Brú Na Boinne World Heritage Site Management Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Appendix10 UNEC S O World Heritage Site and Bru na Boinne Management Plan A10 UNESCO World Heritage Site The Convention Concerning the Section 77 – Protection of the World Cultural and The Committee considers a property as having Natural Heritage - The World Heritage Outstanding Universal Value if the property Convention 1972 meets one or more of the following criteria. Nominated properties shall therefore : The World Heritage Convention was ratified by Ireland in 1991. Each State Party to the (i) represent a masterpiece of human creative Convention recognizes that the duty of ensuring genius; the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future (ii) exhibit an important interchange of human generations of the cultural and natural heritage values, over a span of time or within a which is situated on its territory belongs cultural area of the world, on developments primarily to that State. in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design; The Convention requires state parties who have ratified the Convention to protect World (iii) bear a unique or at least exceptional Heritage Sites inscribed on the World Heritage testimony to a cultural tradition or to a List because of their Outstanding Universal civilization which is living or which has Value and to transmit them on to future disappeared; generations. The World Heritage Committee’s Operational Guidelines (UNESCO 2008) contain (iv) be an outstanding example of a type of guidance on ensuring the protection of World building, architectural or technological Heritage Sites and their surroundings. ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history; Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessments for Cultural World Heritage Properties. 2011. (v) be an outstanding example of a traditional This ICOMOS Guidance document sets out a human settlement, land-use, or sea- methodology for evaluating the potential impact use which is representative of a culture of development on the Outstanding Universal (or cultures), or human interaction with Value (OUV) of a World Heritage Site. This is the environment especially when it has intended to be used both by those proposing become vulnerable under the impact of development and by those assessing its impact irreversible change; as part of the existing overall EIA process. (vi) be directly or tangibly associated with UNESCO World Heritage List events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The The World Heritage Committee’s Operational Committee considers that this criterion Guidelines (UNESCO 2011) contain guidance on should preferably be used in conjunction ensuring the protection of World Heritage Sites with other criteria); and their surroundings. (vii) contain superlative natural phenomena or The UNESCO Operational Guidelines for areas of exceptional natural beauty and the Implementation of the World Heritage aesthetic importance; Convention set out the procedure for the inscription of properties on the World Heritage (viii) be outstanding examples representing List and the List of World Heritage in Danger, major stages of earth’s history, including and the protection and conservation of World the record of life, significant on-going Heritage properties. geological processes in the development 542 MEATH COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2013–2019 UNESCO World Heritage Site A10 of landforms, or significant geomorphic or decides whether a property should be physiographic features; inscribed on the World Heritage List, guided by the Advisory bodies. When deciding on the (ix) be outstanding examples representing inscription of a property on the World Heritage significant on-going ecological and List, the Committee adopts a Statement of biological processes in the evolution and Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) which is development of terrestrial, fresh water, a summary of the assessment and acts as coastal and marine ecosystems and the key reference for future protection and communities of plants and animals; management of the property. (x) contain the most important and significant All 962 World Heritage Sites are now required natural habitats for in-situ conservation by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO of biological diversity, including those to have Statements of Outstanding Universal containing threatened species of Value in place by 2012. Outstanding Universal Value from the point of view of science or conservation. Statements of Outstanding Universal Value are made up of several elements - brief description, Section 78. Statement of Significance, Statement of To be deemed of Outstanding Universal Value, Authenticity, Statement of Integrity and a a property must also meet the conditions of section describing how the World Heritage Site integrity and/or authenticity and must have an (WHS) is protected and managed. Statements adequate protection and management system of Outstanding Universal Value are approved to ensure its safeguarding. by the World Heritage Committee within an 18 month evaluation period. Section 96. Protection and management of World Heritage Statements of Outstanding Universal Value are properties should ensure that their Outstanding key references for the effective protection and Universal Value, including the conditions of management of World Heritage Sites and the integrity and/or authenticity at the time of main objective should be the protection of each inscription, are sustained or enhanced over WHS through conservation and preservation of time. A regular review of the general state of its OUV. conservation of properties, and thus also their Outstanding Universal Value, shall be done The text below has been submitted to the within a framework of monitoring processes for UNESCO World Heritage Centre by the World Heritage properties, as specified within Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. the Operational Guidelines. Retrospective Statement of Section 98. Outstanding Universal Value for the Legislative and regulatory measures at national Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of and local levels should assure the survival the Boyne (Brú na Bóinne) 2011 of the property and its protection against development and change that might negatively Archaeological Ensemble impact the Outstanding Universal Value, or the Property of the Bend of the Boyne integrity and/or authenticity of the property. States Parties should also assure the full and Id. No. 659 effective implementation of such measures. State Party Ireland Statement of Outstanding Universal Value The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO MEATH COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2013–2019 543 A10 UNESCO World Heritage Site Brief synthesis expression, was a feature of outstanding Bounded on the south by a bend in the River importance in prehistoric Europe and beyond. Boyne, the prehistoric site of Brú na Bóinne is dominated by the three great burial mounds of Integrity (2011) Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth. Surrounded The 780 ha area of the Brú na Bóinne World by about forty satellite passage graves, they Heritage property encapsulates the attributes for constitute a funerary landscape recognised as which the property was inscribed on the World having great ritual significance, subsequently Heritage List. In addition to the large passage attracting later monuments of the Iron Age, tombs of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth, 90 early Christian and medieval periods. recorded monuments – as well as an unknown quantity of as yet unrecorded sites – remain Located about 40 km upriver from Dublin on a scattered across the ridge above the Boyne and ridge between the rivers Boyne and Mattock, over the low-lying areas and floodplain closer to within several kilometres of other prehistoric (the present course of) the rivers. mounds, the site is part of an area rich in stories of Ireland’s ancient past. Predominantly The buffer zone is comprised of 2,500 hectares, agricultural at the present time the area has the boundary lines respecting carefully mapped been extensively explored for more than a views into and out of the property. Since hundred years by archaeologists and historians, inscription in 1993, views out of the property with excavation revealing many features. have been impacted by the M1 bridge crossing the River Boyne to the east of the property; the The Knowth group, where the earliest features addition of a third chimney and other structures date from the Neolithic period and the latest to the cement factory on the skyline to the from the Anglo-Norman period, has produced east south-east near Duleek; the addition of an thirty monuments and sites that figure on incinerator stack to the skyline at Carranstown the official inventory; these include passage and a housing development. The ambiance of the graves adorned with petroglyphs, enclosures, ritual centre is vulnerable to such disturbances occupation sites and field systems. The which could potentially threaten the integrity Newgrange group is purely prehistoric, with of the property. The local authority (Meath a ringfort, cursus, passage graves and a County Council) has in place planning policies henge. The Dowth group is similar to that at and procedures to deal with applications for Newgrange but there is medieval evidence in developments which may either incrementally or the form of a church and a castle. individually have potential impact on the integrity of the World Heritage property. Criteria (1993) Criterion (i) Authenticity (1993) The Bend of the