The aim of this study is to once more present in a single document the outstanding universal value of the Kotor Region, mechanisms of protection and management and causes, as well as threats and risks of its (alarming) condition that may put it on the List of World Heritage in Danger and/or lead to its eventual removal from the World Heritage List. The study is intended primarily for the domestic public, institutions, experts, but also other interested public in order to provide them with all relevant information about the shortcomings of the existing system and encourage them to make changes in order to improve it. Heritage care rests on three pillars: protection, planning and management (not necessarily in that order because all three can be first), and when it comes to the Region, the current situation tells us that all three pillars have failed.
2. World Heritage – concept and significance “Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. They are our touchstones, our points of reference, our identity. What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.”1 In 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The aim of this Convention is to encourage “the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the cultural and natural heritage” which is considered to have “outstanding universal value” for humanity. States Parties are countries that have accepted the World Heritage Convention, thus committing themselves to the protection of properties identified as World Heritage in their territory, in order to protect the common heritage of mankind. By 2020, the Convention had been signed by 193 countries, including Montenegro. Natural, cultural and mixed properties of outstanding universal value are inscribed on the World Heritage List, which was established on the basis of the Convention. At the beginning of 2022, there were a total of 1,154 World Heritage sites on the List. This status makes them a common heritage for the preservation of which each of us is responsible. “Sites selected for World Heritage listing are inscribed on the basis of their merits as the best possible examples of the cultural and natural heritage. The World Heritage List reflects the wealth and diversity of the Earth’s cultural and natural heritage.” Inscription on the World Heritage List is achieved by a nomination submitted by a State Party to the Convention. In order to be inscribed on the List, a property must be of outstanding universal value (OUV), and meet: 1 World Heritage Information Kit (2008), UNESCO World Heritage Centre
7
