following documents from this document by clicking on the document titles:

A compendium of abstracts of papers given at the Australia ICOMOS 2004 National Conference Loving it to Death are now avaialble for download. Click here to download the file.

20 November 2004. Sherdian Burke, Vice President of ICOMOCS reports:
Following the recent World Heritage Periodic Reports for Asia and the Pacific, a new world heritage programme “Pacific 2009” has been proposed by UNESCO with a focus on consultation, capacity building, education and the preparation of tentative lists and nominations for properties for inclusion in the World Heritage list, using a cooperative partnership approach.

A Roundtable meeting was organised October 17-22 in New Zealand for representatives of Pacific Island countries and territories, the Advisory Bodies and representatives of the World Heritage Centre. The Roundtable was set within the framework established by the Global Strategy meetings held in the Pacific (Fiji 1997 and Vanuatu 1999) to develop a credible, balanced and representative World Heritage List and in the context of the recent Representivity Report presented by ICOMOS to the 28th Session of the World Heritage Committee in July 2004, which had proved disappointing in its lack of Pacific region material.

Yamato Declaration on Integrated Approaches for Safeguarding Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Yamato Declaration on Integrated Approaches for Safeguarding Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage was an outcome of a meeting held in Nara, Japan in October 2004 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Nara Document on Authenticity and the 40th anniversary of the Venice Charter. The meeting was organised by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunka-cho), ACCU (the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO), the Nara Prefecture and Nara City, and the UNESCO Division of Cultural Heritage.

Draft ICOMOS-Ename Charter on Heritage Interpretation -
COMMENT by 15 December 2004
(11 November 2004)

Following the discussions at of the ICOMOS Advisory Committee in Bergen, Norway in September, 2004, we are now seeking input from all members on the draft ICOMOS-Ename Charter on Heritage Interpretation.

The editorial group from the International ICOMOS Executive Committee has been Vice-President Sheridan Burke, Vice-President Gustavo Araoz, and the Treasurer-General Giora Solar. They have worked with a small group from the Ename Centre in Belgium. During 2004, the draft ICOMOS-Ename Charter was circulated for comment, first to all International Scientific Committees, and later, to all National Committees. A group of international experts was also consulted, as was the full Executive Committee of ICOMOS. Prior to the Bergen meeting, Australia ICOMOS submitted detailed comments on the previous draft based on input from a number of members (thanks!). Quite a few of those comments have been incorporated in the current draft.

The draft was the subject of very lively discussion at Bergen, and there was a surprising diversity of opinion expressed. It has become clear to the ICOMOS International Executive Committee that more discussion within ICOMOS is needed, starting with comment on the 'Bergen Draft' by National Committees. Although it was envisaged that the Charter could be submitted for approval by the General Assembly in China next year, the editorial group has decided to engage in a longer and more engaging international process. Following this round of comment, there will be other opportunities for members to participate in the discussion of the Charter - with the aim of submitting it for consideration by the 2008 General Assembly in Quebec, Canada.

The next draft, based on the comments received by the end of this year - will be the basis for further international dialogue - so if there are important comments to make, now is a very opportune moment.

At this stage, we are very keen to hear from as many members as possible. Comment is requested by 31 December 2004. It is a busy time for us all! To assist the Australia ICOMOS Executive Committee to meet this request, could you please:
1. Immediately let us know if you are planning to comment on the draft - send an email to the Secretariat (austicomos@deakin.edu.au).
2. Send your comments no later than 15 December 2004 to the Secretariat, and also copied to Kristal Buckley (kristal@bigpond.net.au).

This is an important process for ICOMOS, and is planned to be a remarkably inclusive, exciting and interactive process. To realise this possibility, we need everyone's input - now and in the coming few years. Don't miss it!

ICOMOS Advisory Committee
Bergen, Norway, 4-10 September, 2004
Report to Australia ICOMOS

Dear Members and Friends,
We have recently returned home from a full and busy week in Norway which included a 2-day meeting of the ICOMOS Advisory Committee, a 2-day ‘retreat’ concerning the structure and activities of the International Scientific Committees (ISCs), a 1-day conference (World Heritage: Intentions-In Action-Its Future), a session to discuss the forthcoming Heritage@Risk publication, and plenty of opportunities for enjoyable discussions with colleagues from many parts of the world. Sheri also managed to fit in a 2-day meeting of the ICOMOS Executive Committee during the very full program.

To read the rest of the report click here to download it: BERGEN REPORT

As the Australian representative in the US-ICOMOS Summer Intern Program, I was sent to Charleston, South Carolina. Besides being a wonderfully beautiful place, the staggering historical significance of the town is still dawning upon me.

Charleston, established in 1670, quickly became a wealthy colony and one of the major ports of America. Great city personages contributed to the declaration of independence, the constitution and the succession from the Union. The first shots of the Civil War were fired here; a war which ended Charleston's prosperity and slowed redevelopment, much to the benefit of historical fabric.

More recently, Charleston was very early in preservation action and takes great pride in its past.

Charleston
Click to enlarge. Photo: C. Hartnell

My project has been to develop a GIS (Geographic Information System) to cover the historic section of town. GIS is a valuable research and documentation tool which allows a spatial comparison of historical time periods and database queries which empower researchers in many ways. That Charleston did not have such a system put it 'behind-the-game' in current preservation standard. We hope that the project will open new avenues for the preservation community here and abroad.

Our final goal is to have all information publicly available on-line to allow local and foreign researchers to benefit alike. The project is advancing well and daily we are seeing its potential grow.

Our thanks and congratulations to US ICOMOS: its Summer Internship Program is a wonderful initiative which has enabled many young heritage practitioners worldwide to gain valuable hands-on experience on heritage projects in the USA.

As part of the implementation of the amended Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC), the Department of Environment and Heritage has developed a guide to assist Commonwealth agencies in preparing their Heritage Strategies. Australia ICOMOS is currently reviewing the guideline - anyone interested in a copy of this document should contact Duncan Marshall (mars@austarmetro.com.au).

Call For Nomination To
ICOMOS 'Shared Built Heritage'
International Scientific Committee

(2 May 2004)

The Australia ICOMOS Executive Committee wishes to fill a current vacancy on the ICOMOS 'Shared Built Heritage' International Scientific Committee.

The Shared Built Heritage ISC has in previous years taken a particular interest in colonial heritage issues, notably in South Africa, and has been led from ICOMOS Netherlands. Currently the chair of this ISC is Cor Dijkgraaf from Amsterdam. Previously our Full member was Graham Brooks, but Graham stepped down from this position when he assumed the chair of the Cultural Tourism ISC.

Australia ICOMOS Members interested in being nominated for either Full or Corresponding membership of this ISC should contact Bill Logan, ISC Coordinator on the Aus ICOMOS Executive Committee (wl@deakin.edu.au) or Nola Miles in the Aus ICOMOS Secretariat (austicomos@deakin.edu.au).

Nominees must meet the criteria laid down in the Australia ICOMOS Procedures Manual. In summary, those seeking Full membership must have a strong record of involvement in relevant professional activities at least at a national level of importance. Nominees for Full membership must also be able to fund their own overseas travel to attend ISC meetings. The criteria for Corresponding members are less demanding and there is no expectation of personal attendance at meetings.

Members of ISCs are expected to report regularly to the general Australia ICOMOS membership on their ISC activities. Such reporting is particularly important for the Annual Report presented to the Australia ICOMOS Annual General Meeting each November, but other reports will be distributed through E-News.

It is anticipated that the Australia ICOMOS nominee(s) would develop a national working group of interested members. This will assist the ISC member and the Australia ICOMOS Executive Committee to respond to issues raised by the ISC as well as to bring issues raised within Australia to the ISC's attention.

Call for Papers - Third Great Asian Street Symposium
A Public Forum of Asian Urban Design

6-7 December 2004
Department of Architecture
School of Design and Environment
National University of Singapore
Theme of 2004: Street, Urban Space and Representation

We are pleased to announce the call-for-paper for the "3rd Great Asian Street Symposium (GASS3)", which is to be held in National University of Singapore, 6-7 December 2004. Please find the details of GASS3 through the website: http://www.arch.nus.edu.sg/conferences/gass2004/swf/default.html

The GASS was established in 2001. As a discussion platform, it aims for the urban researchers and professionals committed to the study of streets and public spaces in Asian region. The success of the 2nd GASS in 2002 brought in significant number of diverse participants and high quality papers. It makes us feel that there is a potential for GASS to be further developed as an Asian forum for urban scholars and practitioners, where the term "Great Asian Street" becomes a metaphor of public space, public sphere and public forum of Asian cities.

For the coming GASS 3 in 2004, the research on "street" is still very much emphasized, we would like to extend the theme to "Street, Urban Space and Representation" as the special topic of the 3rd GASS in 2004. Beside the existing focus on Asian streets, we create one more session on urban space and representation for this particular year. The representations of street, urban space and city cover varieties of traditional and new approaches, which are essential to the practices and researches in architecture, urban design and city planning. It is especially interesting to see how emerging technologies influence the way we observe, analyze and design the city and physical environment.
We look forward to your participation and invite you to submit an abstract (max 500 words) of a proposed paper by August 20 of 2004.

Best regards
Dr Perry YANG
Dr HUO, Ning
Mr L'Heureux, Eric Gerard
Organizing Committee of the 3rd Great Asian Street Symposium (GASS3)
Department of Architecture
School of Design and Environment
National University of Singapore
4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566
Office: (65) 6874 3454
Fax: (65) 6779 3078
Email: GASS3@nus.edu.sg
website: http://www.arch.nus.edu.sg/conferences/gass2004/swf/default.html

Call For Papers - Rooms with a view Historic House Museums and their Surroundings

This year's annual meeting and conference of DEMHIST will take place between 2-4 September 2004, in Berlin, Germany.

The Conference will focus on the urban house museum and its social environment as well as the historic house park in suburban settings. Other relevant topics may include security issues, conservation strategies as regards public events and the public function of historic house museums. All curators, directors, museums professionals and those with an interest in the preservation and interpretation of historic house museums are invited to attend.

The deadline for concise 250-300 word abstracts is 31, May. Presented papers should be no more than 20 mins in length. Preference in the selection of papers may be given to members of DEMHIST. For membership please contact your local office, or national chair, of ICOM. Please indicate your full contact details and professional affiliation if any. Submissions should be made in Word compatible format.

The Historic House Museums International Committee/DEMHIST came into being in 1999 as part of the International Council of Museums/ICOM with the express aim of working to increase international awareness of the importance and great value of house museums. DEMHIST is the forum for proposing and debating key criteria for the management and conservation of house-museums. The enormous variety characteristic of the artistic assets displayed in such museums calls for innovative strategies to deal with specific challenges in the areas of conservation and restoration, safety, education and communication.

Dr. Hugh Maguire
Secretary / Treasurer: DEMHIST
Tel: + 353 (0)1 8307527
Mob: + 353 (0)87 968 3754
or:
Sibylle Hoiman
Stiftung Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg
Postfach 601462
14414 Potsdam

The Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology (ASHA)
and the Australasian Institute of Maritime Archaeology (AIMA)

Wellington & Picton, New Zealand - Thurs 23 Sept – Monday 27 September 2004

This is a 'new concept' twin venue conference. The conference will begin in Wellington (the capital city located at the southern end of the North Island) on Thursday 23rd September 2004. After two days there the whole conference party will board the inter-island ferry (early evening) and have a sunset cruise to Picton (top end of the South Island, 3 hour voyage) for two more days of conferencing and fieldtrips. At both Wellington and Picton visits to major ship conservation projects are scheduled - the 'Inconstant' and the 'Edwin Fox'. An optional post conference fieldtrip runs Mon 27-Wed 29. It involves train and bus travel from Picton to Christchurch via Kaikoura looking at maritime heritage and other sites en route. Conference goers may choose to fly into Wellington, and depart from Christchurch.

Information on conference fees, early bird discounts (payment by August 31st), accommodation options etc will be posted on the AIMA (http://aima.iinet.net.au/) and ASHA websites (http://www.asha.org.au) within the next month, and in the mid-year Newsletters of both organisations.

The Conference theme will focus on aspects of maritime history and historical archaeology, particularly the trans-Tasman connection (opposite sides of the 'big pond') between Australia and New Zealand and beyond. The theme however takes an inter-disciplinary perspective and encourages participants to consider historical events encompassing Australia and New Zealand as well as the role of the sea in human history in the widest sense. We hope to have sessions on topics such as the contact period, ports and harbours, coastal defences, fishing, sealing, and whaling, and the high level of interaction between Australia and New Zealand during the nineteenth century goldrushes and the New Zealand Wars (between Maori tribes and British & Colonial forces).

Intending participants are encouraged to consider submitting their papers for publication in one of the two Associations fully refereed journals - The AIMA Bulletin or Australasian Historical Archaeology.

Proposals for sessions or individual papers should be sent to the Programme Convenor at the address below by 30 June 2004. Papers will be of 20 minutes duration with 5 minutes question time. Longer or shorter time slots may be possible by arrangement.

Programme Convenor
'Trans-Tasman Connections Archaeology Conference'
email nritchie@doc.govt.nz

For information about the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA)
see: www.acuaonline.org/

Australia ICOMOS announces seminars for practitioners on the new national heritage system

The new national heritage system for Australia came into force in January this year. It takes a broad view of heritage and will affect practitioners at every level. Australia ICOMOS is running a series of one-day workshops around Australia in February, March and April 2004. These are designed for heritage managers and practitioners who will need to be familiar with the implications of the new system for their clients and stakeholders.

Further information and a registration form can be downloaded here: DOWNLOAD

or by contacting the ICOMOS Representative in your State or Territory.

Through the US/ICOMOS internship programme for 2003, I spent my summer (from mid May to the second half of August) with the National Park Service, Outer Banks Group, at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina. My work was based on three main sites, the Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island Lighthouses and the Hatteras Island Weather Bureau Station.

I began work in Washington, DC without having set foot in any lighthouse - ever - seeking the source of the marble and slate tiling in the Cape Hatteras (1870) and Bodie Island (built 1872) Lighthouses at the monumental National Archives.

My first task upon arrival on the Outer Banks of North Carolina was to put together our assessed condition of the tiled floor area of Bodie Island Lighthouse, and complete a report detailing our research findings as part of the preparation for future conservation works.

As part of my work I was fortunate enough to be able to climb Bodie Island Lighthouse twice and also observe the laser-measuring of the original first order Fresnel lens. This began my mission to climb the lighthouses of the Outer Banks. Of the five lighthouses on the Outer and Core Banks of North Carolina, I got to all of them and was only denied access to one!

A large part of my internship was taken up by the National Register-listed Hatteras Island Weather Bureau Station at Hatteras Village. A fantastic two-storey, Colonial Yellow siding and cedar shingled building built in 1901, it is currently being restored by the National Park Service (NPS). I was involved in documenting the restoration works for the building, which was not far from where I was housed by the National Park Service in the village of Buxton.

Venturing as far as Busch Gardens amusement park in Virginia, where Apollo's Chariot dropped myself and friends 210ft in the first dip, I also drove north to Currituck Beach Lighthouse and Jockeys Ridge State Park (climbing the giant sand dune), and soared in a plane over the Wright Brothers Historic Site, which is celebrating 100yrs of flight in December.

There were also quieter things to do, especially with the beach next door. There was also the small village of Ocracoke (and Ocracoke Lighthouse), the village where Blackbeard met his gruesome end, I learned about the Civil War through 11hrs of my housemate's Ken Burn's videos (we didn't have cable), discovered the local nightspots (well….. the one nightspot aptly named the Lighthouse Bar), and cruised the Sound with my workmates from Manteo.

I had a fantastic three months, and as a result I am also taking away with me some really fun memories and experiences (oh yes, and over 600 digital photographs….) and am still in touch with my new friends. I've taken away with me not just new skills and knowledge, but a better understanding of heritage in broader terms, of other approaches and different situations, with a particular appreciation for how severe environmental factors can impact on historic sites (I just missed hurricane Isabel, which wreaked havoc on the Outer Banks).

I would like to once again thank Australia ICOMOS for selecting me as their representative, and US/ICOMOS for such an amazing opportunity. I thoroughly recommend the programme to anyone thinking of applying and would be more than happy to provide further information for anyone who might be interested.

Report from the ICOMOS 14th General Assembly & Scientific Symposium
Mosi Oa Tunya (Victoria Falls), Zimbabwe 27-31 October, 2003

Place – Memory – Meaning Preserving Intangible Values in Monuments & Sites

A brief overview of the 14th ICOMOS General Assembly at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (also known as Mosi Oa Tunya – the smoke that thunders) is now available. This report is intended as general information for Australia ICOMOS members – the formal proceedings from the meetings will be available later.

To download the report click here: ZIMBABWE REPORT

ICOMOS has released a Mandarin translation of the ICOMOS Charter on Cultural Tourism 2002.

Click below to download the charter:

Mandarin

English.

"Earth, water fire and spirit" were the themes of the 2003 Outback Summit organised by the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, with the National Environmental Law Association and the newly formed Regional Cultural Alliance (including the National Trusts).

To read a report on the summit, click here: OUTBACK SUMMIT REPORT

17-10-2003
Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage, the performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, as well as knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe and traditional craftsmanship, now benefit from an international legal instrument to safeguard intangible heritage through cooperation.

The Member States attending the UNESCO General Conference at Headquarters (September 29 to October 17), today adopted by overwhelming majority the International Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage*, which completes the Organization’s existing legal instruments for the safeguarding of heritage.

To read further click here: UNESCO

The Graduate Certificate in Art Authentication has been developed jointly by the Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne and Melbourne University Private. The course is a response to industry demands for specialist training and for a clearer definition to the processes involved in art authentication and the policing and prosecution of art fraud. The program will be presented by experts from a broad range of disciplines including art history, conservation, criminology and analytical chemistry. The topics covered have been identified and developed in consultation with the art industry.

The spectacular Purnululu National Park, in Western Australia's isolated East Kimberley region, has been declared a World Heritage listed area by the World Heritage Committee, which met in Paris on 3 July.

"This superlative natural phenomenon joins 14 other internationally outstanding Australian places that have qualified for this rare honour, which includes the Uluru Kata Tjuta and Kakadu national parks," Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp, said today.

Purnululu – famous for its fascinating banded beehive structures, sandstone cliffs and towers of the Bungle Bungle Range, and its rich Aboriginal cultural heritage – has been World Heritage-listed for its unrivalled natural values.

"Its domes, gorges and wet season waterfalls were virtually unknown except to pastoralists, scientists and the local Aboriginal community until 1982, when aerial pictures were first released and widely circulated. It is now seen as one of the scenic jewels of outback Australia," Dr Kemp said.

Dr Kemp said World Heritage listing is so prestigious in Australia and overseas that it attracts widespread interest from tourists and provides a financial boost to the region.

"The World Heritage listing process is detailed, demanding and exhaustive. It ensures that only the very best examples of the world's heritage make it onto the world's premier heritage list," he said.

"Since Australia submitted a comprehensive nomination document to the World Heritage Centre early last year, assessors from two international heritage bodies – the International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) – have visited Purnululu to carry out a comprehensive assessment of its World Heritage credentials.

"Purnululu has also been nominated for its rich Aboriginal cultural heritage spanning over some 20,000 years. The Park provides exceptional testimony to this hunter-gatherer cultural tradition which has survived to present day despite the impact of colonisation. Australia will continue to pursue the cultural element of the nomination.

"Officers from my department, Environment Australia, provided support to the assessors and in preparing ancillary information to meet their requirements."

The World Heritage Committee – which comprises 21 countries who are States Parties to the World Heritage Convention – considered the nomination and reports at its meeting in Paris and agreed to inscribe Purnululu National Park on the World Heritage List.

Under the categories of natural heritage set out in Article 2 of the World Heritage Convention, Purnululu National Park is a site representing 'natural features consisting of physical and biological formations, or groups of such formations, that are of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view'; and 'natural sites, or precisely delineated natural areas, of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty'.

According to the natural criteria, Purnululu is 'an outstanding example representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features' and 'contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.'

The Western Australian Government also strongly supports the World Heritage listing which joins Shark Bay as Western Australia's second World Heritage property.

Making Tracks Conference Papers

A wide range of papers given at the Australia ICOMOS Making Tracks conference held in Alice Springs in May 2001 are now available online. Click here to go to the Making Tracks page.

Major Charter for heritage conservation practice in China launched in Melbourne

Principles for the Conservation of Heritage Sites in China
now available for download.
Click here to download: DOWNLOAD CHINA PRINCIPLES

Sunday 11 May saw the launch of a new publication Principles for the Conservation of Heritage Sites in China (the China Charter) in Melbourne at the Chinese Museum.

The launch was attended by Hon. Dr. Sharman Stone, Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Heritage, Tom Harley, Chairman of the Australian Heritage Commission and by officials of the People's Republic of China. Dr. Martha Demas and Dr. Neville Agnew from the Getty Conservation Institute also visited Australia for the launch of the publication, Principles for the Conservation of Heritage Sites in China and spoke at the launch.

The Australian Heritage Commission (http://www.ahc.gov.au/), the Getty Conservation Institute (http://www.getty.edu/conservation/ ) and the Chinese State Administration of Cultural Heritage have been working for several years to develop a Charter for heritage conservation practice in the China. The original model for the Charter was the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter, and the final product is both like and unlike the original in interesting ways. It has been eagerly anticipated for some time while reaching finalisation and publication, but is now available in English and Chinese. The Charter is being published by the Getty Conservation Institute, and includes an English-Chinese glossary.

The launch consisted of the launch followed by a short lecture on the development of conservation plans in China using the Charter. The lecture focused on the Qing Imperial Summer Resort of Chengde - a huge and splendid complex of palaces, temples, gardens and artificial landscapes and a panel discussion on the Charter, led by Dr. Neville Agnew, Dr. Martha Demas, Sharon Sullivan and Kirsty Altenburg.

The event was sponsored jointly by Australia ICOMOS, the Australian Heritage Commission, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Chinese Museum.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, in his address to the international experts meeting on 17 April 2003 convened at his initiative in UNESCO Headquarters, stated: "Despite all your expertise and good will, the fate of Iraqi heritage does not lie in your hands. It lies in the hands of the international community as a whole, and the only way that we will be able to safeguard these treasures and give them back to humanity is if we can count on the cohesion, coordination and determination of all concerned, at every level". He renewed his appeal to "all States to adopt the emergency legal and administrative measures required to prevent the importation into their territory of any cultural, archaeological or bibliographical object having recently left Iraq" and again called upon "all museums, art dealers and private collectors to exclude these objects from any commercial transactions".

Mr Matsuura also announced his intention "to request the Secretary-General of the United Nations to submit the question of illicit traffic to the Security Council so that a resolution can be adopted which imposes an embargo, for a limited period, on the acquisition of all Iraqi cultural objects and calls for the return of such goods to Iraq if acquisitions or exports of this kind have already taken place. This resolution could thus be made applicable to the191 Member States of the United Nations and not only to the 97 States Parties to the 1970 Convention", he explained.

After recalling all the initiatives taken by UNESCO before the conflict and following the news of the looting and destruction of numerous Iraqi cultural institutions and archaeological sites, the Director-General stressed the necessity "to take emergency measures, such as the setting-up by the authorities on the ground of a nation-wide 'heritage police', entrusted with the task of watching over cultural sites and institutions, including libraries and buildings where archives are stored". He also said he would like "a database to be compiled as soon as possible, combining all of the archives, lists and inventories relating to the Iraqi heritage, which would enable customs and police authorities, as well as art dealers and all concerned parties, to identify and check the status of a particular object. Naturally, this database could only become operational once a precise appraisal has been made of the objects which have been stolen or destroyed, something that could only be done by an on-site mission".

The Director-General thanked the numerous States who have expressed their readiness to contribute to emergency measures taken by UNESCO by means of expert help or financial support. He welcomed the initiatives of Italy, which was the first to offer a contribution of $400,000 for the protection of the Iraqi heritage. This initiative was followed by many others, growing daily in number, from States including Qatar, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Egypt, from institutions such as the United Nations Foundation and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), from scientific networks and from individuals. The Director-General expressed his delight with such initiatives, which will boost the Special Fund for the Iraqi Cultural Heritage that he has just established.

20TH CENTURY HERITAGE
ICOMOS-UK publishes its list of Top Twenty 20th Century Heritage Sites within the UK.

The list is part of an ICOMOS world-wide survey which aims to promote understanding of the full diversity of 20th century heritage and to highlight the issues relating to its recognition and conservation.
The ICOMOS-UK list has been compiled with help from English Heritage, CADW (Welsh Historic Monuments), Historic Scotland, the 20th Century Society and the Association for Industrial Archaeology, but reflects the views of ICOMOS-UK alone. The list has no official or statutory basis, nor is it in order of importance: rather it is an attempt by ICOMOS-UK, in response to growing interest in this subject, to add to the international drive for greater recognition and protection as well as to contribute to the debate on how we define what is of value and significance from the 20th century.
20th century heritage is often seen as too close to the present day to allow selection by the perspective of history. It is also seen by some as being too plentiful, creating problems for establishing conservation priorities. Furthermore sophisticated designs and often experimental technologies give it added vulnerability. For all these reasons, the heritage of the 20th century suffers from lack of recognition and protection especially when compared to 'older' or more traditional heritage.
The List:
The ICOMOS-UK list reflects the wide diversity of 20th Century Heritage and some of the main social and economic trends of the century.
Social housing
The great, designed, social housing schemes built in response to changing social and industrial pressures, are reflected by Letchworth Garden City, the first garden city in Hertfordshire built from 1903 by Parker and Unwin, by Cumbernauld New Town built between 1963 to the mid 1970s, the initial phases by Geoffrey Copcutt, and most recently by the innovative public housing of the Byker Estate in Newcastle Upon Tyne, built between 1970 and 1981 by Ralph Erskine. All of these have fed off each other and together reflect the re-writing of so much of the urban landscape that took place in the last century.
Industrial monuments
The industrial wealth of Wales is represented by the monumental Penallta Colliery Engine Hall and Fan House, Caerphilly, built between 1905 and 1909, at the height on the South Wales coal trade to a staggering size of 100 by 23 metres. It had a significant influence on colliery buildings all over Britain. Other industrial monuments are the Lovell Telescope, near Macclesfield Cheshire, 1952-7 and the Cruchan and Hollow Mountain Hydro-Electric Power Station, Argyll, completed in 1965.
Cathedrals
Perhaps more predictable are the last two great cathedral building projects - the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral from 1902-79, to the designs of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and the re-built Coventry Cathedral by Sir Basil Spence and Partners.
Classical modern buildings
Buildings associated with the classical modem style are in the minority - the list nevertheless includes key buildings such as Impington Village College school building, 1938-9 to the designs of Walter Gropius, a major figure in the modem movement, working with E Maxwell Fry, and the De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill, East Sussex, the first, major, public building in the International style in Britain built in 1935 to the designs of Erich Mendelsohn and Serge l Chermayeff
Private houses
Only two private houses make the list - Marsh Court, near Stockbridge, Hampshire, by Edwin Luytens, built 1901-4 and Hill House, Glasgow, 1902, part of a group listing of the works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Glasgow. The dearth of private houses compared to lists from say the 19th and 18th centuries reflects the shift from private to industrial and institutional clients.
World Heritage
Two sites, the Forth Railway and Road Bridges, engineers Mott, May and Anderson, 1958-64 and the Liverpool Pier Head Buildings (the Royal Liver Building, 1908-10 by W Aubrey Thomas, the Cunard Building, 1913-16 by Willinck and Thickness, and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Offices, 1907 by ArnolfThornley and others) are already included on the Government's Tentative list of World Heritage Sites. Perhaps the list as a whole could be seen as highlighting other buildings or assemblies of buildings which may in the future be considered for inclusion in future tentative lists. There is for instance much interest in other parts of the world in the extensive legacy of garden suburbs in the UK.
Recent debate on what should or should not be put forward for World Heritage status from the 20th century has been given a boost by a suggestion from a leading historian of 20th century architecture that Camden, London, with its rich and dense assembly of 20th century buildings should be considered as a potential World Heritage site.
Absentee
Notable in the list is the absence of buildings which, despite being of national importance, (and listed appropriately), have failed to survive. An example is the Brynmawr Rubber Factory, Brynmawr, Gwent, listed Grade 11* which would certainly have been on the list had it not been
demolished only in mid-2001. If a building as spectacular as this - built by Ove Arup & Partners
1946-51 - can be lost, in spite of enormous local efforts to find a new use for it, then there is a need for more public debate on how we sustain our 20th century heritage.
Quote:
Sherban Cantacuzino, President Emeritus of ICOMOS-UK and former executive editor of the Architectural Review, sums up the significance of the list as
"lying in the way it clearly acknowledges what distinguishes the twentieth century from any other - the pre-eminence of planning and the dedication to a social programme - whilst not forgetting the works of the great architects and engineers of the century ". END
Background:
The ICOMOS Montreal Action Plan was drawn up in Canada in September 2001 to try and define a consistent ICOMOS approach to more recent heritage. The Plan aims to promote understanding of the full diversity of 20th Century heritage and the issues relating to its recognition and conservation.
ICOMOS-UK ran a successful seminar on 20th Century Heritage, in association with the RIBA and the 20th Century Society at the RIBA to celebrate International Sites and Monuments Day on April 18th,
ICOMOS internationally will this year be compiling the third of its major Heritage at Risk Reports on the theme of 20th Century Heritage.

The UK Committee of ICOMOS was formed in 1965.
Contact: International Sites and Monuments, UK 10 Barley Mow Passage London W4 4PH
Tel0208 8994 6477
Email: icomos-uk@icomos.org

The lengthy process to develop the new Australian Commonwealth heritage legislation seems to have reached its final stage. The package of three revised Bills was introduced into the Parliament by the Government in mid 2002. The first set of Bills lapsed with the last Federal election. The revised Bills were passed by the House of Representatives at the end of that year amidst some little controversy, because of the restrictions imposed on the parliamentary process by the Government.

The Bills are currently before the Senate but the key negotiations are happening behind the scenes. The Government is seeking the support of other parties in order to achieve the numbers for passage in that chamber. It seems possible the Bills may be passed during May.

Australia ICOMOS, along with other heritage and environment groups, have been promoting improvements to the Bills. However, at the end of the day we are seeking passage of the Bills, and do not wish to see them fail.

Kristal Buckley, Sharon Sullivan and Duncan Marshall have been working on this matter for Australia ICOMOS. For further information please feel free to contact Duncan on: mars@austarmetro.com.au

The ICCROM Internship and Fellows Programme is open to candidates from all of its Member States. Internships are offered to those interested in increasing their experience of current issues of heritage preservation at the international level by working with one of the programmes at ICCROM.
Fellowships are made available to those wishing to undertake research in a particular field of heritage preservation. See Internships or Fellowships, depending on which category is of interest to you.
http://www.iccrom.org/eng/training/events/if.htm

On 7 April 2003 the National Trust of Australia (W.A.) chaired a most successful forum at the Alexander Library in Perth which, for the first time, brought together representatives of most of the key organisations collaborating to preserve the spectacular rock art of the Dampier Archipelago in Western Australia. The "Murujuga Group" had been a loosely composed coalition of interest groups focused principally on the petroglyphs of Murujuga, known also as the Burrup Peninsula. Spearheaded principally by the International Federation of Rock Art Organisations (IFRAO) and Green parliamentarian Robin Chapple MLC, this group includes a number of bodies concerned with environmental and cultural heritage issues, including relevant Traditional Custodians, ICOMOS Australia, the Australian Rock Art Research Association, the National Trust, the Conservation Council of Western Australia, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Association of Anthropologists and Archaeologists.

These bodies had been communicating about the Murujuga rock art for up to a year, so the level of consensus among them came as no great surprise. But what was surprising was the strength of support that now emerged from some unexpected quarters. Most particularly, the unashamedly pro-development Leader of the Opposition of Western Australia, The Hon. Colin Barnett MLC, presented a well-researched expose of why he vehemently opposes the siting of more industry at Murujuga. He also explained his economic reasons for advocating the urgent establishment of the Maitland Heavy Industry Estate, an alternative site for the proposed new industries. He accepted unequivocally that the Dampier rock art precinct represents the largest concentration of petroglyphs in the world, that it is the greatest cultural heritage property in Australia and that the state has an ironclad obligation to preserve it for all future. Moreover, at the request of IFRAO, the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and Heritage, The Hon. Dr David Kemp MP, has recently written to his Western Australian counterpart to ask for the state government's co-operation in the nomination of the Dampier rock art to the World Heritage List. This places the ball well and truly in the court of the present state government. If it were to fail in supporting IFRAO's motion for such listing, it would find itself opposed by just about every other relevant party-and no doubt in opposition after the next state election in early 2005.

For the moment, the state government is very much on the defensive over its handling of the protection of the Murujuga (Burrup) rock art. It still advocates the destruction of more of the irreplaceable rock art, having sanctioned the destruction of between 20 and 25 per cent of it already. Yet several of the companies it has attempted to lure to the Dampier Archipelago have already pulled out of the respective projects, partly because they don't wish to be labelled rock art vandals, partly because the costs of establishing structures on Murujuga are greater than at alternative locations. Moreover, some of the sites allocated to them by the government have been found to be subject to inundation by surge tides-an incredible admission when one considers the almost unlimited supply of eminently suitable land available nearby on the mainland. Finally, it emerged at the Murujuga Forum that the committee the government has appointed to establish whether the industrial emissions are causing deterioration of the rock art is likely to be ineffective in influencing the course of industrial development in the region. To make matters worse, one of the main polluters in the area, Woodside Energy Ltd, has just admitted to having made a very significant error in calculating the rate of their nitrogen oxide emissions. This has exposed yet another festering problem, the inability of the Department of Environmental Protection to effectively monitor the level of emissions by major polluters. It is apparent from this admission that the values reported in the National Pollutant Inventory, maintained by Environment Australia, may reflect quite meaningless random figures that are effectively not checked by anyone. This follows the result of a series of internal reviews of the W.A. Department of Environmental Protection that led to the finding that this "organisation is incapable of fulfilling its functions". Such scandalous disclosures about the ineptness of government departments will continue until Australia develops a culture of fostering the influence of NGOs in public life, as it exists in more mature democracies of former British colonies such as India.

Each year US ICOMOS runs a summer internship program for young ICOMOS members from around the world. The Australia ICOMOS nominee this year is Jennifer Armstrong. Jennifer writes:

First of all I would like to extend a huge thank you to Australia ICOMOS, US/ICOMOS and the National Park Service for giving me this fantastic opportunity to explore heritage conservation/historic preservation in the USA. I have seven weeks remaining in my work programme here and I plan on learning and experiencing as much as I can possibly fit into this time.

I am currently involved in two major projects being undertaken by the National Parks Service within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore area.

They comprise documentation for the restoration works currently being undertaken at the Hatteras Island Weather Bureau Station, Hatteras Village, North Carolina through measured drawings on AutoCAD and photographs. The Station was constructed in 1901, and is a two-storey timber framed building with weatherboard cladding and shingle roof. It was used for early weather detection, particularly during hurricane season (which we entered on the 1 June).

The second project on which I am working concurrently is the investigation into the type and source of the marble and slate floor tiling, as well as condition assessment of Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island Lighthouses, constructed in 1870 and 1872 respectively. This has involved research at the National Archives in Washington DC as well as physical investigation and comparative analysis at these lighthouses and others.

I am having a great time in my new work environment and am being provided plenty of opportunities to see other sites within the area during my spare time, including the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk, which is celebrating the centenary of first flight this year.

Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens Australia's Next World Heritage Site?

Australia ICOMOS held a symposium to consider the recent nomination of Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens to the World Heritage List on 11 May.

The Seminar was held Museum of Victoria, adjacent to the Royal Exhibition Building.

The Royal Exhibition Building was built in Melbourne's Carlton Gardens in 1880. It is one of the great enduring monuments to the International Exhibition movement, which began in the mid-nineteenth century. These events were staged around the world to demonstrate the confidence and achievements of the industrial age. By bringing people and ideas together on such a grand scale, the movement supported the development of the world trade and manufacturing which today underpins modern society.

The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens were nominated to the World Heritage List in 2002 . The nomination was prepared by Environment Australia, with the cooperation and assistance from Heritage Victoria, Museum Victoria and the City of Melbourne (and a number of Australia ICOMOS members who have been involved with the care for the building and gardens over the years).

The nomination document was submitted to the World Heritage Centre (UNESCO) in Paris in December 2002. While the course of these nominations can be difficult to predict, the nomination could be considered by the World Heritage Committee in mid-2004.

If successful, this will be the first world heritage building in Australia to be listed for its non-Indigenous/post-contact heritage values.

New Australia ICOMOS Book
20th Century Heritage Our Recent Cultural Legacy
Proceedings of the Australia ICOMOS National Conference 2001

A new book published by Australia ICOMOS, 20th Century Heritage, Our Recent Cultural Legacy may prove a landmark publication for the growing interest in 20th Century heritage. Edited by David Jones it contains the proceedings of the Australia ICOMOS 2001 National Conference held in Adelaide. With more than sixty articles by leading heritage experts from Australia and around the world it represents a contribution to the field covering subjects as diverse as the renovation of modernist buildings, the heritage value of 50s houses and the heritage value of automobile culture. The full contents can be downloaded in pdf format by clicking here: contents.

The book has 496 pages, is generously illustrated and fully refereed. It can be ordered for the price of AUD $42.00 plus postage and handling ($7.80 within Australia). Orders should be sent to the Australia ICOMOS Secretariat at: austicomos@deakin.edu.au

Robin Chapple MLC (WA Greens) introduced a Bill in the Western Australian parliament to protect the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga) on 19 December. To read the Bill and the Second Reading speech click here: http://www.mp.wa.gov.au/rchapple/issues/burrup/

Murujuga (the Burrup Peninsula) is home to a vast collection of Indigenous Australian ancient rock art threatened by industrial development in the area.

The Dampier Archipelago in the Pilbara region of north-western Australia features what is regarded as the world's largest concentration of petroglyphs (rock engravings or carvings). It also possesses a major corpus of standing stones, similar to megalithic monuments in Europe, the largest such occurrence in Australia. This outstanding body of Aboriginal rock art is considered to be the greatest non-European cultural heritage property in Australia, and is thus one of the major heritage sites in the world.

During the 1960s major industrial facilities were established in the remote archipelago. Current plans by the Western Australian government of further extensions to this industrial complex designate 38% of the land area to be occupied by petrochemical and other plants.

At present levels of atmospheric pollution, most of the Dampier petroglyphs will disappear during the second half of the 21st century. However, if the emissions are trebled, as proposed by the W.A. government, this process will be accelerated greatly, and scientific data predict that the rock art will begin to disappear by about 2030.

The expansion of the industrial complex by adding a multi-billion dollar petrochemical industry is opposed by scientists, conservators, conservationists and by the owners of the rock art, Aboriginal people of the region. It is also opposed by the Australian National Trust and other national and international bodies, and even by most of the local redidents in the region.

This is not a confrontation between those who are for or against development. None of the parties opposes the development as such, they merely want it relocated away from the Aboriginal sites. The previous state government earmarked a huge land area on the mainland, called the Maitland Heavy Industry Estate for this very purpose, but the present state government refuses to develop this alternative area and insists that the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga) be instead destroyed.

The International Federation of Rock Art Organisations (IFRAO) demands that the State Government exercises its responsibility of protecting the Dampier rock art, and that it implements a management plan for the archipelago after proper consultation of the stakeholders.

IFRAO is a federation of 39 national and regional organisations promoting the study of rock art, palaeoart and cognitive archaeology. IFRAO facilitates international cooperation, initiates and pursues common policies and projects, and acts as an altruistic focus and cohesive medium for the discipline.
http://www.cesmap.it/ifrao/ifrao.html

Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens may become the first building in Australia to be listed for its World Heritage value and Victoria's first World Heritage Place, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp announced on Sunday 13 October.

"Australia is world renowned for its natural world heritage sites. I hope that the Royal Exhibition Building will be the first in a series of significant Australian buildings to be recognised by the world for their built heritage value," Dr Kemp said.

"To be nominated for World Heritage Listing, a site must be of international significance and important to people everywhere. The Royal Exhibition Building is ideal as it represents the international exhibition movement of the 19th century, which symbolised the confidence and achievements of the industrial age.

"The Melbourne Exhibition Building is one of the last remaining world fair buildings which is still used for exhibitions today."

The Building hosted two major international exhibitions in its day, the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880 and the 1888 Centennial International Exhibition. The exhibitions were immensely popular, the first attracting more than 1.3 million visitors, nearly 60 percent of the Australian population at the time, and increasing to almost 70 percent of the population for the 1888 Centennial Exhibition.

World fair buildings were popular and elaborate promotions of nationhood, industrial technology, cultural identity and trade.

"By bringing people and ideas together on such a grand scale, the movement supported the development of the global economy and enterprise culture that underpins modern democratic society today," Dr Kemp added.

"The values of global openness, peace, prosperity and of the struggle to make our country a better place for our children that were expressed when this building was first opened in 1880 are still an important part of our modern day Australian society."

The building was constructed in 1879 and 1888 by David Mitchell, father of Dame Nellie Melba. It featured a mixture of styles including the renaissance and lombardic styles. The main features are the central dome which was based on Brunelleschi's Duomo in Florence and the stunning fan light windows which were inspired by Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace of 1851.

Dr David Kemp said that the Federal Government, in full cooperation with the Victorian Government, is preparing a case for nominating the Building and Carlton Gardens, for inscription on the World Heritage List.

The building and gardens remain largely intact and have hosted many significant events involving entertainment, trade and the community including the opening of the First Australian Parliament in 1901, being used as a hospital, and housing the first Australian War Memorial.

Dr Kemp said the Commonwealth would work closely with Heritage Victoria, the Melbourne City Council, the National Trust, the Australian Chapter of the International Council on Monuments and Sites and other important stakeholders, in preparing the case for nomination.

Under the World Heritage Convention, member countries are only permitted to make one nomination per year. Australia's next opportunity for a nomination to be submitted to the World Heritage Centre is in Paris in February 2003. After submission, nominations are subjected to a rigorous process of international assessment before being considered at a World Heritage Committee meeting around mid 2004.

High-resolution photographs and further information about the Royal Exhibition Building are available at: www.ea.gov.au/heritage/whatsnew

Conference papers will highlight successful and innovative projects from around the world that integrate archaeology with heritage interpretation and presentation.

Each paper will be accompanied by a 24-hour online discussion
convened by the author.

Each Conference presenter will be online at various times during their
24-hour session. In addition to these conference sessions there will be two, week-long discussions devoted to the archaeology of the Burrup Peninsula's world-renowned rock art, and the National Archaeology Policy of the National Trust.

The International Day for Monuments and Sites was created on 18th April 1982 by ICOMOS and approved by the UNESCO General Conference. This special day offers an opportunity to raise the public's awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability. For three years now, we have been reviving this day by choosing one theme shared by all ICOMOS National Committees. The topic proposed in 2001 was Save Our Historic Villages, in 2002 it was 20th Century Heritage and this year's theme is Underwater Cultural Heritage. The theme was considered particularly appropriate in view of growing international co-operation in this field and as 2003 has been declared the International Year for Water by the United Nations.

We call on ICOMOS members and professionals in the preservation field to make this day a global success. Underwater heritage, like other cultural heritage sectors, is threatened all over the world. The possibility of, often unjustified, phenomenal financial gains and the secrecy offered by working underwater, frequently with colossal technical means, exert a strong attraction. Appropriate legislation is often absent or, if it exists, badly applied or not enforced. Too frequently there is a lack of national awareness on the value of this heritage and above all on the importance for citizens to retain its full ownership. Submerged cities (traces of human existence), trade routes used by prehistoric peoples, sacred places and historic sunken ships provide information that cannot or can no longer be found on terrestrial sites and one must remember that all these are part of our common heritage.

In 1996, ICOMOS ratified an International Charter on the Protection and Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage that inspired the preparation of the UNESCO Convention on Underwater Heritage adopted in November 2001. The ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for the Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH) greatly contributed to this UNESCO accomplishment with much appreciated energy and competence.

To mark the 18th April, ICOMOS encourages its National and International Scientific Committees and members to organise activities to promote the ICOMOS Charter and UNESCO Convention and to foster the conservation and protection of all underwater cultural heritage - whether it is located under the seas, in rivers, lakes, etc.

In the coming weeks, in co-operation with ICUCH (the ICOMOS International Committee on Underwater Cultural Heritage), the International Secretariat will be forwarding you information material and documentation to help you organise your Committee's activities. Please also regularly consult the new rubric on underwater heritage that will be launched on the ICOMOS web site: www.international.icomos.org/18april2003.htm in approximately one week. Furthermore, we would encourage you to contact your national member of ICUCH who can provide you with additional material, contacts and advice.

On 18 April 1982 on the occasion of a symposium organised in ICOMOS Tunisia, which coincided with a meeting of the Bureau in Hammamet, the holding of the International Day for Monuments and Sites to be celebrated simultaneously throughout the world was suggested. This project was approved by the Executive Committee who provided practical suggestions to the National Committees on how to organise this day. Last but not least, the idea was also approved by the UNESCO General Conference.

In Europe, many countries already celebrate the European Heritage Days, organised in September each year under the auspices of the Council of Europe. Nevertheless, a growing number of ICOMOS National and International Committees all over the world are holding special events on the 18th April.

The ICOMOS President, Michael Petzet, and the Executive Committee propose that ICOMOS uses the 18th of April for all Committees to jointly draw attention to a particularly endangered type of cultural heritage, in conjunction with the annual Heritage at Risk report. This year it is suggested to put the spotlight on 20th century heritage.

However, each Committee is free to chose the theme(s) it finds most relevant to highlight on this Day. Some chose to draw attention to the triennial-theme established by the General Assembly, at present "Place-Memory-Meaning: Preservation intangible values in monuments and sites" (see the articles published in ICOMOS News of the ICOMOS web site).

Below are some suggestions of activities which can be organised nationally to mark this event:
· Visits to monuments and sites, and restoration works, possibly with free admission;
· Articles in newspapers and magazines, as well as television and radio broadcasts;
· Hanging banners in town squares or principal traffic arteries calling attention to the day and the preservation of cultural heritage;
· Inviting local and foreign experts and personalities for conferences and interviews;
· Organising discussions in cultural-centres, city halls, and other public spaces.
· Exhibitions (photos, paintings, etc)
· Publication of books, post-cards, stamps, posters
· Awarding prizes to organisations or persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage or produced an excellent publication on the subject.
· Inaugurate a recently restored monument
· Special awareness raising activities amongst school children and youth
· Promotion of "twinning" opportunities between various National Committees, defining areas for co-operation; exchange of speakers; organisation of meetings and seminars, or the editing of joint publications.
· A Scientific Committee could be invited to a country to debate around the chosen theme.

The essential thing is to mark this day that it becomes not only a Day to celebrate your national heritage, but also a day of international solidarity in favour of strengthening and safeguarding heritage world-wide.

If you are organising meetings, workshops, or other activities to mark the International Day for Monuments and Sites on 18th April, please inform the International Secretariat of such activities and the chosen theme, by sending us any documents and press clippings. Information on 18th April is being published in the coming ICOMOS News and we look forward to mentioning a selection of National Committee activities in the June/July issue. Also do not hesitate to send in any suggestions or comments you may have on the principle of this day and ways to celebrate it.

ICOMOS International Secretariat, 49 - 51 rue de la Fédération, 75015 Paris, France
Tel : 33 (0) 1 45 67 67 70, Fax : 33 (0) 1 45 66 06 22, e-mail : secretariat@icomos.org
www.international.icomos.org

Conservation Mangement Plan for Sarah Island Historic Site, Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania

A Conservation Management Plan for the Sarah Island Historic Site, Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, is currently being prepared. The conservation management planning is being undertaken for the Tasmanian Heritage Office (Department of Tourism, Parks, Heritage & the Arts) by a team of consultants. The consultant team comprises - Anne McConnell (Principal), Kathy Evans, Jerry de Gryse, Anna Gurnhill, Greg Lehman and Robert Vincent.

The Tasmanian Heritage Office is managing the project on behalf of the Parks and Wildlife Service (Department Primary Industry, Water & Environment), the government agency responsible for the management of the Sarah Island Historic Site. The project started in early January 2003. It is anticipated that a draft Conservation Management Plan will be available by early April 2003.

The Sarah Island Historic Site is best known as the site of one of Tasmania's earliest convict settlements, with convicts mainly engaged in Huon pine logging and shipbuilding. It also has Aboriginal historical associations, and for the last 100 years it has been a focus of tourists on Tasmania's west coast. Sarah Island has important and acknowledged historic values, and is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

If you would like to make comment or would like more information, please contact Anne McConnell (ph 03 6239 1494 (W/H), annemc@aaa.net.au, GPO Box 234, Hobart, Tas, 7001) or Anna Gurnhill (anna_gurnhill@yahoo.com.au).

Australia ICOMOS is calling for applications from Australia ICOMOS members for the US/ICOMOS summer internship program 2003. US/ICOMOS will only consider applications made through another national committee of ICOMOS, in this case Australia ICOMOS. Applicants must also meet the criteria of Australia ICOMOS before they can be nominated to US/ICOMOS. Australia ICOMOS will recommend one applicant to US ICOMOS, but this is not a guarantee that this applicant will be successful as the final decision rests with US ICOMOS

Participants will be assigned to three-month, practical working internships, under professional supervision, with a public or private nonprofit preservation organization. These positions are for interns with a bachelors degree at minimum in a preservation or conservation- related field: architecture, conservation, landscape architecture, cultural resource management, interpretation, archaeology, industrial archaeology, history or cultural tourism. Applicants whose first language is English, or who can demonstrate a great fluency in the language, may qualify for positions as historians or for projects requiring the preparation of written reports and other materials. Most projects require the production of graphic documentation.

Mandatory requirements:
Applicants must be between the ages of 22 and 35.
Applicants must have at least an undergraduate degree in a conservation related field.
Applicants must be a member of Australia ICOMOS

Criterion 1: demonstrated skill in the field of heritage conservation.
Criterion 2: demonstrated interest in heritage conservation.
Criterion 3: previous experience in heritage conservation.
Criterion 4: academic concentration in the field and the ability to represent Australia ICOMOS in an exchange program.

All applicants will be notified by Australia ICOMOS on the success of their application.

On completion of the US ICOMOS internship, the successful applicant must provide a written report to Australia ICOMOS discussing their experience and how the internship contributed to their professional development, and in particular how they consider the experience will assist them in contributing to the conservation of Australiaâ€™s cultural heritage.

Inquiries should be sent to the Australia ICOMOS Secretariat at austicomos@deakin.edu.au
tel: 03 9251 7131.

Australia ICOMOS members Margaret Cook, Catherine Brouwer and Robert Riddel have recently been appointed to the Queensland Heritage Council by the Hon Dean Wells, Minister for Environment in Queensland. Both Ms Cook and Ms Brouwer were reappointed to the Council, and Mr Riddel was newly appointed after being nominated by Australia ICOMOS.

The Queensland Heritage Council comprises 12 members, and will be inducted on 31 January 2003.

English Heritage has released its first State of the Historic Environment report. It will become an annual publication.

The report describes the historic environment as "a massively under exploited asset, which is under attack from all sides." Threats include "a skills crisis, incongruous development, half a century of unsympathetic agricultural policy, inappropriate tax regimes, climate change and natural erosion, and of course, a lack of funds."

The Mountains of Meaning conference held in Jindabyne, NSW at the end of November 2002 was a great success. The proceedings will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Australia ICOMOS journal, Historic Environment. A detailed report in pdf format is also available and be downloaded by clicking here.

Anita Krivickas has written a very interesting report detailing her US internship in May-August 2002. She worked on the working on the Socorro Mission Restoration Project in New Mexico.
Click here to read the story.

Between 1978, when Ecuador's Galapagos Islands became the first UNESCO World Heritage site, and this year, when the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan became the latest, the World Heritage List swelled to include a total of 730 sites of "exceptional universal value" spread across the world's five
continents.

They include such famous places as the ancient city of Machu Picchu (Peru), the Auschwitz concentration camp (Poland), the Great Wall of China, the Medina of Essaouira (Morocco) and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which gave rise to the List, is 30 years old this year. It was adopted in Paris on November 16, 1972 and came into force in December 1975, when the minimum requirement of 20 countries had ratified it. Today, with 175 States-Parties, it is UNESCO's most widely-backed legal instrument. To mark this anniversary, UNESCO will hold an international congress ("Shared Legacy, Common Responsibility") in Venice from November 14 to 16, with the support of the Italian government and the city council.

The Congress will bring together more than 500 experts at the Cini Foundation, on the Venetian island of San Giorgio Maggiore, to analyse the successes and problems over 30 years of applying the
Convention; to work out ways of making the Convention and UNESCO's efforts to protect World Heritage better known; and to strengthen future partnerships for World Heritage Conservation.

"The World Heritage Convention is a noble, vital force in the world, fostering peaceful coexistence and honouring our past in equal measure with our future," says UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.

The coveted "world heritage" label is much more than a prestige tag. It makes any site more popular, but also puts it under international protection and facilitates efforts by the country where it is located to raise international funding for its conservation.

The World Heritage Fund thus earmarks almost $4 million a year to help States Parties prepare the candidature of potential sites, to send technical and expert missions to sites and to provide emergency help for those hit by disaster.

Venice and its lagoon, which has been a World Heritage site since 1987, provides the ideal setting to assess the evolution of the Convention, whose importance is highlighted in the preamble which affirms that "the deterioration or disappearance of any item of cultural or natural heritage constitutes a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world."

(Story added 11 Nov 02)

European Association of Archaeologists Awards European Heritage Prize to Dr Henry Cleere

The European Association of Archaeologists, at its 8th Annual Meeting, 24-29 September 2002, has awareded its prestigeous European Heritage Prize to Dr. Henry Cleere, long-time World Heritage coordinator at ICOMOS. The Association, which this year is meeting in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, is hosted by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Greek Ministry of Culture.

The European Heritage Prize is awarded annually to an individual, institution, or to a local or regional government for an outstanding contribution to the protection and presentation of the European archaeological heritage. This is interpreted as the promotion of archaeology and the archaeological heritage as part of the Association's vision of the unity of the European heritage.

Invitation to nominate material for the Australian UNESCO Memory of the World Register
The Australian Memory of the World Committee invites nominations of nationally significant documentary heritage material for entry on the Australian Memory of the World Register.

UNESCO has established the Memory of the World programme to preserve and provide access to the world's most significant documentary heritage. One of its aims is to identify and list, on International, Regional and National Registers, documentary material of world significance. These registers will not exist in printed form but will be created as electronic documents. Each custodian of material listed on a register will be presented with a certificate of inscription, suitable for framing. Admission onto this register will be used as a means of raising awareness of its importance, to generate support for its preservation and to assist in providing improved access to it. Full details of the International programme are available at: http://www.unesco.org/webworld/mdm/en/index_mdm.html.

The Australian Memory of the World Committee has been in operation since 18 December 2000. Its national register is the first to be established within the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme and its method of operation is being used as a model by other national committees. Detailed information about the Australian Program is available at:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aghowell/mow/amow_hmp.htm

Since its inception the committee has met regularly and has achieved a great deal. It has:

* assembled three nominations for admission onto the Memory of the World International Register. The two nominations from the National Library of Australia were successful,
* held a major function to promote the Programme and to present the Memory of the World Certificates to the National Library of Australia,
* created increased awareness of the programme by means of newspaper and magazine articles, radio interviews, and talks and lectures. An example of this type of promotion can be seen in the article produced in the NATIONAL Library of Australia News, December 2001 - Worldwide
Significance - The Memory of the World Register - http://www.nla.gov.au/pub/nlanews/2001/dec01/article5.html,
* developed a set of guidelines for the operation of the Australian Memory of the World Program that have been approved by UNESCO in Paris,
* developed a website as the primary source of information relating to the Australian Memory of the World Program, that is to be mounted on the Australian National Commission for UNESCO's website. It is currently available at http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aghowell/mow/amow_hmp.htm
* obtained support from Professor Ross Harvey at Charles Sturt University, who has agreed to undertake the task of conducting research to compile a list of Lost and Missing Australian Documentary Heritage of National Significance. The compilation of such national registers is one of the goals of the International Programme,
* had Mr. Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO launch its Australian Program, and
* is now seeking further nominations for inscription to the Register.

Nominations are restricted to two per year for each organisation or institution. Applications will be requested each year. The Australian Committee has assembled the following list of categories, for which nationally significant material will exist. This list is not intended to be totally comprehensive but is provided as a guide to help in the selection of material for nomination.

Academia
Agriculture
Architectural Drawings
Aviation
Business
Environment
Exploration
Government
Immigration
Indigenous (not a separate category, as there are overlaps with other categories)
Literature
Mining
Music
Politicians
Religion
Science and Technology
Settlement
Social welfare/Charity
Sport

The nomination form is available at
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aghowell/mow/amow_hmp.htm . Additional information can be obtained from any committee member. Contact details are available at http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aghowell/mow/amow_mem.htm

The closing date for nominations is 16 December 2002. Assessments will be conducted by an expert panel, and all applicants will be informed of the outcome of the assessment process by the end of March 2003. A ceremony, where certificates of inscription will be presented to the successful
applicants, will be held in Canberra during the Heritage Festival in late April 2003.

Inscription on the register will confer many benefits to an institution.
One of which is that you will be entitled to use the Memory of the World logo. This will generate increased interest in your collection that may assist in generating sponsorship to improve the care of and access to your collection.
It could also assist in obtaining more funding from government sources and in attracting more users and visitors. Admission to the Australian Register does not preclude entry onto the World Register. Quite the contrary: should your material be deemed to be of world significance, the fact that it
has already been listed on the Australian Register will be a factor in its favour when being assessed by the international committee.

Contact:
Jan Lyall
Chair,
Australian Memory of the World Committee
jlyall@ulladulla.com
(02) 4454 5158

This informative and thought provoking publication examines the nature of twentieth century heritage, and challenges the orthodoxy of the way heritage is viewed. It argues that modern heritage, particularly places dating from after the Second World War, should be a part of the legacy of our cultural heritage.

The book outlines how changes in Australian society impacted on the built environment during the twentieth century. The influence of the modern movement - the impact of the car on our society - and the influence of European culture are just a few of the topics discussed. Tangible reminders of those influences are still with us - the service station - the humble fibro cottage - the ubiquitous cream brick house - the tall buildings - through to the ever-increasing coffee shop culture. These are just a few structures that have left an impact on our landscape: places that form an integral part of people's lives and their identities.

Case studies, with full colour photographs, are included from a nationwide palette of diverse examples.

A useful comprehensive reading list, with Australian references to published and unpublished works on twentieth century heritage, makes this publication an important contribution to the body of work on twentieth century heritage.

The book is available from the Environment Shop for $14.95 inc GST
Phone: (61 8) 8204 91911

2) The heritage of European universities (2002)

This book sets out to explore of the university heritage in its rich variety, both material and intellectual, and how it is transmitted in the various countries of Europe and in different periods. The aim of this publication, gathering authors representing 15 institutions, is to raise awareness of the key role of universities to the cultural heritage of Europe as well as to encourage universities to cooperate at European level to define a common approach to their common problems and lacks with regard to their heritage.
ISBN : 92-871-4960-7 / 92-871-4959-3
Format : 16x24 cm, 240 / 242 pages
Price : EURO 25 / US$ 38

Available from Council of Europe Publishing - 67075 Strasbourg Cedex
E-mail : publishing@coe.int
Visit the site http://book.coe.int
Fax : +33 (0)3 88 41 27 80

An Australian expedition will set sail for Antarctica tomorrow on the French Antarctic vessel L’Astrolabe to complete vital conservation and restoration work on Mawson’s Huts, Parliamentary Secretary for the Antarctic, Dr Sharman Stone, announced on Tuesday 15 October.

Dr Stone said the $500,000 expedition, funded by the Commonwealth, would remove snow and ice from inside the historic structures, repair the roof and walls, and assess and document artefacts.

“Mawson's Huts are the most important heritage site in the Australian Antarctic Territory. The Howard Government is committed to the preservation of the buildings and their artefacts for future generations,” Dr Stone said.

Mawson’s Huts, which represent the last structures remaining in the Australian Antarctic Territory from the “Heroic Era” of polar exploration, are located at Cape Denison, which Mawson himself called ‘the home of the blizzard’. One of the windiest places on Earth, Cape Denison is 2560 km south of Hobart and 1300 km from the nearest permanent Australian base, Casey. “The isolated location and climatic extremes required careful logistical planning for the expedition,” Dr Stone said.

“Mawson's Huts are a frozen testimony to the life and work of our most famous Antarctic explorer and his team,” Dr Stone said. “Keeping simple timber huts standing in these extreme winds is a complex task. The Government has embraced its responsibility to preserve and interpret Australia’s unique Antarctic heritage.”

The nine-member expedition includes a heritage architect, a materials conservator and an archaeologist, as well as expert carpenters. One of the tasks of the expedition is to structurally secure the fragile buildings, subject to an assessment of their condition. The expedition leaves Hobart on October 15 for the 10-week project.

Two new publications reveal the outstanding universal values of Australia's fourteen World Heritage places.

Speaking on Sunday 13 October at the launch of the booklet and poster, the Minister for Environment and Heritage, Dr Kemp, said Australia's World Heritage areas are all very different, but they have one thing in common-they're on the list of the most significant heritage places on earth.

"They're spread across the extraordinary range of Australia's natural and cultural environments, from our subantarctic islands, to the wet tropics of our far north and to the arid regions of our red center," Dr Kemp said.

"World Heritage listing doesn't come easily. To achieve it a site has to have some outstanding qualities: it has to be vital for conserving biological diversity; or have exceptional scenery; be an extraordinary example of ongoing geological or ecological processes; or have unique cultural or historical value.

"Australia is exceptional. It is the oldest continent on earth and features some of the planet's most remarkable remaining natural areas. Added to this are cultural sites more than 40 000 years old, telling the story of living traditions that are important for all humankind."

Some of these wonderful places are household names: Kakadu with its rugged landscapes, expansive wetlands and Aboriginal art; the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest living organism (and its largest World Heritage property); Uluru- Kata Tjuta, an instantly recognizable Australian icon, sacred to Aboriginal people; and the Blue Mountains, a distinctive eucalypt landscape synonymous with the Australian bush and Australia's most recent addition to the World Heritage List.

"Australia is proud to be recognized internationally for its leading role in promoting the work of the World Heritage Convention. Over the last six years the Commonwealth Government has committed over $450 million towards improving the management and protection of its World Heritage properties," Dr Kemp added.

"I am proud to launch this booklet and poster so that people from Australia, and, indeed, from around the world, can share our magnificent heritage. It is our shared responsibility to conserve our World Heritage places now and for the future."

International Workshops to Combine Building Conservation Training with Hands-on Help to Historic Sites

With a broad range of locations, structure types, and building techniques from which to choose, Heritage Conservation Network's workshops offer a variety of ways for enthusiasts, students, and conservationists alike to participate in a hands-on preservation project. Participants also spend time during each workshop exploring other heritage sites in the area. Full details about each workshop can be found at HCN's web site: www.heritageconservation.net/workshops.

The fee for each one-week workshop is US$875, which includes most meals, lodging, insurance, and workshop materials. The workshop at the Capella dell' Immacolatella will last two weeks and participants have the option of attending for one or two weeks; they also have the option of bringing an accompanying partner, who will stay with the participants but be free to explore Sicily on his/her own. Workshop fees do not include transportation to the site. There are special rates for local residents who do not require lodging as well as for members of the local heritage organization working on the project. Some workshops may have scholarships available.

Additional information about the HCN and the 2003 workshop series, including registration forms, can be found at www.heritageconservation.net or by contacting Heritage Conservation Network, 1557 North Street, Boulder, CO 80304, USA; phone: +1 (303) 444 0128; fax: +1 (775) 320 6837; or email: workshops@heritageconservation.net.

Heritage Conservation Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the world's architectural heritage.

Arts and Cultural Heritage Volunteer Training

Over the next two years, a program to build skills of volunteers working in regional arts and heritage will be introduced to eighty regions around Australia. Lyn Leader-Elliott of Flinders University has been appointed to manage the project.

The project's objectives are to:
o Deliver a flexible and inclusive program of arts and museum sector volunteer training and skills development through a series of one day training modules throughout regional Australia.
o Provide an on-line resource, with a capacity to deliver the training modules and /or course resources.
o Develop the project as a model for possible expansion into non-arts/museum sectors and non-regional metropolitan areas.

The project is funded by two Commonwealth agencies, the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, and the Department of Family and Community Services.

Initiated by Regional Arts Australia, the project has been two years in the planning and is now swinging into gear. Curriculum for is being developed in the areas of business planning, marketing, funding and sponsorship, networking within communities, planning and programming activities and events, and collections management. Close working relationships are being built with Museums Australia and Volunteering Australia.

The Greens (WA) Member for Mining and Pastoral, Robin Chapple MLC has condemned Friday's announcement that the WA Premier has committed a further $22 million to Burrup Fertilisers for an ammonia plant on the Burrup Peninsula. This is presumed to be in excess of the $136 million already pledged for shared infrastructure in the region.

"The Burrup is an area of global significance, which by rights should be listed on the World Heritage Register. How can Dr. Gallop consider spending another $22 million of taxpayers money on a project which will erode the ancient rock art of the Peninsula?" Mr Chapple demanded. "If an industry can't stand on its own two feet in this supposed age of international competitiveness, we shouldn't be propping it up with public money anyway. But paying them to trash our heritage I find pretty obnoxious. All of this for 60 full time jobs and profits for an overseas chemical company."

Research conducted by the WA Museum has shown that increasing nutrient concentrations in arid soils can accelerate rock weathering by increasing soil microflora activity. Nitrogen in particular is a key limiting nutrient in most soils. Creating a massive source of environmental nitrogen - for example, a Fertiliser Plant - in the middle of the Burrup rock art province may permanently erase the enigmatic engravings that set this area apart as the largest outdoor rock art gallery in the world.

"The WA Government has an obligation to the Traditional custodians of this area and also the people of the world to preserve this rock art for future generations." Mr Chapple said. "Some of it has been there since the last ice age. We are not opposed to industry, but we have to stop and look at whose interests these developments are serving."

1. No further industrial development can be allowed on the Burrup. Industry should be located at the proposed Maitland industrial estate south-west of Karratha.
2. WA risks being branded climate criminals if current projections for increased greenhouse emissions are accurate. Projects in the Burrup region could add upward of 30-40% to State emissions of CO2. No projects should go ahead unless they can commit to no net increase in State greenhouse emissions.
3. The Burrup should be listed as a national park, to be jointly managed by the Indigenous peoples of the area, rock art conservators and CALM
4. The State Government must start taking Indigenous aspirations for the region seriously. Forcing them to name a price for the destruction of their country is an unacceptable starting point for negotiations.
5. The State Government should allow the Shire of Roebourne to rate all future industry at the improved value of the land, providing a robust funding source to the Shire.

The UK has formally signed up to an international agreement to protect cultural property, Arts Minister Baroness Blackstone announced on 1 August.

The 1970 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property gives members the right to recover stolen antiquities - primarily ancient and religious artefacts - which surface in the countries of fellow signatories.

"By signing this agreement, we are sending a strong warning to those who do so much damage to the world's cultural heritage that the UK is serious about joining the international effort to stamp out illicit trade in cultural objects. It will also help us claim back objects unlawfully removed from the UK.

"Acceding to the Convention was recommended by an advisory panel set up by DCMS to look at the extent of such trade. Britain has the second largest art market in the world with the market in antiquities making up a considerable part of it. The panel, led by Professor Norman Palmer, found that the market generally operates in an honourable way but did find evidence of illicit activity. I am therefore pleased that we have now implemented this recommendation."

The report found that the British art market was worth around £4.5 billion in 1999, of which the antiquities market generated £15m. In 1999, some 132 cases were dealt with by London's Interpol Unit and about 30 seizures of cultural goods were made by Customs and Excise.

Items stolen from the UK in the past include the Salisbury Hoard, a unique collection of more than 500 prehistoric artefacts that were stolen in 1985 by treasure hunters from a site near Salisbury. Two thirds of the hoard has been recovered by the British Museum but a third is still dispersed in the trade. Now, if such a hoard were stolen and taken to a country covered by the Convention, the UK could consider putting in a claim for its return.

"I am delighted to learn that the UK has signed up to the UNESCO Convention. This commitment is in full accord with the recommendations of the Advisory Panel on Illicit Trade in its report to Ministers. In acceding to the Convention, the United Kingdom not only signals its commitment to the proper treatment of works of art and antiquities across the world, but joins 91 other nations in this endeavour. The UK's participation will, I believe, be seen as a milestone in the progress of the Convention."

Accession to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property was one of the principal
recommendations of the Ministerial Advisory Panel on the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects (ITAP) (December 2000). This is on the DCMS website (www.culture.gov.uk) along with the ITAP Progress Report for 2001. The Convention was laid before Parliament as a Command Paper with explanatory memorandum this Spring. An Instrument of the Convention has now been deposited with UNESCO in Paris.

The UNESCO Convention has as its purpose the prevention of illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property. It enables members to recover stolen antiquities which surface in the countries of the 91 fellow signatories. The Convention is not retroactive.

The Ministerial Advisory Panel was set up in the Spring of 1999 to advise the Government on, first, the extent of the illicit international trade in art and antiquities and the extent to which the UK was involved in it and, secondly, how most effectively the UK could play its part in preventing and prohibiting the illicit trade. The Panel had a distinguished membership drawn from the worlds of archaeology, museums and the trade.

As an official side-event to the "World Summit on Sustainable Development" (WSSD) a workshop on African heritage and sustainable development was held from 19 to 23 August 2002 in South Africa.
Representatives from over 30 countries from the African region, the Advisory Bodies and the UNESCO-World Heritage Centre discussed issues linking heritage with development and adopted the
"Johannesburg Declaration on World Heritage in Africa and Sustainable Development".

The Board of the Conservation Information Network is pleased to announce a new Web site for the Conservation Information Network (CIN) at www.bcin.ca. The new site, created on behalf of CIN by the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), will become accessible on May 1, 2002. The BCIN Bibliographic Database will be offered free of charge on the new site.

BCIN currently contains over 190,000 bibliographic records on conservation, contributed by the following:

- Canadian Conservation Institute Library
- Getty Conservation Institute
- International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
- International Council of Museums (ICOM)
- International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
- National Archives of Canada
- Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education (SCMRE)

BCIN will include the first 34 volumes of Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts (AATA) published between 1955 and 1997.

In a related development, the entire body of AATA abstracts, published from 1955 to the present, will be available in a new free online service, AATA Online. Offered by the Getty Conservation Institute, in association with the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC),
AATA Online will go live on June 8, 2002 at www.getty.edu/conservation. The site will be updated on a quarterly basis.

In the coming months, the CIN Board will actively explore ways to enhance access and integration of the conservation resources represented in the BCIN and AATA databases so as to provide the best and widest possible service to the field.

The Canadian Heritage Information Network is also undertaking a major redevelopment of its Web site at www.chin.gc.ca. In addition to featuring an engaging new look and user-friendly navigational tools, the Web site will focus on skills required for creating and managing digital content. As with the new
Conservation Information Network site, the new CHIN site will be launched on May 1, 2002, and all CHIN online resources will be offered free of charge.

Unintended damage to Indigenous heritage places as a result of planning and development decisions should be greatly reduced with the help of a new publication, Ask First: A guide to respecting Indigenous heritage places and values.

Australian Heritage Commission Chairman, Tom Harley, said that the book, which was developed by the AHC and launched on 4 June, would provide an invaluable tool for developers, managers, planners and workers who want to protect special Indigenous places.

"Ask First helps guide people through the consultation process with Indigenous communities," Mr Harley said.

"It provides clear suggestions for industry groups looking to establish a dialogue with Indigenous communities to achieve a positive outcome for all involved.

"The emphasis on Indigenous involvement, consultation and reaching negotiated agreements is consistent with Government's approach to reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage protection. The reconciliation process is about bringing people together so that they can talk honestly and
openly and with understanding.

"This publication recognizes that Indigenous people are the primary source of information about the significance of Indigenous areas and objects and decisions that affect that significance must be made in consultation with Indigenous people."

Mr Harley said the launch of Ask First, was the culmination of a three-year consultation process. This involved a wide range of people including heritage professionals, researchers, Indigenous individuals and organisations, the mining and agricultural industries as well as State, Territory, Commonwealth and local
government agencies.

"The Commission has a commitment to producing guidelines that help Australians protect different aspects of their heritage places," he said.

"This publication will complement other heritage guidelines including the Burra Charter, which focuses on built heritage and the Australian Natural Heritage Charter."

Inspirational Landscapes - Heritage Places?
On-line Conference 6 & 7 November 2002

... the raw character of place, so strong in this landscape, has strengthened our feeling for the connection between people and land...(Jim Sinatra & Phin Murphy, Listen to the People, Listen to the Land, MUP, 1999.) Inspirational landscapes are landscapes that evoke a response - awe,
excitement, creativity, action, reflection, or curiosity. They are the landscapes that people celebrate and reflect on. They are those we take pleasure in and enjoy exploring, both physically and through painting, photography, music, performance, poetry or literature. They are the landscapes that people take action to protect. And most of all, they are the landscapes that give meaning and spiritual connection.
Through the Inspirational Landscapes project, the Australian Heritage Commission will explore the qualities that mark certain landscapes as 'inspirational', with the aim of developing a methodology for assessing the heritage significance of these places.
Ten evocative Australian perspectives on inspirational landscapes will set the scene for the On-line conference. Contributors include:
Robyne Bancroft (Indigenous heritage practitioner).
Veronica Brady (Roman Catholic nun and academic).
Jamie Kirkpatrick (ecologist, geographer and gardener).
Jeff Malpas (philosopher and academic).
Mandy Martin (artist and lecturer).
Stephen Martin (writer and researcher).
Sally Morgan (artist and writer).
Dailan Pugh (conservationist and artist).
Deborah Bird Rose (life-affirming scholar and academic).
Jim Sinatra and Phin Murphy (landscape architecture professionals).

Three On-line forums will be conducted over two days and will address the definition of 'inspirational landscapes', practical approaches to their identification and indigenous and colonial perspectives. Participants are also invited to share their own inspirational landscapes.

The 13th ICOMOS General Assembly has been moved to Madrid, Spain. Originally planned for Zimbabwe in October, the ongoing political strife there made it necessary to find another venue. It is hoped that the General Assembly can return to Zimbabwe in 2003.

A concurrent scientific symposium will consider the theme "Strategies for the World's Cultural Heritage : Preservation in a globalised world - principles, practices, perspectives".

The dates for the Assembly have also been changed and it will now take place 1-5 December 2002.

At the 18 June sitting of the NT Legislative Assembly a Condolence Motion for Big Bill Neidjie OAM was passed and a minute’s silence was observed. Big Bill died on 23 May 2002. He was a leader of the Gagadju people from the Kakadu region of the Northern Territory and the Assembly recorded its appreciation of his contribution to the advancement of Aboriginal people and to the development of Kakadu National Park which bears the name of his people.

To read the Minutes of the Condolence Motion download them click here: Download

The Minutes of the Condolence Motion in the NT Legislative Assembly were kindly provided by the staff of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly

The Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage Dr. David Kemp introduced three new heritage bills into the House of Representatives on 27 June 2002. The bills are:

Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional
Provisions) Bill 2002 Download

You can also read the Minister's speech to the House of Representatives delivered on 27 June 2002: Download Speech

Caring for Heritage Places: Introducing the Burra Charter, a 20-minute video covering the basic concepts of the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter, is now available from the Australia ICOMOS Secretariat.

Produced in co-operation with the Australian Heritage Commission, the video provides an easily accessible introduction to cultural heritage issues as they apply in today's Australia documented with several case studies of best practice.

The video is a valuable resource for cultural heritage professionals, students and people interested in preserving our heritage.

The video can be ordered from the Australia ICOMOS Secretariat (austicomos@deakin.edu.au or 03 9251 7131) at $12.50 each plus postage and handling of $4.50 for individual copies to addresses in Australia.

Two Pacific island states, the Republic of Vanuatu and the Republic of Palau, have recently signed the World Heritage Convention. This will bring the total of States Parties to the Convention to 172. For Vanuatu and Palau, the Convention will come into force on 13 September 2002 and 11 September 2002 respectively.

Two papers in early June by the International Federation of Rock Art Organisations (IFRAO) have graphically upped the stakes for the WA State Government's attempts to establish an industrial estate in the middle of the largest concentration of Aboriginal rock art in the world.

The two reports, "The Survival of the Murujuga (Burrup) Petroglyphs" by Robert G. Bednarik, and "Petroglyphs of the Dampier Archipelago: Background to Development and Descriptive Analysis" by Patricia Vinnicombe, may provide the evidence the Government needs to reverse its stance on forcing industry into the most unpopular industrial estate in the country.

"The consequences of cramming more industry onto the Burrup are significantly worse than I had imagined," Greens (WA) MLC Robin Chapple said today. "We face the prospect not only of bulldozing, blasting and other defacement of the rock art, but we now have evidence that acid emissions from industry will rapidly erase the greater part of the rock art province. We were inspired to save this area before seeing these reports; now we're downright determined."

Mr Chapple said that in the interests of all parties, the Government needs only to announce that it will instead fund the nearby Maitland Industrial Estate, situated on flat station country to the south west of Karratha, and preserve the Burrup. "Every day they delay this simple action is another day of unnecessary frustration. It is time the Premier stepped in to defuse the crisis."

"We believe that industries are facing site costs of up to 15-20% of the total project costs, just to establish level areas on which to build their plants amid the steep, rocky terrain of the Burrup. We will be asking whether a move to Maitland might represent a substantial saving to proponents as well as the obvious savings to the State,"

"In the last two weeks a whole range of stakeholders have come out and demanded that the Burrup not be sacrificed. The Greens (WA) will stay at the forefront of this campaign until we have seen it through.", Mr Chapple said.

The International Rock Art Federation has a new website featuring the threatened petroglyphs of the Burrup Peninsula - to get a glimpse of what's at risk visit:
http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/users/dampier/

Although the United States suffered incalculable personal and economic losses on September 11, 2001, little has been written about the destruction of America’s cultural and historical legacy -- until now. Heritage Preservation, the leading non-profit advocate for the proper care of cultural heritage in the USA, has just published Cataclysm and Challenge, a 26-page report offering the first comprehensive study of what was lost -- both in Lower Manhattan and at the Pentagon -- on that day. The report also highlights findings obtained from a survey -- conducted in the months immediately following September 11 -- of 122 museums, libraries, archives and other collecting institutions in Lower Manhattan. It reveals significant lessons that may help protect cultural heritage from future disasters.

United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage:
Prioriy on Reconciliation and Development

Paris, April 3 - From Bamyan to Jerusalem or Sarajevo, in the past few years cultural heritage has often been a military target or the flashpoint of political, ethnic and religious conflicts. But when peace returns, the rehabilitation and enhancement of these highly symbolic sites, as well as that of cultural spaces or forms of cultural expression belonging to the intangible heritage, can sometimes help to strengthen the process of national reconciliation and revive economic activity. Aware of these realities, UNESCO is pursuing its activities to protect cultural heritage and calls upon Member States to ratify the international conventions covering this area.

Work will begin later this year to transform the neglected and little-known historic buildings behind the Macquarie Street Mint in Sydney and to open them to the public for the first time in generations.

Cultural Ministers Council Releases Deakin University Study into Key Needs of Australia's Heritage Collections

For almost a decade Australia's cultural ministers have worked with the Heritage Collections Council and its predecessors to coordinate national strategies and initiatives for improving the preservation and accessibility of heritage collections.

Ministers acknowledged the valuable work of the Heritage Collections Council and are committed to build upon this work. Ministers are also committed to a continuing partnership with the museums and galleries sectors and to the development of new partnerships with libraries and archives.

A study of the Key Needs of Australia's Heritage Collections was undertaken by Deakin University and Ministers have agreed to release this significant piece of primary research.

Having considered the study the Ministers agreed to establish a National Collections Advisory Forum to provide strategic advice on collections, and to identify priorities for government in addressing the ongoing needs of the sector. A key focus for the Forum will be to advise Ministers within 12 months on the feasibility of establishing an industry body to represent the collections sector. The Forum will be chaired by an eminent Australian, and include both collections industry and community members. Membership will be announced in the near future.

The Ministers agreed to allocate $160,000 in 2002--03 to enable the Forum to address its Terms of Reference, which are to:

* prioritise the current and future needs of Australia's collections, including benchmarks and standards, and recommend strategies and programs to address these needs;
* develop strategies to identify the community value of collections and support their potential as instruments of social, cultural and economic development;
* advise on means of enhancing the coordination of programs of support offered by the three tiers of Government and industry; and
* provide a report to CMC, within 12 months, upon the feasibility or otherwise of establishing a national industry body to represent the library, archives, museum and gallery sectors.

Ministers agreed to allocate $100,000 per annum to the CMC Standing Committee to fund programs of support for the sector following advice from the Forum.

Anita Krivickas, a heritage and conservation architect with Graham Brooks and Associates in Sydney has been successful in gaining an internship in the USA as part of the 2002 US/ICOMOS Summer Internship Program. She will be off to Sante Fe where she will be working for a conservation group called Cornerstones Community Partnerships from the end of May to the end of August.

Report of the 26th Session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee (8-13 April 2002)

The report of the 26th session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee, held in early April at UNESCO Headquarters, is now available on the web at the following addresses:

Australia’s environment and heritage ministers met for the first time as the Environment Protection and Heritage Council in Hobart on 2 May 2002. The Council began by taking important steps to confront the nation’s priority environment protection and heritage issues. At the meeting Ministers united to set the vision and identify priorities for the next decade.

Ministers agreed to develop new approaches to managing and protecting Australia’s environment and its natural and cultural heritage. Eight key issues for immediate attention are:

* air quality;
* waste management;
* eco-efficiency;
* financial sector initiatives;
* management of chemicals;
* participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
* national heritage policy; and
* innovative policy tools and information.

These priorities mirror the findings from the Australian State of the Environment Report 2001. In the context of the forthcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development, Ministers renewed their commitment to ecologically sustainable development.

Council agreed to work closely with the community and industry to promote ecologically sustainable development and community participation in all aspects of its work.

The Council Chair and Commonwealth Environment and Heritage Minister, Dr David Kemp, announced:

‘This Council will be about tackling key environmental and heritage problems in new and cooperative ways.’

As part of Council’s Action Plan to advance reconciliation, Ms Chrissy Grant, Director of Indigenous Heritage at Environment Australia, spoke about recognising the significance, interests and contribution of indigenous peoples to environment protection and heritage issues, and on the need for effective involvement of indigenous peoples in all Council activities.

Australia’s ability to meet the challenges of protecting its unique heritage places has received a significant boost with the Commonwealth, states and territories committing to develop the first national policy on heritage.

The Integrated National Heritage Policy will determine responsibilities and targets for identifying, conserving and protecting Australia’s natural and cultural heritage.

The Council has initiated the policy in response to concerns at all levels of government over the need for more effective coordination of heritage management. All Heritage Ministers will drive the policy under the auspices of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council.

The tourism industry will be singled out for particular attention because of its important links with environment and heritage management. A national strategy to promote heritage tourism will be a cornerstone of the new policy’s efforts to guide tourism development in natural and cultural heritage places.

Another major outcome was agreement to establish a task force to develop more effective incentives for the conservation of heritage places by government, industry and the community.

The Environment Protection and Heritage Council is a new council formed to oversight environmental protection. The new Council encompasses the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC), environmental protection issues previously dealt with by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC), and the Heritage Ministers’ Meeting.

An article in the Los Angeles Times on vanishing twentieth-century heritage in Los Angeles.

BCIN currently contains over 190,000 bibliographic records on conservation, contributed by the following:

BCIN will include the first 34 volumes of Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts (AATA) published between 1955 and 1997.

E-Conference: Cultural Heritage and the struggle against poverty and social exclusion

Beginning on April 17, 2002, this e-conference is accessible at the address: www.gruppocerfe.org/e-conference/english.htm. The page contains the background paper, its executive summary, the guidelines for participants, the netiquette, some links and the conference itself.

For the next four weeks the conference will go on through the discussion on the topics introduced by the background paper and the submission of papers, case studies, and commments on the various considered issues.

As you will see accessing the page, some papers have already been presented and are available. The organisers are counting on participants to produce a rich, relevant and interesting discussion within this space.

Each day, the papers, documents and comments posted to the conference moderator will be collected, made available through the page and forwarded to the participants.

A concurrent scientific symposium will consider the theme "Strategies for the World's Cultural Heritage : Preservation in a globalised world - principles, practices, perspectives".

The dates for the Assembly have also been changed and it will now take place 1-5 December 2002.

The Director-General of UNESCO launches an appeal for the protection of historic, cultural and religious heritage in the Palestinian autonomous towns

Paris, 11 April 2002
Alarmed by the threats to which historic, cultural and religious heritage is being exposed through the violent ongoing fighting in the main Palestinian autonomous towns, the Director-General has written to the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Shimon Peres, and to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr Yasser Arafat.

In his two letters, the Director-General appeals for every effort to be made to respect the sacred character of religious sites, not only those known as the Holy Places , but also all those built around them in this region, which was the cradle of civilizations and which is (&) the symbol of our shared humanity .

Recalling that these monuments - churches, monasteries, synagogues and mosques - were built by men and women of good faith, who were convinced of the possibility of a better life for all , Mr Matsuura urges that every possible measure be taken not to kill this age-old hope . He calls on the State of Israel, as a party to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to do everything within its power to ensure compliance with this Convention in all the Palestinian autonomous territories. This cultural heritage is the most striking symbol of the fruitful interaction between peoples, cultures and religions. In destroying it, we jeopardize the future .

Emphasizing that the choice today is between a headlong descent into the abyss and what may be the last chance for peace in the region , the Director-General expressed his readiness to lend his services to any mediation that might help to save lives and irreplaceable monuments and create the conditions for the resumption of a dialogue based on mutual respect .

Further information from the Executive Office of the Director-General Spokeswoman
Telephone : (33.1) 45.68.13.26
Fax : (33.1) 45.68.55.66
E-mail: m.de-pierrebourg@unesco.org

The Palestinian National Committee of ICOMOS, established in February 2002, has, as its first official communication to its fellow national committees, the sad task to inform you of the ongoing obliteration of the architectural heritage in the West Bank's largest city, Nablus, by Israeli occupation forces.

The Israeli reoccupation of Palestinian towns and villages, which began on March 29 and is still ongoing, has brought havoc to the urban cores of Palestinian towns, including their culturally rich historic old cities which date back two millennia. The vast majority of the damage has not been the result of crossfire or war "collateral damage." The destruction, which can best be described as cultural vandalism, has been a major military objective, similar to the practices of ethnic cleansing carried out in other parts of the world. Israeli forces have made no distinction between new and historic buildings, businesses, homes or places of worship in their rage of systematic destruction in Nablus, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jenin over the past two weeks.

The greatest damage to Palestinian cultural heritage has been in Nablus and Bethlehem, where even the movement of cars and heavy machinery had been banned inside the old cities to prevent vibrations from damaging the architecture. Israeli military forces have used tanks and bulldozers to cut pathways into the 2-3 meter wide streets, and to remove buildings in their way. F-16 fighters and Apache helicopters have made pinpointed missile assaults from the air on Nablus's Ottoman-era structures such as khans, an 18th century hammam (public bath), a traditional soap factory and a number of exceptional historic family palaces. A side door of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, regarded as Christ's birthplace, was blown out and mosaics shattered by snipers. Jamal Abdul Nasser mosque, on Manger Square, was burned.

Both old cities are well-preserved and together are home to about 40,000 persons. The international community has donated millions of dollars for restoration efforts in Manger Square and elsewhere in Bethlehem to coincide with the millennium celebrations. Nablus, the commercial hub of the West Bank in continuous use since Roman times, had recently carried out repaving, infrastructure renovation and restorations with international and local funds. Most of this careful cultural heritage preservation work has been undone over the past two weeks.

"The destruction of existing buildings is the destruction of multiple cultural layers of civilization. It is not just a crime against Palestine but a crime against world culture," said Palestinian historian and preservation activist Nazmi Ju'abi. "Large swathes of destruction have been 'cleaned' by bulldozers to remove traces of what was once there."

The press, particularly photographers, have been effectively barred from the West Bank, and cities are still under round-the-clock curfews, enforced by Israeli snipers. A handful of relief workers have reported scenes of "flattening," similar to a large-scale war.

The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954) clearly calls for "refraining from any act of hostility directed against such [cultural] property." We urge you to protest to your government this robbing of cultural heritage from the Palestinian people and from the world community, in 2002, United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, for which UNESCO has been designated the UN lead agency.

World Monuments Fund is very interested in receiving nominations to the Watch program from your country. The next deadline is December 1, 2002 for the Watch list of 2004, and the revised nomination forms will be available from the WMF website in June of 2002. Please visit the website to learn about our Watch Program and to download the nomination forms:

http://wmf.org/
http://wmf.org/html/programs/participate.html

Or contact

Norma Barbacci, Director of Programs
World Monuments Fund
95 Madison Avenue, 9th floor, New York, New York
10016, U.S.A.
Fax: 646 424 9593
nbarbacci@wmf.org
http://www.worldmonuments.org

A fitting way to celebrate this years International Day for Monuments and
Sites (18 April 2002) with the theme focusing on 20th Century architecture ...purchase a
copy of "Twentieth Century Architecture in Wollongong" by Robert Irving, generously illustrated with photographs by Patrick Grant.

It is available by mail order from Wollongong City Council, Locked Bag 8821, South Coast Mail Centre 2521 or from book stores for $29.95. If sending a cheque please include $6 for postage and handling.

Louise Thom
Heritage Officer
Wollongong City Council
Locked Bag 8821, South Coast Mail Centre 2521

Unique bushland of significant botanical and cultural value in the New England region is to be conserved with the declaration of New South Wales' first Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).

Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Heritage, Dr Sharman Stone, congratulated the Banbai people on their decision to manage and conserve the "Wattleridge" property for the protection and conservation of its natural and cultural values.

"The Wattleridge IPA comprises 480 hectares of unique bushland on outcropping granite. It is the last remaining remnant not so far protected in the New England region," Dr Stone said at a ceremony at Wattleridge to mark the declaration.

"The Wattleridge IPA contains the only recorded axe grinding groove sites and fully recorded art sites in the local area. The area is of tremendous importance to the Banbai community," Dr Stone said. The Wattleridge property was purchased in 1998 for the Banbai Land Enterprises by the Indigenous Land Corporation in recognition of its cultural significance for the local Aboriginal community and its potential for development of small-scale businesses, particularly ecotourism.

The Banbai community hopes to make the Wattleridge property self-sufficient. As part of the IPA program small business enterprises will be developed to help provide employment and extra funds for environmental management. Plant propagation and the promotion of Wattleridge as a tourist destination are proposed.

The Indigenous Protected Areas program is part of the National Reserve System Program that aims to establish a network of protected areas that includes a representative sample of all types of ecosystems across the country. There is now at least one in every State and the Northern Territory. The program supports Indigenous landowners to manage their lands for the protection of natural and cultural features for the benefit of all Australians according to internationally recognised standards and guidelines.

Global Heritage Fund (GHF), an international conservation group focused on funding highly-qualified planning, conservation and tourism management projects for major cultural heritage sites in developing countries is currently seeking nominations for funding.

Valerie Prigent, Project Manager for GHF, works with nominees and potential projects to develop professional grant nominations and site conservation plans for each cultural heritage site with which GHF works. GHF's Advisory Board includes leading archaeologists and conservationists dedicated to preservation of the most important archaeological sites and ancient townscapes in developing countries.

Recent fundings include a 3-5 year grant to the national Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos in the Ukraine for a professional staff of conservators, a planning grant for establishing the Mirador Basin National Preserve in northern Guatemala, and funding for a multi-year site planning and conservation effort for Wudang Temples, China.

Global Heritage Fund focuses on conservation and planning for major archaeological sites and ancient townscapes of 'outstanding universal value' which deepen understanding of history, civilization, culture and technological progress which have served as major living centers for the world's most important civilizations.

GHF principally funds planning, conservation, training and tourism management projects where the threats of neglect and destruction are most urgent, and where efforts can launch a 'cycle of success' for long-term conservation.

Global Heritage Fund is looking for funding nominations from sites which have the potential to be the primary foundation for national and regional economic growth through sustainable tourism. GHF funding is focused on projects where there exist major opportunities for sustainable tourism and planned development, both of which are essential for success in long-term cultural heritage site conservation.

1. Major archaeological sites located outside North America, Western Europe and Japan

Each year, GHF Challenge Grants are funded directly to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and on-site archaeological conservancy groups which have been approved by our Selection Committee. GHF funding selection is dependent on four (4) key criteria we deem essential for long-term success.

Nominations are submitted and reviewed in a thorough due diligence process, then selected by the GHF Selection Committee comprised of our Advisory Board and Trustees for Global Heritage.

If you have any questions or need help in preparing nominations for funding from GHF, please feel free to contact Valerie Prigent at globalheritagefund@yahoo.com.

At the end of January 2002 Australia formally nominated Purnululu National Park in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia for World Heritage Listing with UNESCO in Paris. Purnululu is nominated as a cultural landscape with outstanding universal natural and cultural values.

Culturally, the region is very special as the Aboriginal traditional owners maintain their connection to their country as an integral part of their lives. Only two of the 721 World Heritage sites are listed for
values relating to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Both of these are in Australia - Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Purnululu includes the distinctively-banded orange and grey sandstone towers of the Bungle Bungle Range, with its spectacular domes, gorges and wet season waterfalls. Before 1982, when aerial pictures were first released, the Range was virtually unknown except to pastoralists, scientists and the Aboriginal community.

The international assessment process will take about 18 months and will include on site assessments and international comparisons, before a decision by the World Heritage Committee possibly in June 2003. If the World Heritage Committee accepts this nomination, Purnululu will be
a worthy addition to Australia's existing 14 World Heritage places.

ICCROM has launched the re-designed ICCROM Web site. Please have a look at it at www.iccrom.org

The re-design is the result of collaboration with the EVTEK Institute of Art and Design in Finland and ICCROM staff and consultants. As before, the site contains up-to-date coverage of ICCROM's current
programmes, events, courses, and visitors and a link to the ICCROM library catalogue and four current databases: the training directory, the conference directory, the directory of periodicals, and the image archive.

New features. The site now makes available a downloadable version of the ICCROM Newsletter (PDF format). We hope that by the end of March there will be two more databases available: a Web links database, providing a comprehensive list of conservation Web site links; and a publications database that offers a search function for ICCROM's publications on sale. Also, for the first time on the ICCROM site, there is a site-wide search function from each page. Simply type in a topic and the related pages will appear.

The ACT Heritage Grants Program is an ACT Government program administered by the Heritage Unit to assist the community in conserving and promoting the ACT’s heritage.

Any incorporated non-profit or private organisation, community group, or person working individually or jointly may apply for an ACT Heritage Grant.

An allocation of $239,000 in funding (excluding GST) is available for the 2002/2003 round of the Grants Program for projects commencing within the financial year. Generally funded grant projects are under $10,000.

A proportion of funding is guaranteed for Aboriginal heritage projects and for the ACT Heritage Festival. A proportion of the funding may be allocated to directed grants. The Minister for Urban Services makes the final decision on the grants funded based on advice from the Heritage Unit and the ACT Heritage Council. Information on recently funded projects is available from the Heritage Unit or on the website.

Preliminary draft Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage: the legal experts get down to work

During the meeting at UNESCO Headquarters from 19 to 21 March 2002 at the invitation of the Director-General, some 10 experts in international law and cultural heritage were entrusted with the task of mapping out the broad outlines of a Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

At its last session the General Conference decided, (31C/Resolution 30), that the question of the safeguarding of the intangiblecultural heritage should be regulated by means of an international
convention and invited the Director-General to submit to it at its 32nd session a preliminary draft of such a convention.

Following on from the meetings already held on the intangible cultural heritage, in particular in Turin (March 2001), Elche (September 2001) and Rio de Janeiro (January 2002), this meeting will focus on the more specifically legal aspects of the ongoing process of elaboration, which will include many other consultations, notably with Member States.

At the opening of the meeting the Director General of UNESCO, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, spoke of the challenge facing the group of experts, declaring: "This is no easy task, but the stakes are high. You will need to decide on both the structure and the guiding principles of this new instrument. You will have the great responsibility of transforming this idea of a convention (...) into a first concrete embodiment of the concerns it is designed to address".

'The cultural heritage of a people is the memory of its living culture. It is expressed in many different forms, both tangible (monuments, landscapes, objects) and intangible (languages, know?how, the performing arts, music, etc.). The origins of this heritage are multifarious, too. In retracing its own cultural lineage, in recognizing the many different influences that have marked its history and shaped its identity, a people is better able to build peaceful relations with other peoples, to pursue what is often an age-old dialogue and to forge its future'.

UNESCO’s Culture Sector in Afghanistan
Preserving and Restoring Afghanistan’s Monuments, Sites and Museums

UNESCO launched an immediate Afghan Cultural Heritage assessment campaign to evaluate damage done and to develop a list of priorities for preservation work.

The sites under review, include the Kabul Museum, Bamiyan Valley, the Minaret of Jam; the mosque of Haji Piyada in Balkh Province; the site of Surkh Kotal; Herat, including the Friday Mosque and the ceramic tile workshop, the Musallah complex, particularly the fifth minaret; the Mausoleum Gawharshad, the mausoleum of Ali Sher Navaï and the Shah Zadehah mausoleum complex.

Interest in providing funds to UNESCO has already been expressed by the Governments of France, Germany, Greece and Italy. UNESCO estimates a minimum of 3,600,000 USD is needed for Afghanistan’s cultural restoration. Donations can be wired to the Special Emergency Fund for Afghan Cultural Heritage.

UNESCO’s first mission in December 2001, lead by Mr Paul Bucherer-Dietschi, The Director of the Swiss Afghanistan Museum, engaged the former Chief Curator of the Kabul Museum, Mr Omar Khan Massudi, and two Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology of Kabul, Mr Mohamed Nadir Rasuli and Mr Mir Abdul-Raouf Zaker, to identify the remains of smashed statues, store them in protective boxes and evaluate their restoration needs.

Mr Bucherer-Dietschi also assessed the destruction at the Bamiyan site and noted that it extended beyond the large statues of Bamiyan to the smaller statues of Foladi and Kakrak. UNESCO has now secured the preservation of the ruins by placing the remaining large stone blocks under fibreglass covers to protect them from the winter.

Should the Buddhas of Bamiyan be rebuilt? UNESCO has received an official request from the current Government of Afghanistan and is convening a panel of international specialists to discuss possible reconstruction of the Buddhas in compliance with the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites (The Venice Charter, 1964) with a tentative date in May 2002.

UNESCO’s policy on the protective safekeeping of cultural property is quite simple. Where there is serious danger to the survival of heritage, and at the request of the recognized government of the country concerned, UNESCO will arrange the safe custody of objects donated to it and their return to that country when the situation allows.

UNESCO supports non-profit organizations working to take cultural objects into safe custody. It will not itself purchase objects that are being illicitly trafficked.

In the case of Afghanistan, and consequent to the destruction of heritage by the Taliban, UNESCO has created a special programme to assist in the rescue of cultural objects of Afghan origin.

UNESCO, in partnership with The Cultural Heritage Foundation in Japan, the Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage (SPACH) based in Islamabad, Pakistan and the Swiss Afghanistan Museum in Bubendorf, currently provides protective custody for Afghan cultural property found on the international art market and particularly objects stolen from museums or discovered during illicit excavations.

These objects once found and categorized, will then be returned to a peaceful Afghanistan.

On 13th February 2002 Minister for the Environment and Heritage Dr David Kemp MP launched a new publication Tracking the Dragon.

Tracking the Dragon has been prepared by the Australian Heritage
Commission and is designed to help individuals, community groups and heritage practitioners to find out more about the heritage places which tell the story of Chinese life in Australia.

The publication is divided into two separate parts:
- A guide for finding and assessing Chinese Australian heritage places.
- A toolkit for researching and assessing Chinese Australian heritage
places.

Report of the 25th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee NOW AVAILABLE

Australia ICOMOS has released its Statement on Indigenous Cultural Heritage. The result of careful deliberations and considerable debate, the Statement can be downloaded here: