Huangshan Dialogue calls for tech-enhanced heritage protection

The 4th Huangshan Dialogue on UNESCO-designated Sites and Sustainable Development concluded Friday in Anhui, China, with calls for more cooperation on the use of digital technologies for heritage protection.

The 4th Huangshan Dialogue on UNESCO-designated Sites and Sustainable Development concluded on 30 June 2023 in Huangshan city, located in eastern China's Anhui province. The Huangshan Vision, adopted at the conclusion of the dialogue, called for enhanced heritage protection cooperation.

The vision emphasizes the potential role of space-, air-, and ground-based remote sensing technologies, along with other digital applications, in the monitoring and conservation of UNESCO-designated sites.

It urges international organizations and concerned countries to fully utilize digital technologies. This would strengthen the collaborative conservation and management of UNESCO-designated sites and promote collaborative efforts toward the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals.

Furthermore, HIST has aided heritage sites in developing countries to enhance capacity building. They have provided training to site managers and researchers and have advanced the use of space technologies in countries and regions along the Belt and Road, he noted.

The dialogue also released the Draft Recommendations on Climate Action for Heritage Conservation, calling for decision-makers and stakeholders to take appropriate contingency measures and use the best available technology to improve resilience and adaptation of UNESCO-designated sites in ways that do not negatively affect their authenticity and integrity.

1. Full text of Huangshan Vision（downloadable）

2. Full text of Recommendations on Climate Action for Heritage Conservation（downloadable）