WHY CONSERVE PETRA
ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE IS A NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE; ONCE IT IS GONE, IT IS GONE FOREVER
The UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972 states that:
“Cultural heritage and natural heritage are increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction. Deterioration or disappearance of any item of the cultural or natural heritage constitutes a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world. Cultural and natural heritage are of outstanding interest and therefore need to be preserved as part of the world heritage of mankind as a whole.”
Petra Values
Petra was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1985 and, according to UNESCO, the site of Petra is valued on the world stage for the following reasons:
It conserves outstanding and representative samples of the nation’s and the world's cultural heritage. Petra's uniqueness has the potential to attract, entertain, inspire and educate people, locally, regionally and internationally.
It provides opportunities to sustain natural ecosystem processes through the conservation of resources on which they depend. These processes are essential for human survival and sustainable development.
It conserves significant remains of the natural original vegetation and several endemic plants.
It conserves valuable natural assets, grandiose scenic values, striking geological values, and ecological and biological values.
It is home to a number of tribes, thereby preserving local traditions.
It provides economic value to both the country and the community through specialised approaches to tourism that incorporate its historical, artistic, ecological, geological, anthropological, hydrological and ritual values. It also provides income through employment within the park.
These six values make Petra unique in the world and in view of the magnitude and gravity of the dangers threatening the site, render it incumbent upon Jordan to protect and preserve its cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value for this and future generations.
Petra’s sandstone geology makes it an exceptionally fragile site. In recognition of its fragility, on four occasions (1996, 1998, 2000, & 2002) Petra was listed on the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World. It is subject to damage from both natural causes (wind; water; seismic activity) and unnatural causes (tourism; development). The signs of decay of the monuments of Petra are numerous and alarming. In his article, Helge Fischer estimates conservatively that 80% of the monuments in Petra are ‘severely weathered and for all practical purposes, lost forever.’ (Helge Fischer’s article The German-Jordanian Project for the Establishment of a Conservation and Restoration Centre in Petra: Die Restauierung der Grabfassaden’ – Michael Kuhlenthal & Helge Fischer, Munich, 2000).
PNT seeks to minimize the effect of both natural and unnatural impacts on the site through preservation projects, awareness campaigns, and better site management practices.
Click here to read summaries of the management plans that were developed for the purpose of better conserving this fragile site.
Click here to read about threats.