Water is vital for life, and its availability has been a concern for mankind throughout the ages. Its presence has always been ascertained in a variety of ways and the development of human society everywhere is connected with various forms of water management. Man also needed to manage water to find protection from its dangers and the need for that is increasing. In the coming decades, the impact of climate change is expected to intensify floods and droughts, affect groundwater resources, raise sea levels, increase pollution and enhance the frequency and magnitude of disasters. Societies around the world are challenged to adapt to these threats to ensure water security, economic prosperity and environmental and cultural sustainability. This book deals with the heritage of water management and the use that was made of water, as well as the impact of water management on heritage.
An example of the former may be an ancient irrigation system in the Filipines or in the Middle East that still functions today, while the latter may reflect the importance of maintaining groundwater levels for the preservation of organic remains on archaeological sites or of wooden piles underneath standing buildings. In either case the papers in this book reflect the dynamic nature of water, and hence the equally dynamic relation between water management and heritage. This publication follows up on a Heritage and Water conference in Amsterdam, the first of its kind. Its main purpose is to credibly present the importance and value of heritage and historical experience for water and sustainable development, and vice versa, present the importance of water management for the protection of heritage. It presents evolving insights and concepts about Water and about Heritage from a variety of disciplines, policy and public perspectives illustrated with cases studies and aims to connect decision makers with experts such as engineers, archaeologists, historians, geographers, ecologist and landscape architects. Water & Heritage ...tells the story of water heritage in all its diversity.
It reveals the technical ingenuity that water heritage has always inspired, and it presents the challenges that this heritage faces, along with possible solutions. Reflecting the depth of cooperation between UNESCO and ICOMOS, this book was launched ...as a showcase of cooperation to increase dialogue on water heritage. - Irina Bokova (Director-General of UNESCO)
Author Biography:
Willem J.H. Willems (1950-2014) was professor of archaeological heritage at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Previously he was Dean of the Faculty, after a career at the State Antiquities Service where he became director and Chief Archaeologist of the Netherlands. He was a member of the Committee of the Council of Europe that drafted the Valletta Convention and served as president of the European Association of Archaeologists. After that he served as co-President of the ICOMOS Committee for Archaeological Heritage Management (ICAHM). He was an honorary member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of London and of the EAA. In 2012 he was awarded the European Archaeological Heritage Prize and in 2013 he received a knighthood in the Order of the Nederlandse Leeuw in recognition of his national and international heritage activities. Dr. Willems has published extensively on aspects of heritage resource management. While in the process of co-editing Water & Heritage he passed away on December 13th 2014. He will be greatly missed. Over 40 years Henk van Schaik has built up professional experience in water covering the areas of water supply, waste water collection and treatment, water resources management, water and climate, water and heritage, water diplomacy, water and transparency. Mr van Schaik has worked in leadership positions, as Director, Coordinator, Manager, and in advisory capacities. He worked on policy development, project design, planning, implementation, research and evaluations as well as training. He has worked in more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East as Team Leader, Coordinator including longer stays in Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and many short time missions in Colombia, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and has worked in Yemen, China, Turkey, Mexico, Syria, Cameroon, Ghana, Bhutan. Mr van Schaik has been co-editor of several books, has written several publications, initiated three films, prepared teaching materials, has organized several international conferences on Water and Climate, Water Diplomacy, Green Growth and Water and Heritage. He has given many presentations in World Water Fora, World Water Weeks, and specific conferences around the world on WATER issues.
