UNESCO- World Heritage Monte San Giorgio: Extension on Italian territory

Date :: 19/08/2010
Keywords :: Italy Switzerland

The UNESCO-World Heritage Committee meeting, which was held in Brasilia from July 25th to August 3rd, approved the extension of the site Monte San Giorgo in Italy. The Swiss part has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2003. The candidature of the extension project, which includes a cross-border administration of the site, has been deposited together by the Italian and Swiss State.

The Swiss part of Monte San Giorgio has been inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage on the 2nd of July 2003. The area is an extraordinary record of marine life from the Triassic Period and is used as a reference for future discoveries of marine fossils, which date to this geologic period. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee expressed the wish to expand the site to the entire area of fossil findings, which also includes the parts of Italian territory. In February 2009 the Italian and Swiss governments handed in a new candidature, which is focused on the participation of local authorities. The UNESO World Heritage Committee now accepted this application.

The success of this cross-border coordinated project for the management of the World Heritage site of Monte San Giorgio, can serve as a good example of transnational cooperation. These efforts led to the acknowledgement of the second cross-border World Heritage site of UNESCO in the alpine area. Already in 2008, the train line of the Räthische Bahn in the cultural landscape of Albula/Bernina between Thusis (Switzerland) and Tirano (Italy) has been inscribed on the heritage list. The cooperation in the Insubrian region took place on all levels. The local authorities planned a common administration that includes all stakeholders involved: the Swiss communes (represented by the Monte San Giorgio foundation) and the Italian communes, the province of Varese, the region of Lombardia, the canton of Ticino and the two countries. The latter having signed an accord for a common administration of the site.

Source: FOEN

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