Cultural landscapes in Asia and the Pacific : implications of the world heritage convention

The notion of cultural landscape has been accepted in the World Heritage Convention since 1992 but the adoption for World Heritage inscription is different among regions. This paper aims to address the issues of applying the concept of cultural landscape in Asia and the Pacific. The article first takes an overview of the World Heritage List and current issues related to the cultural landscape. This is followed by a discussion of the cultural landscape by referring to previous studies, with detailed analysis pointing out the major characteristics of the listed cultural landscapes in Asia and the Pacific, which are tabulated using the numerical data. The final discussion concludes by addressing the discourse on applying the World Heritage Convention and the current issues on cultural landscape conservation in Asia and the Pacific

Concept and practice of cultural landscape protection in Thailand

Cultural landscapes have achieved international recognition as critical to the practice of cultural heritage management. Nevertheless, application of the concept is affected by varying worldwide regional cultural perceptions of landscape. For many countries, including Thailand, the concept and associated international frameworks - for example, World Heritage categories - are relatively new. They present a challenge in applying the frameworks and accepting the holistic idea of landscape as a heritage conservation management tool against the conventional view of heritage value residing primarily in monuments and prescribed sites. Varying topographical featured in different regions of Thailand result in distinctive physical landscapes. First is the densely populated Central Plain with its rich agricultural base and output focusing on the Chao Phraya River Delta between Nakornsawan and the Gulf of Thailand. Second is the Northern Valley region covering the northern and western region along the border with Myanmar and Laos. This area is also the origin of the Chao Phraya River and is a rich forest country. Third is the Northeast of Korat Plain bounded by the Central Plain on the west and Cambodia on the south. The Mekong, Moon and Chi are the major rivers of this region. Fourth is the Southeast Coast facing the Gulf of Thailand on the South, the Central Valley on the north and Cambodia on the west. It generally has fertile soil and rainfall suitable for tropical fruit farming. Lastly, the southern region is a strip of land extending from the Central Plain to the border of Malaysia; it comprises humid tropical forest facing the Andaman Sea and Myanmar on the west and the Gulf of Thailand on the East

Cultural rights and conservation of Old Bangkok

The cultural heritage of Siam is exceptionally rich and distinctive. As everywhere, this heritage is under threat from the pace of change and from the demands of tourism, mismanagement, and neglect. This book is the first to examine the value of Siam's heritage and the need to protect it. These nineteen essays are written by pioneers of conservation over the last generation and by the activists of today