An international conference on Space Applications for
Heritage Conservation will open in Strasbourg, France on
5 November. The aim: to bring together experts on space
and those concerned with the conservation of national
and world heritage sites, and to look at the potential
educational uses of space technologies for heritage
conservation.

The conference also commemorates the 30th anniversary of
the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and 30 years of using
remote sensing satellites for civilian purposes. EURISY,
the International Space University, NASA, the UNESCO World
Heritage Centre and ESA are organising the conference which
is co-sponsored by the Council of Europe, the City of
Strasbourg and the Alsace region.

Present at this international conference will be
distinguished experts from the archaeological, remote
sensing and heritage conservation disciplines, and experts
from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America
will present their experiences and share their knowledge
about our global heritage.

It was in 1972 that the Convention Concerning the Protection
of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by
the General Conference of UNESCO. To date it has been
ratified by 175 countries and has become the most important
international legal instrument for the protection of
heritage.

Its primary mission is to define and conserve the world’s
heritage by drawing up a list of sites whose outstanding
values should be preserved for all humanity and to ensure
their protection through closer cooperation among nations.

World heritage sites include the Grand Canyon, which
retraces two billion years of the earth’s history; the
enormous biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands, which
inspired Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution and
the historic city of Strasbourg, the site of the
conference. These cultural and natural sites constitute,
together with many others, a common heritage whose
disappearance would be an irreparable loss.

Earth observation from space has many applications for
safeguarding the Earth on which we live. One of the less
well-known is that of keeping an eye on the state of
conservation of the natural parks and reserves included
in the list of world heritage sites. Satellites already
being used for this purpose include Meteosat, Landsat,
Spot and IRS. New generation satellites, such as ESA’s
Envisat, can also provide high resolution images and
wider spectral capability including microwave
frequencies.

To participate at the congress and/or the press event
please contact:

Mrs Mary Fouassier
Assistant
EURISY Association
Tel: +33 1 47 34 00 79
email: eurisy@MicroNet.fr

Related articles

* Gorillas to be guarded from orbit
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/ESALBWF18ZC_index_0.html

Related links

* Press Information: Space applications for Heritage Conservation
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/ESAURUTHN6D_index_0.html

* Eurisy
http://www.eurisy.asso.fr/

* World Heritage Sites
http://whc.unesco.org/nwhc/pages/doc/mainf3.htm

IMAGE CAPTION:
[http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/ESA7KUTHN6D_index_1.html]
Satellite image of World Heritage site Strasbourg in France.
Credits: CUS 1999