Experiences of The World Monuments Fund in Balancing Interpretation With Preservation

Experiences of the World Monuments Fund in Balancing Interpretation
with Preservation
8th US/ICOMOS International Symposium

Introduction
WMF Overview
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, not-for-profit, international organization devoted
to on-site conservation of monuments and sites world wide. Established in 1965, WMF brings
together public and private support to implement comprehensive preservation efforts, all of which
are conducted in collaboration with local individuals and organizations.
At the present time WMF is working with over 250 archaeological and architectural conservation
field projects in over 80 countries by means of advocacy, technical and financial assistance. In
the course of this work, WMF has become increasingly aware of the importance of effective site
presentation, and its role in assisting with the conservation goals of endangered sites and their
long-term sustainability.
From its headquarters in New York, and working with affiliates and offices in France, Italy,
Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as with partners around the world, WMF brings
together public and private support to implement a comprehensive conservation effort that
includes project planning, field surveys, fieldwork, on-site training in the building crafts, advocacy,
and the development of long-term strategies for the protection of monuments and sites.
WMF’s main program, the World Monuments Watch® List of 100 Most Endangered Sites was
created in 1995 with an aim towards raising awareness for endangered cultural heritage sites all
over the world and seeking international economic cooperation in preserving them by means of
publishing every two years the Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. The sites are chosen
by an international committee of specialists based on the criteria of relevance, urgency and
viability. Conservation projects within the sites are carried out with the patronage of American
Express, the "Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve our Heritage" program, and partnerships
with civil society and state and local governments in various countries.
Approach
The most traditional approach to saving cultural patrimony is by restoring its physical fabric alone,
and is not what is currently practiced at WMF. Instead, we believe that the way to conserve
monuments in a sustainable manner is by conserving their larger context -- the surrounding
landscape, townscape, vernacular architecture, and living culture -- and by including the local
communities in the preservation of those monuments that were, in many cases, created by their
ancestors. An isolated, although technically correct, conservation intervention is not enough to
preserve a site, or to guarantee that a donor’s investment will make a substantial difference. So
one of WMF’s responsibilities towards its donors is to guarantee that their donations will serve as
catalysts for a virtual cycle of interventions aimed at the long-term preservation of a particular
site.
Our primary expertise is in the conservation of cultural heritage. However, during the four
decades of WMF’s involvement in the field, our projects have evolved to include aspects outside
traditional scopes of work, such as nature conservation and community participation, through the
establishment of partnerships and collaboration with experts in those fields. We have learned
from experience that to save a portal, we must save the entire church, and to save a building, we
must save the entire town. This global approach can only be implemented with the participation
and continuous support of the communities that have a stake in the site. An international
organization alone cannot provide enough permanent economic support to a site. But through
Experiences of the World Monuments Fund in Balancing Interpretation with Preservation
Paper submitted by Norma Barbacci, World Monuments Fund
95 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 - nbarbacci@wmf.org – Tel: 646-424-9594 – Fax: 646-424-9593
proper planning and interpretation it can promote public awareness and encourage a sense of
ownership among the people and institutions that are most likely to support its conservation and
maintenance for future generations.
South America
The cultural heritage of South America is extremely rich
and varied, and our selection of projects reflects this
reality. We are currently working on pre-Inca sites such as
the Huaca de la Luna in Peru; Spanish colonial
architecture such as the Chiloe churches in Chile; the
Jesuit missions in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay; and
World Heritage sites such as the ceremonial village of
Orongo in Easter Island, Chile. Although much of this
patrimony is being properly cared for, there are still many
sites that need to be conserved, researched and
interpreted so they can become economic generators
through controlled tourism for the benefit of local communities and the world. Some of the
obstacles we find in the execution of these goals are:
• Lack of economic resources

• Political and economic instability
• Identity crisis and globalization
• Demographic pressure
The next four case studies selected from WMF’s recent work in South America represent different
types of sites and conservation problems. However, the applied solutions share an emphasis on
public communication and education in heritage preservation. With this presentation we hope to
illustrate situations where an appropriate understanding and expression of heritage values can
promote site conservation, community development, and public awareness.
Case Studies
The Chiloe Churches, Chile
The archipelago of Chiloe in southern Chile was first
inhabited by Huilliches and Chonos Indians. In the mid-
16th century, the region was colonized by the first Spanish
settlers, who occupied a region considered to be a “war
frontier” due to the aggressive character of the local ethnic
groups. The first missionaries to evangelize the local
population were the Mercedarians, and between 1608 and
1767 the Jesuits organized a system of itinerant missions
that traveled once a year for eight months, building new
chapels in different locations. These remote communities,
in many cases accessible only by sea, did not count with
the permanent presence of a priest to serve the spiritual needs of the growing community, so the
role of fiscal was assigned to a lay person from the community to act as a surrogate priest. The
role of patrón was assigned to the person in charge of the care of the church and cemetery. Both
the fiscal and the patrón were selected by priests from the local community with the permission of
the Spanish governor, and their function still exists, albeit in an updated version, after 300 years.
These chapels were constructed by local craftsmen using the techniques used by shipbuilders,
who built them entirely of wood, since it was the most abundant building material in the region,
including fasteners and other building elements usually made of metal,. The churches were
placed near the coast to guide sailors, and most of them were protected by northern mountains,
with a south-facing entrance sheltered from the rain. The main characteristic of the Chiloe school
US/ICOMOS 8th International Symposium – Charleston, South Carolina, 5-8 May, 2005 2
of wooden religious architecture is the symmetrical tower-façade and arched entrance. These
wooden churches are extraordinary examples of the fusion between European styles of
architecture and local craftsmanship, and their iconography symbolizes a true mestizo culture
developed from aboriginal and Jesuit ideals. Of the 150 churches built, only sixty corresponding
to the Chiloe school typology remain. Sixteen of them were designated World Heritage sites by
UNESCO in the year 2000. However, this selection is only a representative sampling of the
churches and not a reflection of comparative significance.
In 1996 the churches of Chiloe were listed in the “World Monuments Watch list of the 100 Most
Endangered Sites” program, nominated by the Friends of the Churches of Chiloe foundation, who
listed exposure to the environment, fires, insect damage and earthquakes, as their main threats.
In March 2002, a major storm hit the archipelago, seriously damaging nine of the World Heritage
churches. This disaster prompted the government of Chile to negotiate a multimillion dollar loan
from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) to support a community-based sustainable
tourism development project for the provinces of Chiloe and Palena. The goal of this four-year
program was to improve tourism infrastructure, services, sanitation and environmental protection
in these provinces to increase the average stay and expenditure of tourists, thus raising incomes
of the local residents. Among the projects included was the restoration of the sixteen churches
registered on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
The program is being carried out by the

Sub-Secretary of Regional and
Administrative Development of the
Ministry of Interior (SUBDERE), the
Regional Government, and the Bishop
of Ancud through the Friends of the
Churches of Chiloe. The University of
Chile provides the technical expertise
for the restoration projects through their
“Chiloe Workshop,” established in 1976
to research the churches and train
architecture and historic preservation
students in practical field work.
In 2003 WMF was invited by IADB to participate in the project, and through the “Wilson Challenge
Program to Preserve Our Heritage” donated matching funds to the Friends of the Churches of
Chiloe to implement several projects that complemented the government’s plan for the region.
These projects included the restoration of three of the nine World Heritage churches affected by
the 2002 storm: Tenaún, Vilupulli, and San Juan; and the rehabilitation of the Convent of the
Immaculate Conception, a XIX century religious complex in Ancud.
The Immaculate Conception Convent is not a World Heritage site, but it is a significant historic
complex which, with a relatively minor intervention, was restored to support certain activities that
were considered essential to secure the long-term conservation of the Chiloe Churches as a
whole: a carpentry school, materials bank, documentation center, and “identity” center. The
purpose of this program was to train the local community in the traditional crafts required to
properly restore and maintain their churches; and in the history and architecture of the churches,
to be able to offer guides and interpretation services to visitors. The program provides materials
for restoration and specialized training for carpenters, while the communities reciprocate by
providing labor.
As a result, several churches are currently being restored by trained volunteers following the
ancient tradition of the minga, or community work. Incorporating the local communities in the
rehabilitation of the churches not only reduces the costs of restoration and provides a substantial
economic counterpart as required by the IADB loan terms, but also contributes to the
preservation of the culture and traditions of the Chiloe people that were being lost due to the
pressures of development and globalization.
The Ceremonial Village of Orongo, Easter Island, Chile
Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as it is called in the local
dialect, was the result of eruptions from 3 main
volcanoes and 70 secondary cones that occurred
between 3 million and 100,000 years ago. This small
island, 166 square kilometers in size, is located 3,700
km off the coast of South America, and is the most
remote inhabited place on earth. It was first populated
between 400 and 800 A.D. when, according to legend,
King Hotu Matu’a arrived from a distant Polynesian
island, possibly one of the Marquesas, heading the first
of two major migrations to Easter Island.
The classic era was characterized by the carving of large stone statues or moais created to
represent ancestors, and lasted between 800 and 1680 A.D., until over-population, deforestation,
and wars between the two ethnic groups of the island ended this phase. At the end of this period,
nearly all of the standing statues were toppled from their altars, or ahus.
The island was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by the Dutch merchant Jacob Roggeveen
who gave it its current name. In the next 150 years, slave raids, disease and internal conflicts
devastated the population to the point that by 1877, only 111 inhabitants remained from the
estimated 10,000 of the classic period. In 1888 the island was annexed to Chile and exploited as
a sheep farm by a private company until 1952. During that period the islanders were not allowed
to leave the island and had no citizenship privileges. After a popular revolt in 1960, the island
became a province of Chile and the legal rights of its inhabitants were finally recognized.
Most of the archaeological sites of Easter Island are protected within the Rapa Nui National Park,
an open-air museum that has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1995. The
ceremonial village of Orongo is one of the major sites visited by tourists in the island and is
considered to be among the most spectacular archaeological sites in the world. It is perched on a
narrow ridge with the crater of the Rano Kau volcano on one side, and cliffs that fall 300 meters to
the sea on the other. This site contains dozens of petroglyphs and stone houses dating from the
Huri-Moai period of Easter Island’s history (c. 1680-1867 A.D.).
There are 53 elliptical basalt structures constructed of dry-laid

horizontal slabs and cantilevered stone roofs covered with
earth and grass. At the southern end of the complex is the
sacred precinct called Mata Ngarau, which contains the
greatest concentration of rock art in the island. Almost every
rock surface of the boulders surrounding this site is covered
with carved designs of Make Make (the God of Creation),
Tangata Manu (bird-men), and Komari (symbols of fertility).
Mata Ngarau was supposedly occupied by priests during the

annual spring ceremonies of the Tangata Manu, or bird-man
competition. This ceremony was invented around 1680 A.D., after the collapse of the classic
period and the toppling of the moai, to provide a peaceful alternative to the transfer of power
between competing clans. The site of Orongo was the annual scenario of these ceremonial
games, where athletes competed to retrieve a frigate bird egg from one of the nearby islands, or
motus. The first person to return to the village presented the egg to his master who became the
ruler of the island until the following spring. The last ceremonies took place in the 1860’s.
Over the past four decades, with improved access to Easter Island by sea and air, an increasing
number of visitors have started to put pressure on the archaeological sites of Rapa Nui. Exposure
to the elements, erosion, and vandalism (some tour guides like to rub chalk on the petroglyphs to
make them more legible) caused an accelerated loss of the carved designs at Orongo, while the
lack of an appropriate management and interpretive plan, public awareness, and proper visitor’s
facilities also threatened this fragile site. The stone houses collapse periodically partly due to foot
traffic from visitors and horses that walk on their roofs, and partly due to structural reasons. Some
have been rebuilt several times.
Although significant scientific research on the island and its cultural heritage has been done in the
past century, much of the history of Easter Island is unknown due to the loss of its written
language, rongo rongo. Supposedly only the most knowledgeable maori or sages understood
rongo rongo, and this knowledge was lost with the last of the maori as a result of the slave raids
th
of the 19 century, which decimated the population of the island. Today, only 25 wooden boards
with rongo rongo inscriptions remain scattered around the world, and no one has been able to
decipher their meaning. Because its ancient history was transmitted from generation to
generation through oral accounts, there are many interpretations for every event recounted. This
situation renders the proper interpretation of a cultural site a very difficult task, requiring research,
diplomacy, and a multi-disciplinary, participatory process.
In 1996 Orongo was listed in the World Monuments Watch® list of 100 Most Endangered Sites
program, due to the threats posed by free-roaming cattle, re-marking of the petroglyphs, and
potential collapse of the petroglyph platform due to soil erosion.
Since then, in order to address Orongo’s conservation and interpretation needs, WMF has
supported several projects, including the rebuilding of collapsed houses, the development of an
existing conditions survey of the petroglyphs, implementation of a monitoring project developed to
measure potential displacement of the petroglyph boulders, and a training course for park rangers
and tour guides.
In 2001 WMF commissioned a team of site management and interpretation experts from the
office of Public Works in Canada, and the Australian Heritage Commission to visit the site and
develop a site interpretation and visitor circulation plan. Their initial study confirmed that erosion,
vandalism, animal damage, and uncontrolled tourism were the main threats to the site. The
analysis also determined that the interpretive message given to the visitor was very inconsistent,
depending on the tour guide, length of stay, weather conditions, and questions asked. The
preliminary plan proposed the following:
• redefinition of the interpretive program delivery through the creation of a series of
interpretive nodes, plaques, and brochures, complemented with properly trained tour guides;
• redefinition and upgrading of circulation paths related to the interpretive system and to
the protection of the cultural and natural environment;
• enhancement of visitor services, including information, orientation and education
functions; and the
• resolution of site management and operational problems, the protection of cultural
heritage resources and the mitigation of risks to life and health.
The second phase of work took place in March 2003, and consisted of a site management
workshop with the participation of the Governor, the forestry department, tourism industry, and
community representatives. The first day of the two-day workshop consisted of the presentation
of the proposal for new paths, placement of interpretive nodes, and visitor facility improvements.
The main objective was to validate the proposal among all the stakeholders and incorporate their
comments and suggestions in the final design. The second day consisted of a more detailed
discussion of path location, width, materials and other site management issues. In the following
three weeks, the actual construction of the paths took place under the supervision of international
experts and with the aid of a local contractor. The third phase of work, completed in 2004,
included the construction of a protective fence, installation of interpretive nodes, and development
of a site brochure. As a result of these activities, the following site management and interpretation
issues were resolved:
• upgraded path system improved visitor flow, staging of groups, and visitor’s safety;
• perimeter fence eliminated access of cattle, bicycles and other vehicles;
• better defined trails and viewing platforms helped control soil erosion and human impact
on cultural resources by controlling access to houses and petroglyphs, and improved safety;
The next and final phase will include the improvement of visitors’ facilities (toilets), and installation
of a small site visitor center. If successful, the Orongo project will become the model for other site
management projects in the island, such as Rano Raraku, a moai quarry, and Anakena.
The Huaca de la Luna Archaeological site, Peru
The Huaca de la Luna, or Temple of the Moon, was part of the ancient
Moche capital built of millions of adobe blocks between the 1st and 8th
centuries in northern Peru. The Moche or Mochica civilization developed
great religious complexes, or huacas, formed by structures that grew over
time as the result of successive entombments; by filling in and covering
the older structures with mud bricks or adobes, Moche architects created
fresh surfaces or platforms on which they built their new constructions,
often decorated with polychrome friezes.
Huaca de la Luna underwent at least six construction phases spanning

almost 600 years, and, as a result, it rises almost 32 meters above the
plain. Its enormous platforms are connected to four plazas located at
various levels, and had covered-in patios and enclosures connected by
corridors and ramps. Some of the enclosures were roofed and embellished with murals or friezes
painted in striking colors. This site is unquestionably one of the most significant pre-Columbian
resources in the region. Archaeological evidence points to the fact that surrounding mountains
were worshipped as deities; accordingly, Huaca de la Luna sheds some light on the sacred
relationship of the landscape to built form and on the ideology of power in Moche culture.
After the fall of the Moche civilization, the huacas were partially occupied by Chimu settlements
th th
until the 15 century when the region fell under the control of the Inca. In the 16 century, as a
result of the Spanish conquest these ceremonial sites were abandoned and for four centuries,
due to lack of maintenance, exposure to the elements (especially wind erosion and the El Niño
phenomenon), and vandalism, the adobe structures deteriorated and the upper-most platforms
and superficial elements were lost.
Fieldwork on the site started in 1991 with the support of

the Ford Foundation, and since 1992 the Backus
Foundation, a private corporate foundation in Peru, has
given economic support to the site in collaboration with
UNESCO, the “Corporación Andina de Fomento”, the
Municipality of Trujillo, and the National University of
Trujillo. Initially the work focused on archaeological
excavation and conservation, and in 1995 the exposed
areas were opened to the public. In 2002 WMF joined the
Huaca de la Luna program, and through its Wilson
Challenge Program provided matching funds to support a four year program whose goals are the
conservation of the site and the development of a social agenda through cultural tourism. The
project is organized into three major components: archaeological research, conservation of the
monument, and management of the site. Given the characteristics of the site and the philosophy
of the project, the greatest investment is made in the conservation component.
Huaca de la Luna is a large site requiring continuous conservation work, including ongoing
survey, documentation, consolidation, and stabilization of excavated architectural and decorative
fabric. The site must be excavated in onion-like layers, and conservation work must remain in
step with excavation in order to preserve the fragile resources being brought to light. In addition,
the project has provided training opportunities, and in 2003 it supported an international four-
week conservation course on polychrome earthen architecture.
In the last few years, and as a result of a balanced

excavation, conservation and interpretation strategies
there have caused an exponential increase in local and
international tourism to the site. Each year, after
excavations and conservation work are complete, new
areas can be opened to the public, supported by
interpretive materials that are developed at the conclusion
of each major exploratory phase. Huaca de la Luna can be
considered a model for integrated archaeology,
conservation, and sustainable tourism development, and
as a result has received important international recognitions, such as being named one of the ten
best managed sites in Iberian-America by the Secretary of Tourism of Spain.
It is important to underline that Huaca de la Luna is the only Peruvian project supported by a
long-term commitment from the private sector. This continuous support has enabled long-term
planning, the formation of a multi-disciplinary team, extensive field work, conservation and
presentation of much of the archaeological remains, and constant monitoring.
It is hoped that in the future, the Huaca de la Luna project becomes a model for other sites of the
“Moche Route”, such as Tucume, Sipan, and San Jose de Moro.
The Jesuit Guarani Missions of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay

These South American missions were created by the Jesuits between 1610 and 1767 A.D. in the
region of the Guayrá, in the heart of a tropical forest near the Paraná and Uruguay rivers. They
were built by the Tupi-Guaraní Indians, who had previously led a semi-nomad existence in the
region, supported by farming and forestry exploitation.
During the Jesuit occupation this region was known as “Paraquaria”, and contained an
independent economic and religious system controlled by the Order that included thirty towns
spread over a large region now belonging to Argentina (15 towns), Brazil (7 towns) and Paraguay
(8 towns). The system constituted a unique cultural and social experiment of great magnitude
that, according to its defenders, provided a high standard of living, as well as artistic and cultural
development, to the Guaraní. Missions of this kind kept their language intact thanks to the use of
printing presses that preserved it through the production of prayer books, catechisms, and other
material. The towns also offered the Guaraní protection from war and conquerors, especially from
the “bandeirantes,” or slave raiders from Brazil.
The towns were laid out according to a Baroque plan,

different from the traditional Spanish grid layout, in
which buildings were arranged around a plaza, with a
nucleus formed by the church and school; a town hall,
blocks of residences, and a hospital Civic and religious
life was centered on the plaza. The architecture
presents a beautiful example of the fusion of Spanish
baroque architectural idioms and Guarani sculptural
work, the result of which has been termed by historians as “Guaraní Baroque.”
After the expulsion of the Jesuits from the region in 1768, the missions were taken over by the
Franciscans and later abandoned as a result of the border wars of the 19th century. Many of these
sites remain in various degrees of decay, and seven have been declared World Heritage Sites by
UNESCO: São Miguel das Missoes in Brazil, San Ignacio Miní, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de
Loreto and Santa María la Mayor in Argentina, and La Santísima Trinidad, and Jesús de
Tavarangüe in Paraguay.
In 1996 San Ignacio Miní in Argentina was listed in the World

Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites program, and
the same year a grant for the restoration of a church portal was
secured. However, the collapsing portal was only one of the many
problems at the site, and San Ignacio Miní was just one of dozens of
missions endangered by similar threats including exposure to the
elements, vegetation encroachment, demographic pressure, lack of
resources, and lack of management plans. In lieu of these urgent
needs, and at the suggestion of UNESCO representatives, WMF
decided to take the initial steps toward developing a global vision for
the missions, including a comprehensive conservation and
management approach, and the development of their potential for
education and tourism.
In 2002, WMF sponsored a technical workshop with the participation of international experts in
the fields of archaeology, architectural conservation, historic preservation, nature conservation,
research, site management, and tourism development. The program included a tour of ten
missions in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and work sessions with representatives of the
institutions in charge of management and conservation of the missions in these countries.
As a result of this workshop, the experts concluded the following:

• the value of the Jesuit Guaraní heritage is the sum of its parts;
• the missions provide a unique chance to strengthen relations between countries;
• there needs to be a common vision for the missions based on integrated management
plans that address cultural heritage, as well as its social and geographical environment;
• it is necessary to develop specific management plans for each of the monuments, and
also country-level administrative plans for the sites in their territory and, above all, an overall
plan at a regional level to bring together the views and expectations of the three countries;
• it is necessary to strengthen the human resources in the region by increasing their
abilities, creating multi-disciplinary and inter-institutional teams, and presenting a wide-
ranging view of research, conservation and management of the heritage sites;
• It is necessary to increase the coordination between the countries, both at the specialist
level and the political, between the managers responsible for the heritage sites and national
authorities, and involving the communities living near the Missions so as to guarantee the
sustainability of this heritage;
• It is vital that research, conservation and management of the missions have a favorable
and direct impact on the community, in order for its members to achieve social and economic
development.
The recommendations related to the interpretation and tourism development of the missions are
as follows:
• establish the overall concept of the Jesuit Guaraní missions both as a group and as
individual entities;
• develop and transmit a global communication for the entire system, as well as a specific
communication for each town;
• promote the special features and particular attractions of each site; these sites
complement one another, and are in no way competitive;
• develop cultural products from the cultural resources available;

• Implement pilot projects;
• devise a full-scale cultural tourism development plan for each one of the sites chosen as
pilot sites and the features of the circuit or itinerary;
• promote awareness of the need for the sustainable development of cultural tourism,
through training and education of site staff;
• include the “Missions Program” in a route bordered by the waterfalls to the north, and
Colonia del Sacramento and Buenos Aires to the south. Such a program would entail the
revaluation of the final course of the Uruguay River, once known as the “River of the Jesuits.”
At the closing session the team presented a work proposal

for the years 2003-2005. The first step of the proposal, which
was approved by the Minister of Culture of Argentina and the
representatives from Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay,
consisted of a capacity-building program designed to train
local site managers in conservation, documentation,
management, and tourism development through an
interdisciplinary and interactive workshop with theoretical
and practical modules to take place in each of the
participating countries.
This “Capacity Building Program for the Conservation, Management and Sustainable
Development of the Jesuit Guarani Missions” is currently under way, supported by WMF and
UNESCO’s World Heritage Center with the collaboration of public and private organizations from
each of the host countries.
The program’s main objectives are:

• establishing the mechanisms of cooperation among the countries and the missions;
• training site staff to foster the conservation, management and development of these
missions;
• identifying and developing specific intervention projects for the missions;
• fostering the continuity of the improvement efforts in the missions and establishing a
shared vision for the conservation, management and development of the group of missions
as a whole and of each of its constituents.
The program includes six sub-programs:

• Archaeology
• Conservation of cultural resources
• Conservation of natural resources
• Management
• Public use: tourism, education, services and infrastructure
• Research & documentation
The first workshop and conservation course of this three-year program took place in October
2003, in São Miguel das Missoes, Brazil; the second in November 2004, in Posadas, Argentina;
and the third is scheduled for October 2005, in Asuncion and Itapua, Paraguay.
In parallel to the implementation of the capacity-building program, the missions have been at the
center of other developments, such as pilot projects, emergency or rescue interventions, or
changes to improve access to the sites. These projects serve as practical examples to be
discussed at the annual technical workshops.
This program requires heavy political, institutional, technical and financial backing, and the
support of the national governments, MERCOSUR, and UNESCO. However, the missions
provide a unique opportunity to arrive at a new way of researching, conserving and managing
cultural and natural heritage based on an integrated training program. It is an ideal occasion for
countries to make a commitment to their heritage and to the community that gives them meaning.
Conclusions
The mission of WMF is the conservation of cultural patrimony around the world, and through our
experience we have reached the conclusion that appropriate understanding and expression of
heritage values can promote site conservation, community development, and public awareness.
Some of the strategies we apply in order to achieve this purpose are:

Community Participation
The sustainable preservation of towns and cities requires dealing with the needs of its residents
as well as its visitors. The local community should be closely consulted in the development of
management plans and interpretation concepts, and should share in the tangible economic
benefits obtained through tourism.
Economic Development
The best way to support an historic site in a poor area may be indirectly, through programs aimed
at revitalizing the local economy. The development of cultural tourism, eco-tourism and other
forms of controlled tourism activities are viable sources of economic development. Tourism helps
revitalize local economies, and provides alternative income sources to a population that may not
have many options, other than the depletion of un-renewable resources.
Management
An integrated site management plan is essential for the long term preservation and public
presentation of a site. Cultural heritage must be considered within its larger natural and social
context, and therefore the development of a successful management plan requires a multi-
disciplinary and participatory process.
Presentation
A balanced excavation, conservation and interpretation strategy can promote an exponential
increase in local and international tourism. Presentation of recent discoveries or understandings
of the archaeological and historical heritage to the general public is an important responsibility
that must be met on a continuous basis. The history of the surrounding landscape, natural
environment and the overall geographical setting should be included in the interpretation of a site,
and sometimes a common vision must be developed to support cultural tourism within a multi-
national heritage site.
Private Sector
The private sector has begun to take up the challenge of preservation in Latin America with great
results, and this participation should be encouraged.

Experiences of The World Monuments Fund in Balancing Interpretation With Preservation

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Experiences of The World Monuments Fund in Balancing Interpretation With Preservation

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Experiences of the World Monuments Fund in Balancing Interpretation

8th US/ICOMOS International Symposium

• Lack of economic resources

The program is being carried out by the

There are 53 elliptical basalt structures constructed of dry-laid

Mata Ngarau was supposedly occupied by priests during the

Huaca de la Luna underwent at least six construction phases spanning

Fieldwork on the site started in 1991 with the support of

In the last few years, and as a result of a balanced

The Jesuit Guarani Missions of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay

The towns were laid out according to a Baroque plan,

In 1996 San Ignacio Miní in Argentina was listed in the World

As a result of this workshop, the experts concluded the following:

• develop cultural products from the cultural resources available;

At the closing session the team presented a work proposal

The program’s main objectives are:

The program includes six sub-programs:

Some of the strategies we apply in order to achieve this purpose are:

You might also like