Speaker
Description
Bangladesh has a rich and diversified legacy, a heritage to be proud of. With its rich history, heritage tourism in Bangladesh should have been booming. As reported by UNESCO 2020, Bangladesh has three (3) heritage sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, five (5) properties on the Tentative World Heritage List, as well as more than 509 heritage sites across the country that are under protection of the Department of Archaeology under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. In order to establish a comprehensive understanding on the heritage management in Bangladesh, the baseline situation must be understood at first. A desk-based study on the type, number, and distribution of heritage resources, as well as additional data acquisition methods such as surface surveys, archaeological samplings, built condition assessments, local interviews, community-based cultural mappings, or consultations with relevant academics, experts, practitioners, communities, and other stakeholders need to be undertaken. Moreover, the documentation of vulnerabilities e.g., (a) deterioration of archived paper materials, built fabric, (b) agricultural disturbance of archaeological site, (c) Intense visitation pressures, (d) modern intrusions in historic areas, or (e) environmental degradation/erosion etc. will provide strategic guidelines in Heritage conservation. This report compiles the state of the art information on heritage management in Bangladesh and attempts to identify the key players involved. Recommendations for establishing linkages among the players to adopt nuclear approaches in safeguarding and protecting heritage sites of Bangladesh; have also been discussed.
