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Space Technologies for Sustainable Heritage: 10th Anniversary of HIST

New Content ItemThe International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) under the auspices of UNESCO, is devoted to developing and utilizing space technologies for the identification, conservation, monitoring and management of UNESCO-designated sites to support UNESCO and its Member States in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and providing support for the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for delivering Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Since its establishment in July 2011, HIST has played a vital role in assisting UNESCO and its Member States in the conservation of UNESCO-designated sites. It has conducted various international projects such as Remote Sensing for Environment of Angkor Site, Monitoring Landscape Evolution and Abnormal Deformations of the pagodas in Bagan World Heritage site, Monitoring and Analysis of Changes in the Forest Cover Loss in Asian Elephants’ Habitats in Sri Lanka, Digital Characterization and Preventive Conservation of the Ming Great Wall, and strengthened capacity building through cultivating 20 doctoral students from developing countries and training 300 representatives from UNESCO Member States. HIST would like to call for global stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and make concerted efforts to use space technologies and other emerging technologies to help UNESCO and its Member States within the next decade to achieve heritage-related SDGs.

Supported by the Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, HIST joins hands with Heritage Science, part of Springer Nature, to launch the special issue (article collection) to commemorate its 10th anniversary. The article collection presents the latest academic achievements from HIST researchers and its international partners. 

  2. Gulangyu Island is a special case of social development and changes since modern China. In the past, Chinese and foreign people lived together and Chinese and Western cultures coexisted, resulting in an intern...

    Authors: Yuan Li, Jing Guo, Long Zhao, Yiping Chen, Cheng Wang, Cheng Wang and Jonathan Li
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:151
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  3. UNESCO Global Geoparks should be of international geological significance in terms of their scientific quality, rarity, aesthetic appeal and tourism value. At least nine Cenozoic volcanic fields are developed ...

    Authors: Han Fu, Bihong Fu, Pilong Shi and Yuanyuan Zheng
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:149
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  4. Large-scale human activities especially the destruction of forest land, grassland, and unused land result in a large amount of carbon release into the atmosphere and cause drastic changes in land use/cover in ...

    Authors: Haiyan Li, Yi Qu, Xingyu Zeng, Hongqiang Zhang, Ling Cui and Chunyu Luo
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:134
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  5. The Central Plains has a long history, rich culture, unique geographical advantages, and profound cultural heritage. The occurrence of ancient cities in the Central Plains marks the formation of Chinese state-...

    Authors: Lijie Yan, Ruixia Yang, Peng Lu, Fei Teng, Xia Wang, Li Zhang, Panpan Chen, Xiang Li, Lanbo Guo and Dong Zhao
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:124
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  6. Silo-cave is a unique human habitation form on the Loess Plateau in northern China, which consists of an excavated 6–7 m deep pit as the courtyard and cave dwellings in the surrounding four walls. This archite...

    Authors: Li Zhang, Peng Lu, Raymond Lau, Lijie Yan, Xiang Li, Ruixia Yang, Ho Hon Leung, Panpan Chen and Xia Wang
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:118
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  7. China has a deep traditional culture and a long history, and is rich in traditional settlements (designated as “Famous Historic-Cultural Villages/Towns”, “Chinese Traditional Villages” by Chinese Government). ...

    Authors: Zui Hu, Josef Strobl, Qingwen Min, Min Tan and Fulong Chen
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:115
    Content type: Research article Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in Heritage Science 2021 9:128

  8. Space technology offers effective tools to monitor the status of World Natural Heritage sites. East Rennell Island, which covers approximately 37,000 hectares (ha) and a marine area extending three nautical mi...

    Authors: Sijia Huo, Mengmeng Wang, Guolong Chen, Huiqin Shu and Ruixia Yang
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:101
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  9. The joint development of cultural heritage protection and tourism is an essential part of sustainable heritage tourism. Mount Lushan in China is such a site which in the past has had shortcomings in heritage p...

    Authors: Zhenrao Cai, Chaoyang Fang, Qian Zhang and Fulong Chen
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:86
    Content type: Research article Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in Heritage Science 2021 9:146

  10. Depicting the temporal and spatial evolution pattern of global world cultural heritage systematically and finely is the basis of heritage recognition and protection. In this study, 869 world cultural heritage ...

    Authors: Liang Yongqi, Yang Ruixia, Wang Pu, Yang Anlin and Chen Guolong
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:80
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  11. The Great Wall of China is one of the largest architectural heritage sites globally, and its sustainability is a significant concern. However, its large extent and diverse characteristics are challenges for de...

    Authors: Hang Xu, Fulong Chen and Wei Zhou
    Citation: Heritage Science 2021 9:71
    Content type: Research article Published on: