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Namibia plans to nominate the Greater Waterberg Landscape for inscription on the World Heritage List
Namibia’s National Heritage Council and the Cheetah Conservation Fund have commenced work to prepare a nomination file for possible inscription of the Greater Waterberg Landscape on the World Heritage List. Phase one of this project is underway and it includes: Further research, site visits, and consultations with local communities, traditional authorities, and regional Government. The first official presentation will be made at the next committee meeting of the 1972 convention scheduled to take place in August 2015.
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The area in and around the Waterberg Plateau Park, known as the Greater Waterberg Landscape is an area steeped in History. It is an area where the German Herero War of 1904 took place and world historians consider this location to be where the first Genocide of the 20th century took place. The battle between the German and Herero troops started in this area before the Herero people were forced to flee eastwards into the Kalahari, through Hereroland and the Greater Waterberg Landscape.
Various cultural and natural heritage sites around the world are among some of the earth’s priceless and irreplaceable assets, and not only for each nation, but for humanity as a whole. The loss through deterioration or disappearance, of any of these most prized assets constitutes an impoverishment of the heritage of all the peoples of the world.
Parts of that heritage, because of their exceptional qualities, can be considered to be of “Outstanding Universal Value” and as such worthy of special protection against the dangers which increasingly threaten them. To ensure, as far as possible, the proper identification, protection, conservation and presentation of the world's heritage, the Member States of UNESCO adopted the World Heritage Convention in 1972. The Convention constituted the "World Heritage Committee" and the "World Heritage Fund". Both the Committee and the Fund have been in operation since 1976.
Within this framework, Namibia ratified this convention, and as a State Party, a National Steering Committee was set up in order to oversee the implementation of this convention. Currently, Namibia has two World Heritage Sites, which are, Twyfelfontein and the Namib Sand Sea. If the nomination is successful and the Greater Waterberg Landscape is enlisted as a World Heritage site, this will be an achievement for the Namibian tourism sector and conservation management.
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| Author(s) |
UNESCO Windhoek Office |
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| Publication Date |
30 Jul 2015 |
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