There are 878 locations in the world that UNESCO recognises as being so unique, so valuable and of such global significance that they are classified as World Heritage sites. These are places that are so universally important, that they belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory in which they are located.
The Great Barrier Reef contains 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc. The Mountain Railways of India, including the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway are ingenious engineering solutions. The Acropolis in Athens form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world.
There are 17 World Heritage
sites in Greece, including the
Acropolis in Athens
There are three World Heritage sites on the island of Ireland: the monastic complex of Sceilig Mhichíl in Kerry; the three main prehistoric sites of the Brú na Bóinne complex, Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth; and the black basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway in Co Antrim.
Eight more are on the ‘tentative’ list submitted to UNESCO in 1992 as a portfolio of potential nominees for World Heritage status. These are the Burren, Cashel, the Ceide Fields in Mayo, Clara Bog, Clonmacnoise, Killarney National Park, Northwest Mayo Boglands and the Western Stone Forts on the Aran Islands.
Sceilig Mhichíl in Kerry is one of only three World Heritage sites on the island of Ireland, the others being Brú na Bóinne in Meath, and the Giant’s Causeway in Antrim
Ireland’s Tentative List is currently under review. UCD’s Masters programme in World Heritage Management (WHM) is working with an expert advisory group, established by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and made up of such bodies as Burren Life, and the Heritage Council, officials from the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, the Office of Public Works, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, International Council on Monuments and Sites - Ireland and An Taisce to assess Ireland’s potential World Heritage sites. The research carried out by students and graduates of the MSc in World Heritage Management contributes significantly to this work and may play a key role in future reviews and assessments of Ireland’s outstanding heritage.
MSc/Graduate Diploma World Heritage Management
In the MSc/Graduate Diploma World Heritage Management, students firstly pursue a one-year taught programme, after which they may graduate with a Graduate Diploma. Many continue for a second year, and complete a research project, which leads to a Master’s qualification. Future research projects could potentially include the preparation of submissions for World Heritage consideration. In order to secure the status, which is a valuable marketing and preservation tool, nominated sites must have comprehensive, sustainable management plans in place.
Glendalough may be a future
Irish World Heritage site
In the first year, students study Conservation Biology; Heritage and Environmental Interpretation; International Legislation; Project Development, Management and Marketing and Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Remote Sensing/GIS. Taught by practising professionals and academics from UCD School of Biology & Environmental Sciences, UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science & Veterinary Medicine and UCD School of Law along with the UCD Urban Institute these courses give students the skills needed to manage heritage sites.
Students also take modules in Cultural Heritage and in Biodiversity. Course director, Dr Claire Cave, says that these subjects cover theory and practice. “Students learn about the theoretical aspects of cultural heritage - its management and protection, including international policy and law. They also use case studies to understand questions of sustainable heritage tourism and postcolonial heritage. In some classes, they’ll look at scenarios where heritage is endangered through war, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where there are five World Heritage sites within the conflict zone. The Congolese parks are really vital, as they are variously home to mountain gorillas and Grauer’s gorilla, the last of Northern White Rhinos, African elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos and okapis. Students also discuss the return of stolen objects – for example what will happen in the National Museum of Iraq, which recently re-opened its doors.”
Students of World Heritage
m anagement at UCD explore
questions like habitat
management, sustainable
tourism, and captive breeding
programmes
Graduate Diploma students complete a 10-credit mini-thesis, which often forms the basis of the research project conducted by those staying on for the MSc. The range of past research topics is mesmerising. From protecting endangered Iriomote wildcats in Japan to the use of non-invasive hair sampling of gorillas for DNA analysis, through to conservation in the Burren. Another previous research project considered the implications to indigenous peoples of protecting areas of natural importance. It asked difficult questions about reconciling the need to preserve a sensitive African ecosystem whilst also allowing native people access to traditional sources of food, materials and medical remedies.
Students on the course come from vastly diverse geographical and disciplinary backgrounds. Many are Arts or Human Science graduates, who bring with then the perspective of historians, geographers, art historians, anthropologists or even theologians. Others are archaeologists, architects, businesspeople, journalists or educationalists. Ecologists, zoologists, biologists and engineers also work together. The course’s strong international focus is reflected in its student body. Since its inception in 2003, students from 21 countries have participated.
Gonazla Banda-Cruz, resident of the Galapagos Islands, talks about his hopes for his studies at UCD
During the programme, students travel to the Doñana National Park site in Spain and the cathedral and palace in Seville. These three locations are World Heritage sites, and on the field trip, students meet with the heritage managers of these amenities. The Doñana visit brings together classroom teaching on sustainable tourism, habitat restoration, non-native invasive species, captive breeding programmes, stakeholder engagement, and outreach and education programmes. The Seville meetings provide insights into the management of heritage sites in the urban environment. Day trips to important Irish locations such as Georgian Dublin, Glendalough, Brú na Bóinne, and the bogs of Wicklow provide further case studies.
At Seville Cathedral and Doñana National Park, students of the MSc/Graduate Diploma World Heritage Management learn about some of the challenges of sustainable tourism
Other courses of interest
The course was set up as one of the first of its kind worldwide, with the cooperation of the Conservation Education Trust and UNESCO, who administer the World Heritage Convention. Many international students are supported by their local governments and organisations. However, Irish Aid and UNESCO have previously provided fellowships for the programme. UCD is one of only two universities internationally to be offered the UNESCO-Vocations Patrimoine Fellowships for World Heritage Site Managers.
Past students have gone on to work with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, as heritage officers for local government, as academic leaders, or with heritage sites in Ireland and overseas. Abdunasir Ahmed is Tourism Department Head in the Harari Region of Ethiopia and notes that the academic experience gained at UCD, combined with the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with others working in the area, has allowed him to transform the way his unit deals with Ethiopia’s eight World Heritage Sites.
- Find out more about the MSc/Graduate Diploma World Heritage Management and programmes in the UCD Life Sciences Graduate School.