Govt proposes ‘new solution’ to protect world heritage

Macau Post Daily
2008-01-21

Govt proposes ‘new solution’ to protect world heritage

The Macau government has drafted a new proposal to solve the ongoing dispute over construction inareas surrounding Guia Hill, on the top of which the world-heritage protected Guia Lighthouse sits,according to an official statement released last Friday.

Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Fernando Chui Sai On met with leaders of the StateAdministration of Cultural Heritage and National Committee for UNESCO in Beijing last Thursday.During the meeting, Mr. Chui submitted the new proposal to mainland officials and experts for furtherdiscussion and consultation, the statement said.

At the end of last year, China’s National Committee for UNESCO received a letter from the directorof the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Francesco Bandarin, referring to the impact of certain buildingsand some ongoing projects on the “buffer” landscape of the Guia Lighthouse, particularly in itssurrounding areas. The letter was later forwarded to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

To address the controversy, the new proposal will give consideration to the height of the buildingsand building densitybetween the Outer Harbour waterfront and the Guia Lighthouse and Guia Fortress, according to thestatement. It also requires the establishment of a special preservation system to protect Macau’shistoric areas, and specific laws to regulate relevant activities.

According to the statement, the government aims to draw up a new plan for buffer zones around thelighthouse “in pragmatic manner” and based on long-term considerations. It also said that thegovernment was keen to strike the “necessary” equilibrium between the needs of economic developmentand the protection of the Guia Lighthouse’s view outside the government’s world-heritage protectionand buffer zones.

The statement quoted Mr. Chui as saying that the government planned to include heritage preservationin its urban planning. According to the statement, Mr. Chui invited world-heritage experts from themainland and abroad to Macau, in order to study the relationship between economic development andcultural heritage preservation