World Heritage and the Local Community: The Case of Atapuerca (Burgos,Spain) |
| |
| Authors: | María Eugenia Conforti J. Carlos Díez Fernández-Lomana Mercedes Mariano María Luz Endere Antonio J. Romero Alonso |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Archaeological and Paleontological Research Quaternary Pampeano (INCUAPA), UNICEN, Olavarría, Argentina;2. National Council of Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina, Olavarría, Buenos Aires, Argentinamariaeugeniaconforti@gmail.com;4. Department of Prehistory, University of Burgos, Burgos, Spain;5. National Council of Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina, Olavarría, Buenos Aires, Argentina;6. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Olavarría, Buenos Aires, Argentina;7. University of Basque Country, Vizcaya, Spanish |
| |
| Abstract: | As social constructions, heritage properties require the participation of all their stakeholders, especially in the case of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) World Heritage Site is used as a test case for assessing the fulfilment of the local community’s development expectations, perceptions, and values. This paper is the first formal attempt to ascertain the opinions of residents in the surrounding villages — Ibeas de Juarros and Atapuerca — regarding the initiatives taken by the authorities, and the changes produced, since the site was included in the World Heritage List. The results show that many improvements can be made with the aim of democratizing the decision-making process, ensuring the involvement of the local community and improving their quality of life, in order to fulfil the spirit and recommendations of UNESCO. |
| |
| Keywords: | heritage management UNESCO World Heritage local community participation Atapuerca Spain |
|
|
