Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is substantial for coastal tourism development. The definition of the cultural and natural heritage was defined by the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. (Paris 1972)

• "the monuments: architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science;
• the sites: works of man or the combined works of nature and man, and areas including archaeological sites which are of outstanding universal value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of features, which are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science"

Monuments and sites which comply with this definition are recognized as a part of heritage which is necessary to protect. For this purpose it is essential to adopt new provisions in the form of a convention establishing an effective system of collective protection of the cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value, organized on a permanent basis and in accordance with modern scientific methods."

UNEP is focusing very much on the Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity, and it is a up to local organizers of sustainable coastal tourism to focus in particular on the community issue. Although the international community is beginning to recognize the inextricable link between biological and cultural diversity, linguistic diversity is still far from being a consideration in international forums.

"Safeguarding the linguistic heritage of people and giving support to expression, creation and dissemination of this heritage in the greatest possible number of languages is included in the guidelines for an Action Plan for the implementation of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity." (UNESCO Universal declaration on Cultural Diversity. Paris 2001)