Foamhenge saviour wanted as day of reckoning for styrofoam Stonehenge approaches

Replica world heritage sites seem to springing up around the world at an ever increasing pace, as globalization stimulates interest in iconic monuments and entrepreneurs seek ways to capitalize on this interest. Witness for example the outlet mall being built in Dubai that is modelled on San Gimignano, a UNESCO-designated town in Italy's Tuscany region.

However, not everyone seems intent on making money from such ventures. A case in point is Mark Cline's "Foamhenge", an exact copy of the megaliths which have stood in a circle at Stonehenge in Wiltshire since prehistoric times. Mr. Cline erected his monument at Natural Bridge in Virginia in 2004, and the site has become a popular tourist attraction.

The original Stonhenge... (photo credit: Ben Schumin)

Sadly, it appears that Foamhenge's days may be numbered. Not only has the styrofoam begun to deteriorate, media are reporting this week that authorities have ordered Mr. Cline to move the monument by July 2016, as the area will be incorporated into the new Natural Bridge State Park.

...And its styrofoam copy (photo credit: Wigulf)

Anyone interested in ancient megaliths take note: Mr. Cline is reportedly looking for someone who would be willing to host the monument for the continued enjoyment of tourists who can't make the trip across the ocean to see the real deal.

Beating the oil patch bust at Banff National Park

Once known for its stunning mountain scenery and wide open plains, in recent decades the Province of Alberta has become synonymous with the ebb and flow of a resource-based economy built around the Athabasca tar sands. Despite the best efforts (and lots of public funds) of both the Alberta and Canadian governments to scrub the tar sands' negative image, the industry has seriously eroded Canada's credentials as a country committed to environmental protection.

From this perspective the collapse in oil prices over the past year may yet prove to be a blessing in disguise for the province - and the country. At a concrete level, the boom-bust cycle of the extractive sector is making the steady-as-she-goes business model of Banff National Park look all the more attractive.

Banff is one seven parks in Alberta which together constitute the Canadian Rocky Mountains Parks world heritage site. Established in 1885, it is Canada's first national park and the third world-wide. By emphasizing sustainably-paced development that balances conservation with measured infrastructure enhancements, Banff National Park has retained its reputation for providing visitors with a memorable outdoors experience while introducing new or enhanced attractions (e.g. the installation of a via ferrata on Mount Norquay) in a measured way that continues to build visitor numbers.

Banff townsite (credit: Borbrav)

As noted by Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper this week, almost four million visitors are expected in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, up 7.5 percent over the percent and up a further 10 percent over the year before. While the focus on increasing visitor numbers has provoked concern from some quarters in the environmentalist community, the approach being adopted nonetheless demonstrates a sensitivity to the various interests at stake, including protection of the natural environment. Authorities responsible for certain other world heritage sites would do well to take notice.

NASA imagery to help preserve Peru's Nasca Lines

Proving the point that any story that can draw on the glamour of NASA and its space program, media this week are reporting on an agreement reached whereby NASA will provide Peruvian authorities with radar imagery of the Nasca Lines to help protect from damage.

The Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca, scratched into Peru's rocky coastal desert between 500 BCE and 500 CE, were named a world heritagesite in 1994 and are famously one of archaeology's great enigmas.

Aerial view of a Nasca geoglyhph depicting a monkey

While the Nasca Lines have suffered damage over the years as a result of human activity - including tourism - their protection became a matter of international attention in the wake of an ill-fated protest in support of renewable energy by the environmentalist organization Greenpeace in 2014, which allegedly disturbed the Lines.

Under the agreement, imagery will be shared on a no-cost basis, allowing authorities to quickly spot potential threats to the Nasca Lines, and hopefully address them before any damage is done.

Lima newspaper El Comercio has given readers a sense of what the information to be provided with the publication of an image showing one of the geoglyphs along with apparent damage to the site.

Suppressed report to UNESCO on management of Rideau Canal finally released

Tight control over messaging and underwhelming support for United Nations institutions are two well-known characteristics of Canada's former Conservative government. It therefore comes as no surprise that a 2013 report to UNESCO on the management of the Rideau Canal, a world heritage site and prominent attraction in Ottawa, was suppressed.

Skating on the Rideau Canal near in Ottawa

No longer. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the Rideau advocacy group and the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, the report has now been released publicly.

However, anyone expecting embarrassing revelations will be disappointed. As noted by the Ottawa Citizen While the report points to a number of weaknesses in the management of the heritage site, including an education and awareness program that falls short of expectations and "below optimum" staffing levels, the picture painted is largely one of competence.

Rideau Canal pathway in the Fall

Meanwhile, the Friends of the Rideau disputes several statements made by Parks Canada (the government agency responsible for the management of the Rideau Canal and author of the report). However, whether any follow up to the report will be undertaken by UNESCO following the release of the report remains to be seen.

Conflict in Chichen-Itza: Handicraft vendors and local authorities square off

The Yucatan Times reported this week on simmering conflict at the pre-hispanic City of Chichen-Itza, a world heritage site on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The problem is a familiar one. While visitor numbers have surged since the site's designation in 2011, local communities claim that have not benefited from the boost to the region's economy, given that tourists for the most part visit Chichen-Itza on day tours from Merida or Cancun, returning to their luxury hotels on the coast immediately following their visit.

Not surprisingly, local people have sought to derive economic advantage from the tourist influx, with vendors thronging the site to sell souvenirs and handicrafts. However, unfortunately the lack of controls has left many tourists feeling harassed by hard-selling vendors, which in turn has led to what some claim is a ham-fisted reaction by authorities.

While there are indications that Yucatan State Governor Rolando Zapata Bello is working with the National Institute of Anthropology and History to develop an action plan to address the problems at Chichen-Itza, the challenge, as seen at other world heritage sites where local communities have been marginalized (e.g. Petra in Jordan), is to follow through and implement concrete measures that balance the interests of all concerned: government authorities, the tourism sector, local communities as well visitors.

Let's hope Governor Zapata is successful in his efforts to achieve this balance in Chichen-Itza.

Canadian world heritage sites rendered in postage stamp form

Canada Post follows a well-worn tradition in Hollywood by recycling and repackaging past successes. In this case, a stamp series featuring five world heritage sites, previously issued in 2014, will be reprised next month in a new (and lower) denomination.

According to Linn's Stamp News & Insights, Heritage sites featured include Nova Scotia’s Old Town Lunenburg and Landscape of Grand Pre, Alberta’s Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Ontario’s Rideau Canal and S’Gang Gwaay on Anthony Island off the coast of British Columbia.

With Thailand having issued its own world heritage site stamp series in October, I wonder which country will be next to showcase its cultural and natural heritage in philatelic fashion?

Peru proposes a code of conduct for NGOs following Greenpeace's ill-judged Nasca Lines protest

Many Peruvians were outraged in December 2014 when Greepeace staged a protest in support of renewable energy that involved laying yellow fabric letters near the Nasca Lines. The Nasca Lines are one of Peru's leading world heritage sites and encompass a series of gigantic geoglyphs etched into the Pacific coastal desert between 500 BCE and 500 CE. Peruvian officials accused Greenpeace of permanently damaging the geoglyphs, which in turn led to an embarrassing climb-down for the organization.

Greenpeace protest at Nasca Lines in December 2014

Now, Peru is promoting the approval of a code of conduct at UNESCO for NGOs and civil society organizations to respect countries' cultural heritage. According to the Agencia Peruana de Noticias, the code would establish expected behaviours to help preserve and conserve the world’s cultural heritage and prevent it from being damaged.

While this sounds like a worthy initiative, we will have to wait until the proposal is formally tabled at an upcoming UNESCO committee meeting in Namibia to gauge the level of support among other member states.

A bridge too far? The benefits and risks of ending Mompox' splendid isolation

Santa Cruz de Mompox, a town in North-Western Colombia on the banks of the Magdalena river, is a finely preserved colonial gem founded by the Spanish in 1540. A world heritage site since 1995, Santa Cruz rewards visitors with beautiful architecture set in an awe-inspiring natural environment.

Yet, as noted by Colombia Reports this week, the town's cultural legacy in under threat by the Colombian government's plans to bring modernity to Mompos, as it known locally, by building a new bridge across the Magdalena River to Magangue and the country's larger urban centres beyond. At 12km long and costing upwards of USD75 million, the "Bridge of Reconciliation" President Juan Manuel Santos is characterizing is dividing Momposinos. While many welcome the economic benefits that will come with improved transportation links, others worry about the loss of Mompos' unique identity and heritage. 

Hopefully a middle way can be found that balances local residents' aspirations with a strong commitment to the preservation of the area's rich cultural and nature heritage.

Architects champion ancient Peruvian design principles

The sacred city of Caral-Supe, the site of an urban settlement established 5,000 years ago by the Caral civilization in the coastal desert of central Peru, is by many accounts an engineering marvel. With its complex architectural features, including monumental stone and earthen platform mounts and sunken circular courts, was designated a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2009.

The ancient city was the focal point for a gathering early this month of the International Union of Architects (known by its French acronym, UIA), whose members used the occasion to issue a document entitled the Caral Letter, which celebrates the city as an example of sustainable urban planning in harmony with the natural environment. According to UIA Adviser José Arispe, the ancient builders of Caral built flexible foundations to withstand earthquakes, maximized the availability of fertile land for agriculture by building on arid ground, and used innovative design techniques to supply air to fires used in religious ceremonies. These engineering feats are all the more impressive considering that they were accomplished without the tools builders have came to rely on, whether the wheel or the plum line.

The Caral Letter is to be formally presented at the upcoming UN climate conference in Paris.

Exciting new research on El Salvador's Pompeii

The Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site, a world heritage site in El Salvador, rivals Pompeii for its exceptional remains of a pre-Columbian agricultural community that was buried under several meters of volcanic ash during an eruption of the Laguna Caldera Volcano in approximately 660 CE.

Ceren archaeological site

This week the University of Colorado in Boulder published a fascinating article on recent archaeological research at the site, which challenges the common perception that the common people of time were lorded over by ruthless elites. As well, the research has underscored the complexity of local social structures and relationships.   

Given that the historical record of indigenous Latin America is dominated by the observations of the early Spanish conquistadors and their hangers-on, archaeological research of the sort being pursued by the University of Colorado is a welcome corrective to the traditional narrative.

Huaqueros, or the scourge of Peru's ancient grave sites

When it comes to the pillaging and loss of cultural heritage, the Middle East is currently top of mind given recent events in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen. However, destruction and looting of historical sites remains a problem the world over, and especially in those places where the rule of law is more shaky.

One such country is Peru, which has an incredibly diverse historical legacy, ranging from the City of Cuzco,  to the lines and geoglyphs of Nasca. Yet it also suffers from corruption and endemic poverty among large segments of the population. Combined with the demand for pre-Columbian artefacts on the international market, these factors have created permissive conditions for the pillage of sites like this ancient cemetery near the Pan-American Highway south of Lima.

Looted ancient cemetery in coastal Peru

A stone's throw from the highway the desert sand was pockmarked with pits. Skulls, bones, rotting fabric and clay pots were strewn everywhere. Visiting the site, one could not but wonder what would drive someone to show such a lack of respect for the deceased, whether they died ten years ago or a thousand. Sadly, huaqueros - as those who specialize in looting forgotten graves or burial sites are known - continue to operate throughout Peru.

Machu Picchu's new twin

Twinning with a city or town in another country is a favourite way for municipal governments to try to promote themselves on the world stage, yet Otama in Fukushima Prefecture in Japan has done better than most by twinning with Machu Picchu, a world heritage site in Peru featuring the ruins of an 500-year old sanctuary high in the Peruvian Andes.

A testament to the longstanding history of Japanese immigration to Peru in the last century, authorities in Machu Picchu agreed to the twinning after turning down many other requests. According to the Japan Times, the arrangement is meant to honour Yokichi Nouchi (1895-1969), who was born in Otama and contributed substantially to tourism development in Machu Picchu after immigrating to Peru in the early 20th century. 

Congratulations to both parties in the twinning!

Rio de Janeiro 40 years ago

Inspired at an early age by my parents' keen interest in photography and fortunate to have lived with them in the 1970s in what was undoubtedly one of the most welcoming neighbourhoods (Leme) in one of the most beautiful cities of the world (Rio de Janeiro), I put my Polaroid camera to good use. 

A world heritage site since 2012, Rio's Zona Sul contains a wealth of sights, sounds and people. The photos below were all taken in 1976.

Rio's Jardim Botânico (Botanical Gardens), established in 1808, offers a welcome escape from the city's bustle.

Taken from the window of our apartment, this photo features the Morro de Leme as well as the end of Leme beach. As a child I always wanted to climb to the top of the Morro, but sadly it was a military zone at the time and hence visitors were not welcome. 

One of Rio's most iconic attractions, Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf) was usually the first place my parents would take anyone visiting us from overseas. However, I never tired of the journey up and down the glass-walled cable cars...

Portobelo: Panama's neglected jewel

Arriving in Panama City in June 2002 after a four-day odyssey across Central America (albeit admittedly on very comfortable Tica Bus coach) I was immediately struck by the pervasive contrasts: a modern city of skyscrapers and shopping malls within sight of the narrow streets of the Casco Viejo; huge gleaming cargo ships alongside decrepit fishing boats; the bustling shopping avenues a stone's throw from streets where mugging is a near certainty (as I learned firsthand during the first week of my stay).

Still, as memorable as Panama City might be, it is a world away from Portobelo, a fishing village on the Caribbean coast which was once a trans-shipment point for the tonnes of gold and silver extracted from Spain's colonial possessions in South America. As soon as I arrived in Panama I was determined to pay a visit, as much to see the extensive colonial-era Spanish fortifications as to channel the likes of Henry Morgan, Francis Drake and other ne'er-do-wells who once stalked the Spanish treasure ships in the waters nearby. 

Getting from Panama City to Portobelo involves a bus journey across the isthmus, which is a unique experience in itself. Where else in the world can one travel - in less than two hours - from one ocean's shore to another? Mind you, arriving in Colón, Panama's principal Caribbean port, is not exactly uplifting. While none of Central America's port cities exudes savouriness, Colón is ahead of the pack in this regard, so much so that walking anywhere in town was not recommended at the time of my visit. Fortunately, the transfer from one bus to another does not necessitate leaving the station, and soon as I was on my way to Portobelo on a brightly painted bus that once brought children to and from school in North America.

The accounts I had read and the photos I had seen did not prepare me for the striking beauty of Portobelo. The village itself is pleasant enough, not dissimilar to dozens of other small settlements up and down the isthmus that subsist on fishing, farming and tourism. However, approaching the old port the view is unforgettable: the low hills coverage covered in a lush forest against the azure waters of Portobelo Bay, and everywhere one looks the lichen-streaked black stone of ruined 16th and 17th century fortifications, with cannons laying askew here and there on the parapets and in the grass.

On the days of my visit (for I returned a second time during my stay in Panama) there were no other visitors present, and clambering over the ruins was a highlight of my sojourn in Central America that year. It is therefore sad to think that since 2012 the site has featured since on UNESCO's list of world heritage sites in danger. Despite calls by UNESCO over more than a decade for the Panamanian authorities to take steps to preserve Portobelo's fortifications, action has not been forthcoming, with progressive deterioration of the ruins and continuing urban encroachment on the property.

Let's hope that Portobelo's amazing historical legacy receives the protection it needs for the sake of future generations of Panamanians, and indeed anyone who values our common history and heritage.