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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
November 7, 2007
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| October 22, 2007 |
Conserving the World’s Wonders – An Interview with World Heritage Site Expert Kido Kazuo |
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| Kido Kazuo relays his vast knowledge of such regions as the Frankincense Trail through the Middle East |
Kido Kazuo works for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is an expert in the field of World Heritage sites, having authored numerous books. He joined Peace Boat from Cochin, India to Port Said, Egypt to share his encyclopedic knowledge of World Heritage sites in the regions Peace Boat will be visiting, and to lecture on World Heritage activities which cherish the notion of harmonious coexistence between nature and humans. We spoke with him about the importance of these sites and how humans can enjoy them without destroying them. |
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The Moai of Rapa Nui, the world’s most isolated inhabited island. Mr Kido believes tourism to the island must be very carefully managed in order to protect their future. |
What do you see as the role of World Heritage sites?
The treaty of World Heritage sites is not aiming to make everything a cultural or natural heritage site. It’s not their purpose. They [UNESCO] want to protect and reserve sites to make the situation of the environment better all over the world. The treaty of World Heritage is to protect the world.
Is there a contradiction in that when a site becomes a World Heritage site and is protected by UNESCO, it actually causes many more people to come and creates more potential for damage?
Yes. I have been talking a lot about the protection of the World Heritage sites and about preventing development around the sites. There are 851 sites now and they all have the same problems: 1. How can we protect the sites? 2. How can we use them as a place of tourism? 3. How can we deal with the problem of development around the sites? The newest idea about World Heritage sites is about how to protect them and pass them down to the next generation. At the same time, we have another idea: how can we make the life of people living in that area better and richer? – how can we maintain both ideas? |
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A façade in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, a World Heritage site visited by many participants when Peace Boat stopped Jordan |
Peace Boat is involved in petitioning to get Patagonia, Argentina to be made into a World Heritage site because the glaciers are being bought by foreign companies to make bottled water, taking the source of water from the indigenous people of the area. What do you think about this?
Yes, I know about it. Of course the treaty of World Heritage sites was made by UNESCO but the responsibility to protect the sites is the responsibility of each individual government. There’s a notion that sites are common property of all the people of the world. To protect the World Heritage sites by using money and human resources and so on is the duty of all the people of the world. UNESCO has the plan of all World Heritage sites but the amount of money is very small. Our budget is three billion dollars for all sites, the amount for each site is therefore very small. That’s why UNESCO needs to use money effectively. The role of UNESCO is to organize many countries to protect the World Heritage sites.
How can we practice responsible tourism?
It’s very simple – travelers can expose themselves to the heritage sites but they should try not to ruin places. At the same time, one person cannot protect the site because the preservation technique is very high level, so one individual can’t protect those places. Japanese tourists also need to learn good manners. The effects of our actions often go unnoticed - even viruses in the clothes we wear can have a huge impact on areas with no immunity.
Do you have a message for Peace Boat participants?
Please remember that World Heritage sites are the first step of world civilization. We can say French civilization or New Zealand civilization, or Japanese civilization but this term “world civilization” was introduced by Andre Marlow. World Heritage is a common language for the world. Each site has its own unique diversity, by protecting them and understanding them, we can talk about them and understand them, understanding the same thing is just the same as talking to each other. World Heritage sites are a common language all over the world. |
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