Conservation of natural and cultural heritage in Dunhuang, China

A country's natural and cultural heritage is created in a unique environment, and for this heritage to survive, it must be preserved in a similar environment. In China, 60years of afforestation to combat desertification near the Mogao Grottoes and the Crescent Moon Spring have shown that attemp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gondwana research 2014-11, Vol.26 (3-4), p.1216-1221
Main Authors: Qu, Jianjun, Cao, Shixiong, Li, Guoshuai, Niu, Qinghe, Feng, Qi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Afforestation
Desertification control
Heritage conservation
Soil moisture
Wind speed
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Summary:A country's natural and cultural heritage is created in a unique environment, and for this heritage to survive, it must be preserved in a similar environment. In China, 60years of afforestation to combat desertification near the Mogao Grottoes and the Crescent Moon Spring have shown that attempts to protect the regional environment have not protected these heritage sites, and may actually have endangered them. Conserving the environment's original state may be the most effective solution for heritage conservation where sites have survived under a specific set of physical and environmental conditions for hundreds or thousands of years and may not be able to survive a new environment. Man-made changes should only be attempted with great care to avoid damaging the conditions that have preserved the natural or cultural heritage in the long term. [Display omitted] •Heritage conservation faces serious challenges due to environmental degradation.•Disturbance caused by ecological restoration can damage heritage conservation.•Conserving the original environment will promote heritage conservation.
ISSN:1342-937X
1878-0571
DOI:10.1016/j.gr.2013.08.017