UNESCO world heritage sites and sustainable local community development

ABSTRACT

While the literature connects the development of World Heritage Sites (WHS) and their host communities, issues of mutual developmental relevance to the sites and the communities are hardly explored for collaborative development actions. This study explored issues of common developmental relevance to selected WHS in coastal Ghana and their host communities. Data were collected from local-level stakeholders – heritage site managers, community residents, and municipal authorities. Common issues of developmental relevance that needed to be addressed related to poor sanitation, harassment of tourists, demarcation of the heritage-protected areas, and beach sand mining. Since the development of WHS and their host communities is linked, the stakeholders are urged to collaboratively develop and implement management plans that take into account the development imperatives of the two entities. Such action-oriented, mutually beneficial plans need to be informed by research and driven by a stakeholder-participatory framework to ensure inclusion and ownership for sustainable development.

KEYWORDS:

• Community development
• castles and forts
• heritage management
• world heritage sites
• sustainable development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Justice Mensah

Dr. Justice Mensah is a Senior Research Fellow at the Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance of the University of Cape Coast. He holds a Ph. D. degree in Development Studies from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He is currently the Head of the Academic Planning Section of the Directorate. His research interests include environmental sanitation management, sustainable development, coastal heritage management, natural resource management, and quality assurance.