EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. Pilgrims and visitors under shady trees

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3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Tourism is a key component in the management of World Heritage properties that has negative and positive impacts on the significance and values of a site. Proper visitor management can mitigate negative impacts and enhance the positive aspects for the benefit of the site, generating much needed funds for its conservation and promotion. This Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) examines the impacts of visitors on the significant values of Lumbini World Heritage Site within the context of tourism management and development issues. This report also includes a draft guideline for future HIA in Lumbini. Toward this end, the report provides information and observations on the tourism-focused HIA. It considers tourism s complexity and the need to address the HIA broadly considering the effects of tourism management on long-term impacts. It discusses the utility of considering with the HIA the wider range of public uses that normally make up the visitor profile at a World Heritage site; in the case of Lumbini religious pilgrims as well as tourists, researchers, and local religious and recreational user groups. It suggests that tourism-focused HIA s contribute to management processes that help describe the desired conditions that will be maintained at a site, creating a point of reference for evaluating current and future tourism-related impacts. Following on, the report outlines the tourism/visitor-related impacts at the Lumbini World Heritage property and the Kenzo Tange Master Plan area. It discusses how on-going and future projects may impact the property and Master Plan Area suggesting mitigation measures for current and potential impacts. Finally, the report offers recommendations for Heritage Impact Assessment guidelines included as annex to in this report. These guidelines will be used to assess future projects and initiatives at the Lumbini World Heritage Site, as well as other heritage sites in Nepal. Within the limited context of tourism, this HIA, to the extent possible, follows the suggested contents of the HIA report proposed by the ICOMOS Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessments for Cultural World Heritage Properties (2011). The report also uses complementary elements of the Draft HIA Report Template developed during the WHITRAP, Shanghai ICCROM World Cultural Heritage Old Town Lijiang Protection and Management Bureau International Training Course on Heritage Impact Assessment Lijiang, held in China, on October 15 24, This later template builds on the ICOMOS guidelines and provides additional useful detail. Pilgrims and visitors under shady trees i

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. INTRODUCTION Background to HIA 1 Mandate and Terms of Reference 2 The issues of tourism-focused HIA 2 The concept of public use 3 Basic site information 3 2. METHODOLOGY Introduction 5 Description of steps carried out as part of the HIA 5 Flow chart 6 3. LEGISLATIONS, GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS Legislations and statutory requirements 7 Heritage guidelines and standards 8 4. DESCRIPTION AND ASSESSEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE Background to the heritage 9 Description of the heritage resources and its attributes, baseline conditions and existing impacts DESCRIPTION OF FUTURE CHANGES AND AN ASSESSEMENT AND EVALUATION OF IMPACTS MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS Overarching mitigation 18 General mitigations EVALUATION SYNTHESIS AND ADVISORY LIST OF ABREVIATIONS / ACRONYMS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND AUTHORSHIP REFERENCES APPENDICES Draft HIA Guidelines for Lumbini 30 Statement of Outstanding Universal Value 36 International Cultural Tourism Charter Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance 38 Lumbini Development Trust Act, 2042 (1985) 43 Terms of Reference of Consultant ILLUSTRATIONS Lumbini World Heritage Property Boundary including buffer zone 54 Kenzo Tange Master Plan Area 55 iii

5 1. INTRODUCTION Background to the HIA Tourism is one of the most prominent conservation and development issues confronting World Heritage site management. While tourism can cause negative impacts, changing a site s sense of place, it can provide benefits such as generating funds for unmet conservation costs. The work and the activities being carried out during the preparation of this report, offer an opportunity to examine the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) exercise within the context of this prominent management and development issue. HIA s are designed to be carried out as a response to a development proposal or disaster. They provide expert insight, generating a study that informs authorities about the effects of a proposed alteration or development, most frequently an infrastructure project. For this consultancy, UNESCO did not request an evaluation of a specific potential project proposal and its impacts but asked the consultant to provide overall information on the impacts of current tourism conditions at Lumbini. UNESCO s request was also interpreted as a signal for reflection on the on-going and the potential changes and challenges at Lumbini that may be generated by future visitation and tourism-related projects and trends. In addition, the UNESCO request was seen as a signal for reflection on the unique considerations that are needed in a tourism-focused HIA process. Because of the timing of the consulting timeframe, the report s methodology is largely analytical, based on existing information from background documents. These were supplied by UNESCO Kathmandu Office. Also used was the work of the World Heritage Centre on addressing the impacts of tourism/public use and the tools such as public use planning that have been developed over the years. The two and a half days field visit to Lumbini did permit a short but useful overview of the site. On site, the team was able, on foot, bicycle and in taxi, to interview park guards and the Deputy Director of the Buddhist Research Centre and to gain an overview of the World Heritage site, the area of Kenzo Tange Master Plan, and to visit the local villages on the Eastern and Southern periphery of the property. Interviews were also carried out with the LDT staff and ADB consultants who have or are working on various other projects in Lumbini. Original survey work was not possible because of the length of stay and low tourist season at the site. Survey work should take place during the high season (November to March) to observe larger tourist and pilgrim numbers. Mandate and Terms of Reference Limited information on the Archaeological remains ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 1

6 The Consultant responsibilities were to provide specific advice in undertaking the assessment on the impact of tourism on heritage in Lumbini. Activities included: 1) Collecting information on the Lumbini World Heritage property, especially attributes that convey the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property; 2) Identifying attributes of the property that may be impacted by tourism; 3) Analysing main activities of tourism that may have impact on the property, e.g. through sampling; 4) Evaluating the impact of tourism on the OUV of the property, both direct and indirect; 5) Assessing the effects that can be avoided, reduced or rehabilitated; 6) Inviting an international expert in the area of HIA; 7) Interacting with teams presently working on tourism related initiatives in Lumbini (ADB, World Bank etc.); 8) Presenting the findings of the assessment in a workshop to be organized by UNESCO in Lumbini. 9) Preparing draft guidelines for the preparation of HIA s of new projects in Lumbini; The issues of tourism-focused HIA s This report suggests the need for a broad approach in the manner in which a tourism-focused HIA is conducted. There are several reasons for this: Tourism can generate negative and positive impacts. Like in most HIA s, tourism s development costs and benefits must be weighed and judged. However, with tourism and visitation, these activities are usually mandated by national and/or local legislation; publically owned cultural sites around the world are generally legally bound to open their doors to visitors. In the case of World Heritage, the World Heritage Convention also states the desirability of presenting the site for visitation. This creates a dilemma; management, by law, must accommodate human use, perhaps a number of public uses, tourism, recreation and religious uses, educational and scientific activities, research. At the same time management must preserve the protected area s quality and conditions, in the case of World Heritage, a property s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). Management is therefore obligated to address a situation of having both to conserve the resource and also provide and manage visitor opportunities. What this means for tourism-focused HIA s, is that the HIA exercise is strengthened if it provides suggestions for implementing frameworks or processes that enable the needed dialog between stakeholders to resolve the value laden push and pull situations that providing for both visitors and conservation produce. Also, tourism-focused HIA s demand considerations of factors other than those related to the physical impacts to the site, such as an infrastructure proposal for a hotel nearby an archaeological site. With tourism or visitation, site alteration and impacts may involve social conditions such as noise and crowds that can conflict with and undermine a sacred or spiritual experience (and eventually the OUV) such as that which is linked to Lumbini. 2

7 This also forces management, as described above, to deal with the many values connected to the different user groups for setting standards in deciding how much is too much. Tourism/visitation impacts are complicated. An impact may not be caused by how many people use the site but what different user groups are doing based on the practice of their particular activities and their behaviours. A few poorly behaved visitors can negatively impact an area at a rate much greater than a larger group of responsible tourists. This means that a tourism-focused HIA needs to provide an array of management suggestions and processes for addressing this complexity, for mitigating these negative practices. The concept of public use Because of the complexities of visitation, this report considers tourism within the broader concept of public use. Public use may be defined as touristic, educational, interpretive, recreational and investigative activities. Public use does not include extractive activities for commerce or subsistence such as logging or mining. Local cultural, spiritual activities or traditional land tenure organization systems may also be considered and integrated as an element of public use so as to avoid unnecessary conflict. It is believed the concept of public use, reflecting on how tourism integrates with related user groups, educational groups, recreation interests, and scientific research, can be a useful addition to tourism-focused HIA s. Public use planning (PUP) is an integrated planning approach to tourism (socially, economically, environmentally), which is pro-active and participatory, with long term, capacity building and mentoring goals. Implementation is key to PUP, which was born of the need to overcome planning barriers that leave other types of plan partially or incompletely implemented. Certainly at Lumbini it is seen as a necessary concept in which to frame the diverse spectrum of international, national and local tourists, pilgrims, researchers, archaeologists and recreationalists. Regarding this diversity, the article, Perception Seven, Balancing faith and conservation, the management of visitor activities, identifies the dual nature of visitation to Lumbini, a place of pilgrimage and an archaeological site. The article categorizes the types of users as: 1. Buddhist Pilgrims 2. Non-Buddhist pilgrims (educational and recreational tourists) 3. Resident Buddhist communities 4. State guests 5. Site managers 6. Miscellaneous groups (e.g. media, security personnel, etc.) Basic site information Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha Coordinates: N E Date of Inscription: 1997 The World Heritage boundary encompasses an area of 130 by 150 meters which includes the Ashoka pillar, the Shakya pond and the archaeological vestiges of viharas and stupas around the Maya Devi temple. It however does not include extensions of these archaeological sites to the north and the southeast. Furthermore, the boundary does not encompass the village mound towards the southwest. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 3

8 Buffer Zones Maya Devi Temple and Ashoka Pillar The buffer zone is defined by the area within the water body as demarcated in Kenzo Tange Master Plan. At the time of inscription the water body had not yet been excavated. It was assumed that such a radical intrusion within the existing natural surrounds would hardly have been allowed within the World Heritage buffer zone and therefore this area was excluded from even the buffer zone. For the long-term protection of the property, it is essential that the entire Sacred Garden area is protected and shielded from the pressures of inappropriate development. Range of Heritage assessed The Lord Buddha was born in 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, testified by the inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC. Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world s great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from as early as the 3rd century BC. The complex of structures within the archaeological conservation area includes the Shakya Tank; the remains within the Maya Devi Temple consisting of brick structures in a cross-wall system dating from the 3rd century BC to the present century and the sandstone Ashoka pillar with its Pali inscription in Brahmi script. Additionally, there are the excavated remains of Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature. 4

9 2. METHODOLOGY Introduction For this report a holistic approach is taken in looking at visitor impacts at the World Heritage site and in the surrounding areas. This approach includes reflection on how development and increasing visitor numbers taking place around the site will affect it in the future, specifically, increases in numbers when the airport is expanded within the current ADB initiative. Also, in analysing impacts, other current trends were considered for example, local communities and their desire for using the heritage site for worship alongside Buddhist pilgrims. While not a serious impact at this time, site conditions are evolving and more locals are using the site. The experience and consensus among protected area professionals and the World Heritage Committee (the fifth C) on the need to consider community development cultural and socioeconomic issues into the whole suite of conservation tools such as HIA was incorporated into the analysis. A key notion within the report methodology, and extrapolated from the ICOMOS HIA Guidelines, is that potential threats should also be anticipated in reference to the strengths and weaknesses in the management system of the property. The ICOMOS HIA Guidelines state that conservation policies (or the need for them) may also be used as a measure to assess potential adverse impacts. Because an identified need at Lumbini is greater planning and management capacity building, management issues make up the significant part of this assessment. It is the key factor related to dealing with current and future public use issues and related impacts to OUV. ICOMOS Guidelines also state that HIA s are or should be an iterative process. This recommendation was incorporated into the considerations for this report and its HIA suggestions. If HIA s are to be iterative; their recommendations need to contain suggested actions for establishing the baseline standards and indicators upon which to monitor future HIA iterations. This would include suggesting management processes to develop the standards and indicators, for example with an attribute like the Ashoka Pillar, so as to maintain the agreed-upon standards set for desired conditions. Standards are related not only to inappropriate infrastructure but also such social impacts as the volume of music or the number of tourists related to the sanctity of place. The notion of an iterative process is key to helping UNESCO and Lumbini Development Trust track changes over time. Description of steps/ tasks carried out as part of the HIA Data Collection / Baseline: Desk research was based on the documents provided by UNESCO Kathmandu office and included their published and unpublished works including tourist database collected by Lumbini Development Trust. The International Consultant specializing in HIA provided a broader perspective of HIA in World Heritage Sites. On-site visit conducted by the team also included interviews with the key staff, locals and consultants. Significance Assessment: The assessment of significance was based on the existing Statement of OUV prepared in retrospect in Lumbini was inscribed in 1997 under Criteria (iii) and (iv) and the Statement of OUV includes statements on the Integrity, Authenticity and Management. Impact Assessment: Site visits, interviews and data review assisted in the identification of the sources of impacts as well as potential impacts. The assessment of impacts was based on the overall OUV and significance of the site and its individual attributes. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 5

10 Mitigation Design: Mitigation recommendation was evaluated based on overarching and specific attributes. It also includes the potential options that can be modified and adapted to the prevailing conditions of Lumbini. Initial findings were presented at the International Scientific Steering Committee meeting organized by UNESCO and held in Lumbini July, 2013 and recommendations were incorporated in this report. Flow chart Data collection / Baseline Data made available by the commissioning authority Desk-Based Research Data Sources Published works Unpublished works Databases Assessment Visit(s) Additional data collection: surveys, interviews, field work Significance Assessment Based on Statement of Outstanding Universal Value Impact Assessment Identification of sources of impacts Identification of potential impacts Assessment of Impacts On overall OUV / Values and Significance On individual attributes Mitigation Design Option modeling Evaluating Options Mitigation 6

11 3. LEGISLATION, GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS Legislation and Statutory Requirements The Lumbini Development Trust Act (1985) is a specific act for the implementation of the Lumbini Development Plan and management of all sites directly or indirectly related to the life of Buddha. The principle Act relevant to the conservation of heritage is the Ancient Monument Preservation Act (1956). There are various other Acts that directly or indirectly address heritage conservation issues, which should augment - however often contradict the principle Act. Lumbini Development Trust Act 1985 Fifth Amendment 2010 The Lumbini Development Trust Act (LDTA) 1985 is an Act made to provide for the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT). The Act has been amended in 1991, 1993, 1996, 2006 and the Fifth Amendment was made in LDT is a non-profit making institution, an autonomous and corporate body with perpetual succession. The LDTA is a specific act for the implementation of the Lumbini Development Plan which would encompass the Lumbini Development Area which includes places directly or indirectly related to the life of the Lord Buddha, stretching from Kapilavastu, through Rupandehi to Nawalparasi. The Objectives of LDT is to obtain funds, provide funds for implementation and check on the proper utilization of funds. LDT may introduce changes in the work plan if so deemed necessary in the interest of the Plan. LDT may establish committees and subcommittees to implement their work while keeping close relationship with the Government. The Lumbini Monastic Zone Bylaws 2002 provides for development controls for the construction of monasteries within the Monastic Zone of the Lumbini Master Plan area. However, there are no provisions for guidelines for the conservation and protection of the OUV of the site. Standards At this time, there is no detailed written consensus on the conditions and opportunities site management will provide and the standards to be maintained. For the Lumbini World Heritage property and Master Plan Area, clear tourism objectives, used to produce necessary conservation standards on desired conditions are still needed. As mentioned before, in the section on the Statement of OUV and HIA s, the policy process has begun with the Integrated Management Framework. For example, the document makes the following sorts of statements: The Tourism sector plays a major role in heritage conservation, both as a source of income as well as to gain acknowledgement for the heritage. The expectations of the visitor would need to be fulfilled by resolving the conflicting issues and enhancing the cumulative impression created to express the character of the site. Tourism development shall assist in preserving the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage areas. The activities carried out by the tourism sector will respect the authenticity and integrity of the World Heritage property. These statements are useful policy guidelines. The next needed step is taking these policies and developing measurable objectives, with standards and indicators, to evaluate if these policy guidelines are being met. This means deciding together with the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) and relevant constituencies and stakeholders e.g., the Department of Archaeology, ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 7

12 the purpose of tourism and the desired conditions and experiences for visitors. Again, this will provide HIA s the needed base information upon which to make more informed judgements. Heritage Guidelines and Standards Ancient Monument Preservation Act Fifth Amendment 1996 The legislation for the conservation, protection, and management of cultural property is based on the Ancient Monument Preservation Act (AMPA) 1956, its subsequent amendments (the latest is the fifth amendment in 1996) and the Ancient Monument Preservation Rules1988. The Ancient Monument Preservation Act gives the Department of Archaeology the legal provisions to declare a monument or area to be Protected Monument Zone (PMZ). The Department of Archaeology is subsequently responsible for the protection of the site, including controlling all archaeological excavation works, the prescription of building bylaws, approving requests for building permits and for any other construction activities within the zone. Guidelines: The Conservation and Development Guidelines for the Physical Plan of the Sacred Garden of Lumbini is being prepared by Lumbini Development Trust within the Integrated Management Framework in cooperation with all relevant authorities, stakeholders and experts. The Guidelines includes the protection the World Heritage property and its outstanding universal value, address the KenzoTange Master Plan, ensure an appropriate and sustainable environment, conservation of the archaeological vestiges, provision of facilities and services for visitors / pilgrims, regulation of activities within the Sacred Garden, control of inappropriate development, and promotion of continued research and discourse. Existing Information Panel 8

13 4. DESCRIPTION AND ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE RESOURCE Background to the Heritage The region has a subtropical monsoon climate with a warm wet season from mid June to September, a cool dry season from October to February, and a hot dry season from March to mid-june. The annual rainfall is about 1,7000mm of which 85 percent falls during the monsoon season. The mean temperature is about a maximum 45 degrees centigrade during May and a minimum of 10.5 from December and January. The farmlands of Rupendehi and Kapilvastu districts encompass a large rural area. There are plains in the south and Churia Hills to the north. Historically, most of the farmland in the district was a mixture of grass and different forest types. However, there has been a broad shift to intensive arable farming. A number of perennial and seasonal rivers and streams flow through the area. The forests, shrubs, wetlands and grasslands surrounding Lumbini are an important refuge for wildlife. A total 210 bird species have been categorized and listed in Rupendehi district. (EIA of Industrial Development Around Lumbini, IUCN) Birdlife International has declared Lumbini as an Internationally important bird area with a considerable diversity of bird life. This area has the best known population of the globally threatened Sarus Crane in Nepal and is home to the Lumbini Crane Santuary. Surrounding Wetlands ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 9

14 Setting Introduction The Old Maya Devi Temple This following description sets the stage for the report s Section 4 by describing some of the areas physical and intangible qualities that characterize its sense of place. Pictures of the Lumbini site from the site s museum taken perhaps thirty to forty years ago show the World Heritage property with limited infrastructure. In these photos the Maya Devi structure is a modest building, no brick prayer platforms exist, there is an absence of prayer flags and concrete walkways; few people are seen visiting the site. Looking out from the core World Heritage area photos show a pastoral landscape, with traditional farming going on. The work on the Master Plan has not yet begun and there is a complete absence of monasteries. From the visitor s point of view, perhaps the expectations of a first time visitor, this setting and experience is probably closer to the stylized image depicted in the many travel guides and brochures of Lumbini. These materials generally provide an image and sense of place of Lumbini having the desired tranquility and peace mentioned in the Integrated Management Framework. While tourism or public use at Lumbini World Heritage site has obviously evolved, the World Heritage site has retained, with modification, an air of this past above-mentioned description. On a cool and quite evening, in the off season the visitor can perhaps experience, (as the consultant team did), the tranquility and quiet of what the site was normally in the past. Changes outside the World Heritage site have been great as the Kenzo Tange Master Plan has been financed and implemented. Active building of monasteries equipped with rooms for visiting pilgrims and others is on-going and well documented. Outside the Master Plan Area growing urbanization is appearing in much of the periphery with new settlements and in-migration. Hotels have been built on the Eastern periphery as well as in the Northern section of the Master Plan Area. The feeling is that the area around the Master Plan Area is bustling with local activity. 10

15 Description of the heritage resource and its attributes The Lord Buddha was born in 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, testified by the inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC. Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world s great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from as early as the 3rd century BC. The complex of structures within the archaeological conservation area includes the Shakya Tank; the remains within the Maya Devi Temple consisting of brick structures in a cross-wall system dating from the 3rd century BC to the present century and the sandstone Ashoka pillar with its Pali inscription in Brahmi script. Additionally there are the excavated remains of Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature. The Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (Retrospective) and the Lumbini HIA World Heritage Sites are recognised under the World Heritage Convention to have Outstanding Universal Value; OUV is timeless and recognized when the site is inscribed. With World Heritage sites, authorities are interested in determining the degree to which proposed changes or alterations will complement or denigrate the site s OUV. For example, a tourism proposal to build a visitor centre or hotel or to add additional walkways to infrastructure at a World Heritage site may or may not affect the property s OUV. A World Heritage property s Statement of OUV, like a statement of significance for other heritage assets, is meant to define and refine the OUV making it easier to understand the significance of OUV attributes. They are the point of departure upon which expert judgements in HIA preparation are based. In reality, Statements of OUV, tend to be general making their use difficult for extrapolating detail on the desired sense of place or the desired settings for the property. This issue has been pointed out in the ICOMOS Guidelines and is also the situation faced by the Lumbini site. With Lumbini, the Statement of OUV mentions little detail on the desired setting of the property, for example, the desirability for conditions to be maintained for providing a peaceful and tranquil setting for meditation and reflection. In the Lumbini case, these elements have fortunately begun to be more fully described and formulated as policy statements within the Draft Integrated Management Framework. Having sufficient detail teased out of the Statement of OUV provides management an overview upon which to base standards that address the limits of acceptable change to site heritage attributes. Formulating standards in a collaborative manner with pertinent constituencies facilitates generating the needed indicators for aiding evaluation and the preparation of future HIA s. The HIA process provides an opportunity, within the State Parties accepted Statement of OUV, not to change the Statement, but to reinforce and further refine it to help meet management needs. So for example, if a Statement of OUV outlines the significance of the Buddhistrelated attributes and their importance to of a property, the HIA process may help to further reflect on and describe the desired conditions to be maintained connected to those important archaeological attributes. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 11

16 Baseline Conditions and Existing Impacts The World Heritage Property The World Heritage site s significance and character defining attributes are the well-known; they include the Ashoka Pillar, the Maya Devi Temple and its Nativity Marker Stone, the Sacred Pond, the Sacred Tree, and the site s archaeological remains. Physically these attributes are well protected by numerous (90) park police and guards. While the OUV of the site seems currently unharmed there are elements observed during the field trip and in reports that warrant concern; they impact the site s sense of place, hinted at above. These include: garbage in the southern area of the World Heritage site, the prayer flags, reported as excessive by some, blocking the view of the Maya Devi Temple from the South to the North. Electric lines running outside the World Heritage site but in the Sacred Garden take away from the pleasant rural setting are this area and visually impact the World Heritage property. The radio tower outside the WHS but within the Sacred Garden is an eyesore. Music coming from the older adjoining monasteries impacts the tranquility of the setting. Regarding visitor flow, the space for visitor circulation at the Maya Devi Temple is limited. This includes the space to view the Nativity Marker. Upon exiting the Temple, the walkway is constrained forcing visitors onto the grass and perhaps onto mud during the rainy season. Crowding and a long line and wait is reported for entry to the site during high season. Ticket sales are carried out on the North side by a guard is basic; no information is provided to the visitor. A point that has been raised by many is that the site is poorly interpreted and there is a lack of pertinent information. There is certainly the need for interpretation materials that also provide guidance on appropriate visitor behaviour. The article Perception Seven: Balancing faith and conservation, the management of visitor activities, mentions a number of visitor behaviours that impact the site. These include: - Stepping on the ancient monuments - Sitting and relaxing on the archaeological remains - Splashing milk to the Ashoka Pillar - Splashing chemical based perfumed water on the Ashoka Pillar - Throwing coins at the Ashoka Pillar - Lighting candles and burning incenses very close to the ancient monuments - Removing ancient bricks of the archaeological remains inside the Maya Devi Temple - Removing soil from the base of the ancient monuments Visitors walking on archaeological remains Offerings at the Ashoka Pillar 12

17 Community use of the World Heritage area by the local population of villages, now mostly Hindu, is growing. The Ashoka Pillar is used in the Hindu religious ceremonies; the hair of worshipers is cut and left at the Pillar. Worshippers then access areas of the Sacred Garden within the buffer zone of the World Heritage area to continue celebrating with families and friends, bringing food and making picnics. Management has yet to plan for this religious/ recreation use. Due to different activities, it was reported that some conflicts have arisen in the World Heritage area. The cause and content of these conflicts is unknown but are most likely due to space needs between different groups of pilgrims. Appropriate planning and provisions for addressing these sorts of conflicts are needed. The Master Plan Area The Master Plan Area follows the guidance provided by the World Heritage Committee and the design of Kenzo Tange Master Plan. With the Master Plan Area the key issues and challenges are the secondary alterations to the areas infrastructure not detailed in the Master Plan. For example, controversy has arisen over different points of views on the statue of the Baby Buddha. There are impacts caused by the construction of the Area s Buddhist monasteries. The ADB reports inadequate water supply and sewerage systems, used by the new monasteries and Buddhist centres. Active building of monasteries equipped with rooms for visiting pilgrims and others is on-going; it is unclear whether there has been an analysis of the future visitor demand of a particular monastery. There are also different points of view on the degree of motorized transport within the Master Plan Area. For example, two motor boats with two-stroke outboard engines take visitors from the North along the canal to outside the World Heritage site. These are noisy and polluting and of questionable use in an area whose Integrated Management Framework outlines the need for tranquility and peace. While non-motorized rickshaws driven by locals are generally used for transporting visitors, there is talk of using golf carts perhaps with electric motors; quieter than outboard engines but still with motor power. The Northern bus parking area is reported used for local and regional picnicking and party making. The Deputy Director of the Research Centre has complained that this situation is disturbing to the quiet environment needed to carry out academic study. Prayer flags blocking the view of Maya Devi Temple Ticket Counter ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 13

18 Community Issues Providing economic benefits generated by the site for the local communities, is essential for conservation efforts and mitigating long-term visitor impacts. Currently, there appears to be the need for increasing community benefits coming directly from the site. In the mixed Muslin and Hindu communities surrounding the site, the Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha in Nepal document mentions the conditions of poverty faced by these communities. The ADB report mentions the short length of stay by visitors many of whom come on day trips from India, and consequently the limited economic benefits to surrounding communities. Employment of local people in the hotels constructed on the Eastern periphery as well as in the Northern section of the Master Plan Area seems limited. Rickshaw transport services supplied by locals and employment in local restaurants seem to provide the bulk of activities. It is unknown if local opportunities exist for producing agricultural products for the area s growing number of hotels; this would seem possible. The Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP) has been at the core of the Government s approach to promoting sustainable and pro-poor tourism since The program ended in June 2007 and seemingly has no follow-up in the Lumbini area. Management Issues The strengths and weaknesses in the management system of a property are considered by ICOMOS a factor in assessing the degree of severity of current threats and impacts. There are a number of elements connected to this issue. Strategies and plans The Kenzo Tange Master Plan formulated in 1978 has provided the basis for all actions in Lumbini and a comprehensive framework for the overall development and conservation of the site. The Integrated Management Framework provides a useful policy document for beginning the process of creating a more in-depth view of tourism and public use. The Kenzo Tange Master Plan and Integrated Management Framework, while providing an excellent base of information, do not provide an overall tourism development strategy identifying, needed actions, those who are committed to carry out the actions and identifying the financing to do this. Currently at Lumbini there is no tourism or public use plan for the World Heritage site and the Kenzo Tange Master Plan Area. There is at this time the need for providing essential information such as the site s vision of public use, the purpose of visitation, a detailed description of the desired setting and conditions for the World Heritage site, the standards that are to be maintained and the indicators triggering management responses if those standards are not being met. Management structure The World Heritage property is part of the Kenzo Tange Master Plan under the management of the Government s semi-autonomous Lumbini Development Trust (LDT). LDT s management style is operational; LDT seems not yet to strategically focus on long-term tourism or public use management needs. 14

19 LDT is headed by a Council and functions within the Ministry responsible for Culture. The operational responsibility of LDT is overseen by the Executive Committee and the Vice Chairperson and the technical aspects are managed by a project manager. While the LDT manages most of the investments, it has not taken up the responsibility of O&M of services, especially water and sanitation, as it is expected that the local government, once formed, will be charged with the delivery and maintenance of these functions. The structure of the LDT is lean and mostly consists of government appointed members, thus there is a need to induct planning and programme management and technical skills within, such as archaeology, conservation and visitor management. The current top management is restricted to a core group of four personnel. As a matter of policy, the LDT generally engages/outsources development activities. According to Article 12 of the LDT Act the Plan Implementation Committee which is mandated to implement the KenzoTange Master Plan is not yet formed, and is currently directly managed by the LDT Executive Committee. There is no public use specialist on LDT staff engaged in addressing specific public use issues. It is thought that within this structure there is the need for a staff member who could make the link between the management, the community and the tourism industry, a necessary role also as a potential PUP coordinator, as has been found at a number of World Heritage sites where tourism is a key issue. With LDT s management team there is the apparent need for discussion and dialog with key constituencies enabling the sharing of information and debate so as to move the sometimes questions of visitor management ahead. The draft Integrated Management Framework states that the responsibility of managing the World Heritage Property will be taken by the Lumbini Development Trust as World Heritage site managers, which includes visitors management. This increase in LTD s responsibility requires properly trained and qualified staff and reorganisation of the present management structure. Central Water Canal ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 15

20 5. DESCRIPTION OF FUTURE CHANGES AND ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF IMPACTS The overall expectation at Lumbini World Heritage site and Master Plan Area is a significant increase in visitation. Currently, visitor numbers are on the raise. The ADB estimated for Lumbini approximately 500,000 visitors in 2007 included over 70,000 non-indian foreigners, 43 % more than in At the Gautam Buddha Airport (GBA) air traffic data indicate an increasing trend in passenger numbers (14%) and aircraft movements (1.14 times) in The Gautam Buddha Airport upgrade will allow direct air service links from Colombo, Bagdogra, Dhaka, Delhi, Paro, Bangkok, and Tokyo. There are currently no direct air services to Lumbini from these capitals. The ADB upgrading of the Gautam Buddha Airport to a regional international airport will complement advances in tourist access. Reports indicate that about 0.4 million annual passengers are expected at Gautam Buddha Airport by the year World Heritage Area For the World Heritage property, increasing numbers will force the demand and need of visitor control or rationing systems, for example reservation systems or more advanced ticketing systems. Policy restrictions on visitor numbers will have to be put into place if the OUV and a semblance of the sense of place of the site are to be maintained. This will place severe management demands on the LDT and the Unit responsible for the management of the World Heritage property. There is, with increasing numbers, the real possibility with current management thinking, for increases in use of motorized transport in the Master Plan Area completely changing the environment and the needed connectivity with the less-developed World Heritage site. Master Plan Area In addition to the increasing numbers that will force management to face crowding and transport issues for a growing pilgrim and visitor population, the popularity of the site will prompt nations with Buddhist populations to donate funds for the further construction of secondary infrastructure. This will create situations perhaps even more controversial than the current one faced with the Baby Buddha statue. The use of the Master Plan Area by local people will increase. Conflicts may arise due to increasing use by the local Hindu population for religious and complementary recreational Motor Boat in the Central Canal 16

21 experiences and the pilgrims who may be inclined to greater solitude and long sessions of meditation. Increasing use could provoke positive developments. Increasing use may create opportunities for more research activities. It may also bring an influx of academic visitors interested in Buddhist studies but also archeologists interested in furthering the on-going efforts for discovery at the site as well as non-religious visitors coming for spiritual experience. Community With the in-migration caused by development projects like the current ADB project if community based poverty alleviation projects are not implemented and initiatives such as the TRAPP programme not rebooted, growing levels of frustration may be generated in the local communities causing impacts on the areas sense of place and the sought after elements of peace and tranquility. If developed prudently, increases can produce positive community benefits. Local transport providers can benefit, as well as local restaurants and agriculture if products are used in the hotels and monasteries. Management With increases in visitor numbers LDT will be hard pressed to deal with such management needs such as zoning for different user groups, the demands for more advanced reservation and ticketing systems, developing interpretation materials, and ensuring links to local communities and the tourism industry. Without clear policies on objectives defined on what tourism is to accomplish, and the visitor experiences that will be maintained, management issues will be ad hoc and the issues of limiting numbers difficult to justify, limiting benefits for the site as well as the local communities and the country. However, visitor increases could generate additional funding for management capacity building in such topics as public use planning and interpretation, aiding not only Lumbini but management training in the other sites that may be included in a regional tourism circuit. To ease the burden of increasing visitation at Lumbini, if planned well and if there s interest in heritage tourism-led economic development, increased numbers may motivate Lumbini management to consider greater cooperation with other regional cultural heritage tourism related attractions. Creating storylines that lure visitors across the landscape, through shared story lines or interpretation messages could be a complementary process that both helps development and also helps management with the distribution of visitors from Lumbini to other neighbouring sites. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 17

22 6. MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS Overarching Mitigation for the heritage as a whole (Institutional structure) As a first and crucial step to enable the mitigation of the various impacts identified in the previous section, some important structural and institutional steps are needed to be addressed and referred to. Undeniably these are difficult and profound, however, they will eventually have to be addressed to enable mitigation of impacts that will threaten the Site s OUV. They will also be needed if the Master Plan Area is to develop in a manner that retains the desired calm and tranquilly important for its overall sense of place. The management of visitors to the World Heritage property would be better facilitated with some revisions to the current organizational structure of LDT. The LDT Act lays the basis for the organizational structure headed by the Council and administered by the Executive Committee. There is a provision for a Plan Implementation Committee (PIC) to implement the activities on site. The scope of this PIC is not clearly specified in the LDT Act, which the following revised organizational structure proposes to mitigate. A well-qualified professional with relevant educational qualifications and experience is needed to head the PIC as the Project Chief or a Chief Executive Officer. Five departments are recommended to oversee the different functions and activities within the LDT property. A separate Tourism and Information Management department is recommended to oversee visitor management, interpretation and tourism marketing and promotion, including community relations and development. Archaeology and Conservation units are mainly responsible for the heritage management related issues within the World Heritage property and the other historic sites under the mandate of LDT. The CEO or Project chief can also take on the role of the Public Use Coordinator. Different Public Users 18

23 Proposed organizational structure of Lumbini Development Trust Lumbini Development Council Executive Committee ICOMOS Nepal Physical Planning Infrastructure planning and implementation Landscape planning and implementation Heritage Conservation Archaeology Conservation Plan Implementation Committee Tourism and Informatiion Management Visitor Management, Interpretation Tourism Promotion and Marketing Community Development Administration Human Resource Management Security Finance Accounts and Tax Revenue Procurement 19

24 General mitigation The majority of the concerns mentioned within the World Heritage site, for example the issue of prayer flags blocking the view of the Maya Devi temple, or changing the behavior of pilgrims when visiting the site, while not necessarily easy to resolve, require far less challenging solutions than some of the fundamental management and development issues facing the site. Through direct enforcement but also through soft means such as meeting with the leaders of different user groups as well as providing on-site information, management can begin to address these behavioral issues currently impacting the site.this can be started immediately if there is the willingness to make the needed face to face contacts with the different user groups and with some groups if management has the ability to produce the needed information on desired practices for distribution to visitors. They include: A. For the entire area defining and creating the baseline of desired conditions. A first step, and important for Lumbini s future, is to begin within the new Plan Implementation Committee to further the development of public use policy goals and objectives. Any new initiative can change a site. Examining initiatives within these policies and objectives can help determine whether they are within acceptable parameters. For the future this action will enable setting visitor limits and monitoring, all dependent on the direction given by policy goals and objectives. The exercise is also needed to focus the messages that a site will communicate to the public. Messages are needed at Lumbini to direct visitors, define interpretation, and can serve to link to local product development. For example, if management is interested in sending messages to the public that highlight a site s archaeological importance, then interpretation would include information for the visitor on what is being researched and perhaps interpreting an on-going archaeological excavation. Then, if wanted, product development linked to these messages and the interpretation might be generated for example, organization of an annual international conference on Buddhist archaeological research that brings to the area leading scientists and the high level, up-scale market tourists that may also be attracted to the event. UNESCO can take the lead in this exercise. Examined within the lens of a sites Outstanding Universal Value and local values, World Heritage is well-suited as a point of reference to continue to redefine the already established policies; if LDT is willing and UNESCO is equipped with the resources to organize such a process. Without the goals and objectives on what tourism is to accomplish, and the visitor experiences that will be maintained, management issues will continue to be ad hoc. B. Also needed at Lumbini is to institutionalize a process for identifying and defining the Area s different physical and social settings, both within the World Heritage site and in the Master Plan Area. This helps to define opportunities for example, places of solitude for pilgrims as well as recreation areas for local residents. The process-oriented Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) provides a useful management and planning framework in which to do this. Recreational Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) is a means of identifying and determining the diversity of 20

25 recreation opportunities for a site. It is based on the idea that visitor services quality is best assured by providing an array of opportunities suited to the full range of expected visitors. ITP105_recreational_opportunity_spectrum.pdf ROS defines tourism and public use opportunities based on three types of setting attributes: The Physical setting comprising the site s biophysical and cultural-historic resources, as well as relatively permanent human structures such as roads; The Social setting, comprising the users and their behaviors, equipment, and other materials; The Managerial setting, comprising the on-site presence of management personnel, services offered such as education and information, the rules and regulations and the managerial use of equipment, such as motors. The following are examples of two ROS physical settings categories that may be pertinent for Lumbini. i. A Modern Urbanized category setting is characterized by a substantially urbanized environment, although the background may have natural elements. Renewable resource modification and utilization practices are to enhance specific recreation activities. Vegetative cover is often exotic and manicured. Soil protection usually accomplished with hand surfacing and terracing. Sights and sounds of man, on-site, are predominant. Large numbers of users can be expected both on-site and in nearby areas. A considerable number of facilities are designed for the use and convenience of large numbers of people and include contemporary sanitation services. Controls and regimentation are obvious and numerous. Facilities are provided for special activities. Facilities are motor use and parking is available with forms of mass transit often available. ii. By contrast, the physical setting for a Rustic area, is characterized usually by predominantly natural environment with moderate evidences of the sights and sounds of man. Such evidences usually harmonize with the natural environment. Concentration of users may be low to moderate with facilities sometimes provided for group activity. Evidence of other users is prevalent. Controls and regimentation offer a sense of security and are on-site. Rustic facilities are provided for convenience of the user as well as for safety and resource protection. Moderate densities of groups are provided for in developed sites and on roads and trails. Low to moderate densities prevail away from developed sites and facilities. Renewable resource modification and utilization practices are evident, but harmonize with the natural environment. Conventional motorized use is provided for in construction standards and design of facilities. These are simply two examples illustrating the needed management process. These physical settings can be adapted and adjusted for the entire Lumbini Area and particularly the World Heritage site. The important point for HIA s is that assessing a heritage setting through the ROS lens and its different settings can be useful to enable creating the baseline of desired conditions. If this is agreed upon by LDT and UNESCO, the conditions associated ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 21

26 with these settings can be listed and begin to form the baseline upon which to judge future changes and alterations. (See WHC s work on public use planning that includes the ROS method, in the new WHC publication on Portuguese sites and WH sites of Portuguese origin.) C. Following the ROS activity another crucial activity would be developing quantifiable standards for indicators not only for the density and type of infrastructure but for impacts such as noise levels or crowding. For developing standards and indicators the Limits of Acceptable Change methodology provides a way forward. The Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) framework deals with recreational carrying capacity, i.e. how much use can or should an area be allowed to tolerate? The framework sets measurable standards for managing recreation in natural areas. It provides a process for deciding what environmental and social conditions are acceptable and identifies management actions to achieve these conditions. The key focus is how much change is acceptable? This methodology generates quantifiable standards for the desired condition within the settings identified by the ROS exercise. This method is one of the tools recommended in the attached ICOMOS Tourism Charter and used internationally in many protected area systems. D. A public use plan activity at Lumbini could provide the umbrella exercise to link many activities together. These have been carried out in a number of other cultural World Heritage Properties. A public use planning manual, Site Planning for Life, is available on the web. (PUP Global Heritage Consortium Site Planning for Life: Manual for Public Use Managers and Planners. Taking a broad approach to tourism site planning while also providing hands on exercises, the manual introduces techniques for facilitating meetings, engaging stakeholders, creating an interpretive framework, identifying the sites attractions and mapping their potential to provide quality experiences for visitors, and eventually defining touristic products. The approach proposed by this manual had been applied and experimented in a number of World Heritage properties around the world since 2002, such as Hoi- An in Vietnam. The following are planning steps described in the manual that have been found effective: 1. The generation of the Interpretive Framework - Using significant aspects of history as well as the purpose of the site, a complete set of clear messages that capture the site s OUV to inform the visitors and motivate them to participate in the site s conservation programs is produced. The interpretive framework is usually (but not necessarily) a hierarchically organized set of important messages (over-arching message, sub-messages, storylines, stories, attractions, and even public use products). For Lumbini there is a need for capacity building within the LDT s Plan Implementation Committee on how to translate the site s heritage value and to improve the quality of information materials for different range of visitors. 2. The creation of a directory of Touristic Attractions - This work filters resources to obtain the most promising attractions and can lead to the objective of diversifying the attractions. After evaluating barriers and solutions, a directory is produced and used in the remaining steps. Management staff, persons who know the site s resources well such as tour operators would be involved. Stakeholders including local communities should be 22

27 consulted to identify a site s attractions. Moreover, surveys of visitor preferences can provide guidance in identifying suitable attractions. 3. Mapping Zones - The most widespread tool of site management is zoning. Zones prescribe future desired conditions based on visitor experiences and resource conditions. This is done through the above-mentioned Recreation Opportunity Spectrum zones. It then divides the site into sectors which are units of public use development (such as a site entrance or a visitor services area or a more rustic area), which together form the site-wide strategy for public use. This can be overlaid with the other zoning plans if LDT will engage in this activity within its management planning. It is carried out with site managers, selected tourism people, and in the case of Lumbini the areas religious leaders and staff from the Research Institute and Museum. Also important are other stakeholders who might care about and who have a stake in which part of the site is developed when. This includes community members, private sector service providers. It does not require visitors at this point. 4. Developing Public Use Products - Work here produces visitor profiles to see the demand for the supply of visitor experiences identified earlier. Based on attractions, messages, zoning, sectors, visitor profiles, and planning framework, activities and services that support the public use strategy are defined. The products (activities and services) that are most suited for the site s strength and that promote the site s purpose and principal message (Interpretive Framework) are developed. Site authorities, foreigners with international travel experience, tour operators and tourism expert, public use coordinators can be involved in developing Public Use products. 5. Generating a Wider Review of Product Proposals Here the results obtained to date on the product development are taken to the strategic communities, for example, the community near to the Eastern Gate, so they can evaluate products in their own context. In the same manner, the results are taken to the two most important visitor profiles to get their feedback on proposal on public use product. 6. Developing a Monitoring Plan - The monitoring plan outlines the indicators of high priority activities and services to protect site attractions and visitor experiences, how they will be measured, by whom, how often, where, and what control strategies or mitigation technique may be used. LDT field staff, management and tourism industry officials and monastery officials could be used to determine the quality of the monitoring and if the private sector could be used in the monitoring activities. 7. Regulations - Minimum regulations necessary to jumpstart the regulation phase of the program are developed with established logistics necessary to implement them. For these regulations to be operational there will be a protocol to update the regulations and logistics to implement them. Management, private sector service providers, local politicians, landowners or community representatives, directors of other sites who have experience with regulations, relevant regulating agencies can be involved. Soft strategies for compliance are also discussed and implementation begun, for example for Lumbini s World Heritage core area. 8. Developing a Calendar of Activities - A specific calendar is developed in order to implement the tasks proposed. The calendar must answer who, when, and what. The ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 23

28 site also should have procedures to help it actually use the calendar. Management staff, consultant and contractors, Board of Directors and advisors to the trust, local government officials can be involved. 9. Developing a Financial Plan - The financial plan involves pricing out costs and predicting revenues enabling better financial planning decisions. Site managers, accountant, private sector can be involved. 10. Preparation for Implementation - The results are presented publicly for additional input. They are written up into a document, which then goes through an approval process. This involves a public presentation and a review by all stakeholders. E. The Lumbini Development Trust at present is not directly focused on tourism development. Institutionally, there is a need for a staff member(s) to make the link between the management, the community and the tourism industry. Experience has shown the need at many World Heritage sites for a specific person to fill this need; public use coordinators have been trained to provide this vital link at other World Heritage sites. As mentioned in the beginning of this section, the organizational structure of LDT could be adjusted so that there is long-term commitment for including such a visitor management professional. The suggested Planned Implementation Committee seems the logical entry point and the entity to begin the process. As a person on this team develops capacity it would be hoped that LDT would begin to observe the need for and advantages of sustaining and expanding the activities of the public use professional. What is needed for Lumbini is someone who is qualified, has conservation sensibilities, community awareness, and knowledge of the tourism industry. The person doesn t need all the skills, these can be provided, but he or she should be able to work between these three entities. Also crucial is that this person does the planning and is involved in the management of these activities; they are not done by an outside consultant, the consultant s role if needed may be only to mentor. F. UNESCO needs to use World Heritage not only for oversight but also for management and community efforts to ease visitor impacts. Beyond conservation oversight, there are other positive uses of the World Heritage that may be leverage to assist in impact mitigation. While it is assumed that religious pilgrims and tourism will be a primary driver at Lumbini; other parallel and complementary factors could be considered in using the World Heritage status, for example, building local pride, educating school children about World Heritage, using World Heritage on interpretation messages. Examples from other sites of how these sites have used World Heritage status would aid in an overall reflection process. For instance, the whole topic of local pride in a heritage resource is crucial for long-term conservation. Discussions on social marketing techniques and local pride building tools like grassroots advertising, working with youth, and intensive community outreach, all incorporating the concept of World Heritage are positive and not controversial. Neutral efforts such as this may help Lumbini s long term conservation and help to begin to move the UNESCO dynamic in a more proactive manner. 24

29 7. EVALUATION SYNTHESIS AND ADVISORY Addressing the related factors that can change or alter a site s visitor experience and effect the OUV and sense of place, implies evaluating tourism impacts within a broad HIA exercise, particularly if management plans lack the needed descriptions and standards for desired conditions. Toward this end a systems approach to impacts may add to the HIA activities and analysis and better serve a World Heritage site s longer term maintenance of its OUV. So for example the effects of a proposed airport may stress the resources of management in dealing with increasing tourism numbers. The rise of Hindu worshipers at the Buddhist Lumbini site and their desire to use the site may not only add to the numbers of visitors but also create conflicts that will impact the spiritual environment of the property. Tourism-focused HIA s benefit from addressing the wide range of tourism impacts, from infrastructure but also from the perspective of social or cultural impacts. These include visitor conflicts and impacts such as crowding or noise that negatively affect the visitor experience. A tourism-focused HIA needs to provide an array of management suggestions for addressing the complexity of environmental, social and cultural, and economic impacts. The concept of public use is useful in framing the HIA. In practice, public use means that in addition to tourism, policies are generated for local recreation, community traditions, education, spiritual activities, the work of scientists and even the media such as the cinema or TV industry. All these user groups may be seen as an integral part of the public use of the site. The HIA exercise is strengthened by providing suggestions for implementing frameworks or processes that enable the needed dialog between stakeholders to resolve the value laden push and pull situations that development and conservation produce. These include the processoriented management and planning frameworks such as found in the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum or the Limits of Acceptable Change frameworks and the clear organizational structure with qualified professionals on staff. Potential threats or impacts should also be anticipated in reference to the strengths and weaknesses in the management system of the property. Conservation and public use policies or the need for them can be used in an HIA as a measure to assess potential adverse impacts. The HIA process provides an opportunity, within the State Parties accepted Statement of OUV, not to change the Statement, but to reinforce and further refine it to help meet management needs. HIA process may in some cases help to further describe the Statement. HIA s encourage and motivate an iterative process leading to recommendations for suggested actions to establishing baseline standards and indicators upon which to monitor future HIA iterations. HIA activities and analysis is well served by assessing changes and impacts emanating from the site s local communities who use and interact with the resource and whose influence will have long-term repercussions to preservation of the site s OUV. HIA s are well served if they analyse future impacts that may be caused because of events beyond the site s boarders for example the building of a proposed airport. Larger national realities can impact the site s desired sustainable tourism initiatives and so the site s OUV. It can prove useful to consider tourism and public use within this larger picture of national institutional and infrastructure strengthens and weaknesses. HIA s may wish to gleam more information on these larger realities in their analysis of potential impacts. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 25

30 8. LIST OF ABREVIATIONS / ACRONYMS ADB AMPA DOA EIA HIA IMF ICCROM ICOMOS ICOMOS Nepal IUCN KTMP LAC LDT LDTA OUV PIC PMZ PUP ROS TRPAP UNESCO WHITRAP WHS WHC Asian Development Bank Ancient Monuments Protection Act Department of Archaeology Environmental Impact Assessment Heritage Impact Assessment Integrated Management Framework International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property International Council on Monuments and Sites International Council on Monuments and Sites Nepal International Union for Conservation of Nature Kenzo Tange Master Plan Limits of Acceptable Change Lumbini Development Trust Lumbini Development Trust Act Outstanding Universal Value Plan Implementation Committee Protected Monument Zone Public Use Planning Recreational Opportunity Spectrum Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and Pacific Region World Heritage Site World Heritage Committee 9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND AUTHORSHIP ICOMOS Nepal acknowledges the contribution of all who have provided valuable information and suggestions in the study and preparation of this report. We would like to extend our gratitude to Ms. Nabha Basnyat Thapa, Project Coordinator, UNESCO, Mr. Basant Bidari, Senior Archaeologist, LDT, Mr. Gyanin Rai, Chief Liaison Officer, LDT, Ms. Lisa Choegyal, ADB Consultant for their valuable input for this study. We highly appreciate the suggestions of all participants at the International Scientific Steering Committee meeting organized by UNESCO Kathmandu Office in Lumbini, 03 to 06 July, This report was prepared by the ICOMOS Nepal Team, which included Ms. Sirish Bhatt, Ms. Jharna Joshi and Mr. Manoj Rajopadhyay with notable contribution from Mr. Arthur Pederson, International Consultant. 26

31 10. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY - ADB ((2009), Proposed Loans, Asian Development Fund Grant, and Administration of Loan People s Republic of Bangladesh, India, and Nepal: South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development, Project Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors, Unpublished. - ADB (2009), South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development Project, Supplementary Appendix A1 Detailed Description of Project Component Nepal Lumbini, Project Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors, Unpublished. - ADB (2009), South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development Project, Supplementary Appendix A2 Detailed Description of Project Component Nepal Guatam Buddha Airport, Project Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors, Unpublished. - ICOMOS International (1999): International Cultural Tourism Charter; adopted in Mexico City (Mexico). - ICOMOS International (2008): The ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites; adopted in Québec (Canada). - IUCN Nepal (2012), Environmental Impact Assessment of Industrial Development Around Lumbini, The Birthplace of the Lord Buddha, World Heritage Property, UNESCO Kathmandu Office - Kenzo Tange and URTEC (1978), Master Plan for the Development of Lumbini Phase II. Unpublished. - Kohl, Jon (2012): Site Planning for Life. Managing Visitors at Heritage Destinations. Manual for Heritage Site Planners and Managers (Public Use Planning Manual). San José de Costa Rica. - Lumbini Development Trust/Department of Archeology/UNESCO World Heritage Centre/ Unesco Office in Kathmandu: Lumbini Birthplace of Lord Buddha, World Heritage Property, Draft Integrated Management Framework, July Pedersen, Arthur (2002): Managing Tourism at World Heritage Sites: A Practical Manual for World Heritage Site Managers. World Heritage Paper Series Pokhrel, Bhokraj (2000), Improvement of Personnel Management Aspect of Lumbini Development Trust, UNDP Nepal. - Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture Ltd. (2011), Heritage Impact Assessment, South Quay, Haley Harbor ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 27

32 - Turismo de Portugal and UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2013), Tourism and World Heritage: Selected management approaches and experiences from World Heritage Sites of Portuguese origin and influence. - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, World Heritage No. 58 (2010), Sustainable Tourism - UNESCO, UNDP (2013), LUMBINI The Birthplace of Lord Buddha in Nepal. Completing the Kenzo Tange Master Plan. - UNESCO/World Heritage Centre (2012), Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention - Weise Consulting Architects and Engineers Pvt. Ltd. (2013), Heritage Impact Assessment for Crematorium, Pashupati Monument Zone, Kathmandu Valley Nepal 28

33 11. APPENDICES Draft HIA Guidelines for Lumbini Statement of Outstanding Universal Value Terms of Reference of Consultant ICOMOS Nepal

34 Draft HIA Guidelines for Lumbini WHS Submitted to: UNESCO/Japanese Funds in Trust Project for the Preservation of World Heritage Strengthening the Conservation and Management of Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha Prepared by: ICOMOS Nepal Friday, 30 August,

35 Draft HIA Guidelines for Lumbini WHS COVER AND INSIDE PAGES - Title - Name and identification reference of the heritage resource - Name of the organization or entities responsible for preparing the HIA report - For whom it was prepared - Date of the HIA report - A statement of whether the report has been externally assessed or peer-reviewed EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - Non-technical summary containing all key points and useable as a stand-alone document CONTENTS LISTS OF FIGURES/ TABLES/ DIAGRAMS LIST OF ABREVIATIONS / ACRONYMS GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND AUTHORSHIP 1. INTRODUCTION Background to the HIA Response to development proposal including any construction works within the WHS, the Master plan area and at local and regional level/ response to a disaster/ request from an Authority / Changes of policy (land use, urban planning ) Mandate and Terms of Reference Aims of HIA as defined in Brief Scope of HIA Spatial boundaries of HIA Range of Heritage to be assessed Any limitations or restrictions imposed by the Brief Basic information re: Heritage Proper name of the property or heritage resource Geographical coordinates Date of inscription 2. METHODOLOGY Introduction Framework guiding the methodology (national guidelines, ICOMOS Guidelines etc.) Flow chart ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 31

36 Description of steps/ tasks carried out as part of the HIA Data collection / Baseline Data made available by the commissioning authority Desk-Based Research Data Sources Published works Unpublished works Databases Assessment Visit(s) Additional data collection: surveys, interviews, field work Significance Assessment Based on an existing (Retrospective) Statement of OUV Impact Assessment Identification of sources of impacts Identification of potential impacts Assessment of Impacts On overall OUV / Values and Significance On individual attributes Mitigation Design Option modeling Evaluating Options Mitigation Monitoring Plan 3. LEGISLATION, GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS Legislation and Statutory Requirements National State / Local UNESCO WHC Statutory documents Heritage Guidelines and Standards National State / Local UNESCO and Advisory Body Guidelines and Charters (ICOMOS, IUCN ) 4. DESCRIPTION AND ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE RESOURCE Background to the Heritage Setting Physical background Geology and landform setting Ecological context (flora and fauna, water and drainage, climate etc.) Historical development of the study area Demographic / Community background Traditional land use 32

37 Status of Protection of the Heritage Past and present conservation and management context Formal context (Antiquities Legislation etc.) Non-Formal context (traditional management and protection) Previous interventions Previous HIA studies or related studies Description of the heritage resource and its attributes Assessment of Significance Retrospective SOUV Full text of Criteria, Integrity and Authenticity appended Character Defining Attributes Baseline Conditions and Existing Impacts Condition of the whole Baseline conditions and existing impacts for individual attributes and components, eg: Landscape Archaeological sites Built Heritage Living Heritage Current uses and community value Summary assessment of Existing Impacts 5. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES Description of Interventions and Development Proposed Nature of the proposal Scope of the intervention or proposal Rationale given for the proposed intervention Detailed plans Extent and nature of works Resulting changes User requirements Adherence to existing regulations, guidelines and standards Management proposals Management proposals during construction Management proposals during operation 6. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF IMPACTS OF PROPOSED CHANGES Identification of Factors /Sources potentially impacting the heritage and its at tributes During pre-implementation/ planning phase During works / construction / implementation During operation of the project During de-commissioning of the project (as relevant) ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 33

38 Heritage attributes affected by identified sources Identification of which attributes of the heritage are potentially impacted including tangible and intangible heritage Level of importance in terms of its function as character defining attribute Types of Potential Impact On individual attributes (may require separate assessments for Built, Archaeological, Landscape and Living Heritage assets etc.) On overall OUV/Significance Assessment of the severity (level and duration) On individual attributes (may require separate assessments for Built, Archaeological, Landscape and Living Heritage assets) On overall OUV / Significance Evaluation of the overall significance of effect overall impact of the proposal and advisory May include evaluation of how the changes may impact on the perception of the site locally, nationally and internationally Non-conformity with heritage standards Heritage loss and deterioration Social impacts resulting from change Summation (Triage: Relevance and for which impact) 7. MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS Overarching Mitigation for the heritage as a whole Scheduling of the mitigation Identification of the responsible party Attribute specific Mitigation Scheduling of the mitigation Identification of the responsible party Further Investigations and studies required to implement the mitigation recommendations Discussion of effectiveness of proposed mitigation and beneficiation 8. MONITORING RECOMMENDATIONS Overarching Monitoring for the heritage as a whole Scheduling of the monitoring Identification of the responsible party Indicators to be used for monitoring Attribute specific Monitoring Scheduling of the monitoring Identification of the responsible party Indicators to be used for monitoring 34

39 9. EVALUATION SYNTHESIS AND ADVISORY Introduction Re-stating the context of the Heritage Impact Assessment Revisiting the Heritage Impact Assessment methodology Conclusions Summary of impacts Summary of Mitigation and Monitoring The implications of in-action Statement of effects on OUV, Integrity and Authenticity and focused significance Risk to protection status Beneficial effects forthcoming from this HIA Dissemination of information, knowledge or understanding gained by the HIA and any detailed desk, field or scientific studies Concluding advisory statement of the acceptability of the proposed project or change in terms of its potential impacts on heritage. 10. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 11. APPENDICES Desk studies Field study reports Scientific studies List of consultees and consultation responses Scoping statement / project brief 12. ILLUSTRATIONS Location and extent of study area Site maps including buffer zones Plans of proposed development or change Visual and/or inter-visibility analyses Mitigation measures Key sites and views Matrices ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 35

40 Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha (NEPAL) 666 rev 1997 C (iii)(vi) Retrospective Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (2011) Brief Synthesis The Lord Buddha was born in 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, testified by the inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 BC. Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world s great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from as early as the 3rd century BC. The complex of structures within the archaeological conservation area includes the Shakya Tank; the remains within the Maya Devi Temple consisting of brick structures in a cross-wall system dating from the 3rd century BC to the present century and the sandstone Ashoka pillar with its Pali inscription in Brahmi script. Additionally there are the excavated remains of Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature. Criteria (1997) Criterion (iii): As the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, testified by the inscription on the Ashoka pillar, the sacred area in Lumbini is one of the most holy and significant places for one of the world s great religions. Criterion (vi): The archaeological remains of the Buddhist viharas (monasteries) and stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD, provide important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from a very early period. Integrity (2011) The integrity of Lumbini has been achieved by means of preserving the archaeological remains within the property boundary that give the property its Outstanding Universal Value. The significant attributes and elements of the property have been preserved. The buffer zone gives the property a further layer of protection. Further excavations of potential archaeological sites and appropriate protection of the archaeological remains are a high priority for the integrity of the site. The property boundary however does not include the entire archaeological site and various parts are found in the buffer zone. The entire site including the buffer zone is owned by the Government of Nepal and is being managed by the Lumbini Development Trust and therefore there is little threat of development or neglect. However the effects of industrial development in the region have been identified as a threat to the integrity of the property. Authenticity (1997, 2011) The authenticity of the archaeological remains within the boundaries has been confirmed through a series of excavations since the discovery of the Ashoka pillar in The remains 36

41 of viharas, stupas and numerous layers of brick structures from the 3rd century BC to the present century at the site of the Maya Devi Temple are proof of Lumbini having been a centre of pilgrimage from early times. The archaeological remains require active conservation and monitoring to ensure that the impact of natural degradation, influence of humidity and the impact of the visitors are kept under control. The property continues to express its Outstanding Universal Value through its archaeological remains. The delicate balance must be maintained between conserving the archaeological vestiges of the site while providing for the pilgrims. Management (2011) The main archaeological site is protected by the Ancient Monument Preservation Act The site management is carried out by the Lumbini Development Trust, an autonomous and non-profit making organization. The entire site is owned by the Government of Nepal. The site falls within the centre of the Master Plan area, the planning of which was initiated together with the United Nations and carried out by Prof. Kenzo Tange between 1972 and The long-term challenges for the protection and management of the property are to control the impact of visitors, and natural impacts including humidity and the industrial development in the region. A Management Plan is in the process of being developed to ensure the long-term safeguarding of the archaeological vestiges of the property while allowing for the property to continue being visited by pilgrims and tourists from around the world. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 37

42 8 TH Draft, for Adoption by ICOMOS at the 12 th General Assembly, Mexico, October 1999 INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL TOURISM CHARTER MANAGING TOURISM AT PLACES OF HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE Introduction The Charter Ethos At the broadest level, the natural and cultural heritage belongs to all people. We each have a right and responsibility to understand, appreciate and conserve its universal values. Heritage is a broad concept and includes the natural as well as the cultural environment. It encompasses landscapes, historic places, sites and built environments, as well as biodiversity, collections, past and continuing cultural practices, knowledge and living experiences. It records and expresses the long processes of historic development, forming the essence of diverse national, regional, indigenous and local identities and is an integral part of modern life. It is a dynamic reference point and positive instrument for growth and change. The particular heritage and collective memory of each locality or community is irreplaceable and an important foundation for development, both now and into the future. At a time of increasing globalisation, the protection, conservation, interpretation and presentation of the heritage and cultural diversity of any particular place or region is an important challenge for people everywhere. However, management of that heritage, within a framework of internationally recognised and appropriately applied standards, is usually the responsibility of the particular community or custodian group. A primary objective for managing heritage is to communicate its significance and need for its conservation to its host community and to visitors. Reasonable and well managed physical, intellectual and/or emotive access to heritage and cultural development is both a right and a privilege. It brings with it a duty of respect for the heritage values, interests and equity of the present-day host community, indigenous custodians or owners of historic property and for the landscapes and cultures from which that heritage evolved. The Dynamic Interaction between Tourism and Cultural Heritage Domestic and international tourism continues to be among the foremost vehicles for cultural exchange, providing a personal experience, not only of that which has survived from the past, but of the contemporary life and society of others. It is increasingly appreciated as a positive force for natural and cultural conservation. Tourism can capture the economic characteristics of the heritage and harness these for conservation by generating funding, educating the community and influencing policy. It is an essential part of many national and regional economies and can be an important factor in development, when managed successfully. Tourism itself has become an increasingly complex phenomenon, with political, economic, social, cultural, educational, bio-physical, ecological and aesthetic dimensions. The achievement of a beneficial inter-action between the potentially conflicting expectations and aspirations of visitors and host or local communities, presents many challenges and opportunities. The natural and cultural heritage, diversities and living cultures are major tourism attractions. Excessive or poorly-managed tourism and tourism related development can threaten their physical nature, integrity and significant characteristics. The ecological setting, culture and lifestyles of host communities may also be degraded, along with the visitor s experience of the place. 38

43 Tourism should bring benefits to host communities and provide an important means and motivation for them to care for and maintain their heritage and cultural practices. The involvement and co-operation of local and/or indigenous community representatives, conservationists, tourism operators, property owners, policy makers, those preparing national development plans and site managers is necessary to achieve a sustainable tourism industry and enhance the protection of heritage resources for future generations. ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, as the author of this Charter, other international organisations and the tourism industry, are dedicated to this challenge. Objectives of the Charter The Objectives of the International Cultural Tourism Charter are: - To facilitate and encourage those involved with heritage conservation and management to make the significance of that heritage accessible to the host community and visitors. - To facilitate and encourage the tourism industry to promote and manage tourism in ways that respect and enhance the heritage and living cultures of host communities. - To facilitate and encourage a dialogue between conservation interests and the tourism industry about the importance and fragile nature of heritage places, collections and living cultures including the need to achieve a sustainable future for them. - To encourage those formulating plans and policies to develop detailed, measurable goals and strategies relating to the presentation and interpretation of heritage places and cultural activities, in the context of their preservation and conservation. In addition, - The Charter supports wider initiatives by ICOMOS, other international bodies and the tourism industry in maintaining the integrity of heritage management and conservation. - The Charter encourages the involvement of all those with relevant or at times conflicting interests, responsibilities and obligations to join in achieving its objectives. - The Charter encourages the formulation of detailed guidelines by interested parties, facilitating the implementation of the Principles to their specific circumstances or the requirements of particular organisations and communities. Principles of the Cultural Tourism Charter Principle 1 Since domestic and international tourism is among the foremost vehicles for cultural exchange, conservation should provide responsible and well managed opportunities for members of the host community and visitors to experience and understand that community s heritage and culture at first hand. 1.1 The natural and cultural heritage is a material and spiritual resource, providing a narrative of historical development. It has an important role in modern life and should be made physically, intellectually and/or emotively accessible to the general public. Programmes for the protection and conservation of the physical attributes, intangible aspects, contemporary cultural expressions and broad context, should facilitate an understanding and appreciation of the heritage significance by the host community and the visitor, in an equitable and affordable manner. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 39

44 1.2 Individual aspects of natural and cultural heritage have differing levels of significance, some with universal values, others of national, regional or local importance. Interpretation programmes should present that significance in a relevant and accessible manner to the host community and the visitor, with appropriate, stimulating and contemporary forms of education, media, technology and personal explanation of historical, environmental and cultural information. 1.3 Interpretation and presentation programmes should facilitate and encourage the high level of public awareness and support necessary for the long term survival of the natural and cultural heritage. 1.4 Interpretation programmes should present the significance of heritage places, traditions and cultural practices within the past experience and present diversities of the area and the host community, including that of minority cultural or linguistic groups. The visitor should always be informed of the differing cultural values that may be ascribed to a particular heritage resource. Principle 2 The relationship between Heritage Places and Tourism is dynamic and may involve conflicting values. It should be managed in a sustainable way for present and future generations. 2.1 Places of heritage significance have an intrinsic value for all people as an important basis for cultural diversity and social development. The long term protection and conservation of living cultures, heritage places, collections, their physical and ecological integrity and their environmental context, should be an essential component of social, economic, political, legislative, cultural and tourism development policies. 2.2 The interaction between heritage resources or values and tourism is dynamic and ever changing, generating both opportunities and challenges, as well as potential conflicts. Tourism projects, activities and developments should achieve positive outcomes and minimise adverse impacts on the heritage and lifestyles of the host community, while responding to the needs and aspirations of the visitor. 2.3 Conservation, interpretation and tourism development programmes should be based on a comprehensive understanding of the specific, but often complex or conflicting aspects of heritage significance of the particular place. Continuing research and consultation are important to furthering the evolving understanding and appreciation of that significance. 2.4 The retention of the authenticity of heritage places and collections is important. It is an essential element of their cultural significance, as expressed in the physical material, collected memory and intangible traditions that remain from the past. Programmes should present and interpret the authenticity of places and cultural experiences to enhance the appreciation and understanding of that cultural heritage. 2.5 Tourism development and infrastructure projects should take account of the aesthetic, social and cultural dimensions, natural and cultural landscapes, bio-diversity characteristics and the broader visual context of heritage places. Preference should be given to using local materials and take account of local architectural styles or vernacular traditions. 2.6 Before heritage places are promoted or developed for increased tourism, management plans should assess the natural and cultural values of the resource. They should then establish appropriate limits of acceptable change, particularly in relation to the impact of 40

45 visitor numbers on the physical characteristics, integrity, ecology and biodiversity of the place, local access and transportation systems and the social, economic and cultural well being of the host community. If the likely level of change is unacceptable the development proposal should be modified. 2.7 There should be on-going programmes of evaluation to assess the progressive impacts of tourism activities and development on the particular place or community. Principle 3 Conservation and Tourism Planning for Heritage Places should ensure that the Visitor Experience will be worthwhile, satisfying and enjoyable. 3.1 Conservation and tourism programmes should present high quality information to optimise the visitor s understanding of the significant heritage characteristics and of the need for their protection, enabling the visitor to enjoy the place in an appropriate manner. 3.2 Visitors should be able to experience the heritage place at their own pace, if they so choose. Specific circulation routes may be necessary to minimise impacts on the integrity and physical fabric of a place, its natural and cultural characteristics. 3.3 Respect for the sanctity of spiritual places, practices and traditions is an important consideration for site managers, visitors, policy makers, planners and tourism operators. Visitors should be encouraged to behave as welcomed guests, respecting the values and lifestyles of the host community, rejecting possible theft or illicit trade in cultural property and conducting themselves in a responsible manner which would generate a renewed welcome, should they return. 3.4 Planning for tourism activities should provide appropriate facilities for the comfort, safety and well being of the visitor, that enhance the enjoyment of the visit but do not adversely impact on the significant features or ecological characteristics. Principle 4 Host communities and indigenous peoples should be involved in planning for conservation and tourism. 4.1 The rights and interests of the host community, at regional and local levels, property owners and relevant indigenous peoples who may exercise traditional rights or responsibilities over their own land and its significant sites, should be respected. They should be involved in establishing goals, strategies, policies and protocols for the identification, conservation, management, presentation and interpretation of their heritage resources, cultural practices and contemporary cultural expressions, in the tourism context. 4.2 While the heritage of any specific place or region may have a universal dimension, the needs and wishes of some communities or indigenous peoples to restrict or manage physical, spiritual or intellectual access to certain cultural practices, knowledge, beliefs, activities, artefacts or sites should be respected. Principle 5 Tourism and conservation activities should benefit the host community. 5.1 Policy makers should promote measures for the equitable distribution of the benefits of tourism to be shared across countries or regions, improving the levels of socio-economic development and contributing where necessary to poverty alleviation. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 41

46 5.2 Conservation management and tourism activities should provide equitable economic, social and cultural benefits to the men and women of the host or local community, at all levels, through education, training and the creation of full time employment opportunities. 5.3 A significant proportion of the revenue specifically derived from tourism programmes to heritage places should be allotted to the protection, conservation and presentation of those places, including their natural and cultural contexts. Where possible, visitors should be advised of this revenue allocation. 5.4 Tourism programmes should encourage the training and employment of guides and site interpreters from the host community to enhance the skills of local people in the presentation and interpretation of their cultural values. 5.5 Heritage interpretation and education programmes among the people of the host community should encourage the involvement of local site interpreters. The programmes should promote a knowledge and respect for their heritage, encouraging the local people to take a direct interest in its care and conservation. 5.6 Conservation management and tourism programmes should include education and training opportunities for policy makers, planners, researchers, designers, architects, interpreters, conservators and tourism operators. Participants should be encouraged to understand and help resolve the at times conflicting issues, opportunities and problems encountered by their colleagues. Principle 6 Tourism promotion programmes should protect and enhance Natural and Cultural Heritage characteristics. 6.1 Tourism promotion programmes should create realistic expectations and responsibly inform potential visitors of the specific heritage characteristics of a place or host community, thereby encouraging them to behave appropriately. 6.2 Places and collections of heritage significance should be promoted and managed in ways which protect their authenticity and enhance the visitor experience by minimising fluctuations in arrivals and avoiding excessive numbers of visitors at any one time. 6.3 Tourism promotion programmes should provide a wider distribution of benefits and relieve the pressures on more popular places by encouraging visitors to experience the wider cultural and natural heritage characteristics of the region or locality. 6.4 The promotion, distribution and sale of local crafts and other products should provide a reasonable social and economic return to the host community, while ensuring that their cultural integrity is not degraded. ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Cultural Tourism. 42

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57 Terms of Reference - Heritage impact assessment of tourism in Lumbini Contract for Services Article I. Duties and Responsibilities or Assignments: The contractor shall be responsible for undertaking assessment of impact of tourism on heritage in Lumbini, under the authority of the UNESCO Representative to Nepal, the UNESCO Kathmandu Office and within the framework of the UNESCO/Japanese Funds in Trust Project for the Preservation of World Heritage Strengthening the Conservation and Management of Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha, in close cooperation with the Department of Archaeology and the Lumbini Development Trust and in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessment for Cultural World Heritage Properties (2011). In particular, shall: 1) Collect information on the Lumbini World Heritage property, especially attributes that convey the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property; 2) Identify attributes of the property that may be impacted by tourism; 3) Analyse main activities of tourism that may have impact on the property, eg. through sampling; 4) Evaluate the impact of tourism on the OUV of the property, both direct and indirect; 5) Assess the effects that can be avoided, reduced or rehabilitated; 6) Invite an international expert in the area of HIA; 7) Interact with teams presently working on tourism related initiatives in Lumbini (ADB, World Bank etc.); 8) Present the findings of the assessment in a workshop to be organized by UNESCO in Lumbini. 9) Prepare draft guidelines for the preparation of HIAs of new projects in Lumbini; 10) Submit to UNESCO for approval: a. by 24 May 2013, a detailed workplan and list of members of the team including international expert; b. by 14 June 2013, a draft report on the HIA of tourism in Lumbini; c. by 28 June 2013, 100 copies of the final report on the HIA of tourism in Lumbini as per report contents outlined in the ICOMOS guidance document 2011; d. by 28 June 2013, draft guidelines for the preparation of HIAs of new projects in Lumbini. As the pursuit of gender equality is one of UNESCO s global priorities, the Contractor shall endeavour to ensure equal participation of women and men in this activity and to report thereon in the final report. ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 53

58 12. ILLUSTRATIONS Lumbini World Heritage Property Boundary including buffer zone Kenzo Tange Master Plan Area Figure 1: Lumbini World Heritage Site boundary and Buffer Zone 54

59 Figure 2: Kenzo Tange Master Plan Area 1 x 3 mile Lumbini Project Area ICOMOS Nepal icomosnepal@gmail.com 55

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