Fire alarm at World Heritage monuments: Are they sufficiently protected?

BarcelonaTwo fires, one at the mosque in Córdoba (Andalusia) on Friday night and another on Sunday at the Las Médulas site (Castile and León), where the remains of a gold mine from the 1st and 3rd centuries are located, have put experts and heritage lovers on alert. These are two of the fifty sites in Spain registered in the UNESCO World Heritage ListBut that hasn't made them immune to the flames.

In the case of the 13th-century Andalusian monument, which receives 2 million visitors a year, its managers assure that they had a fire protection protocol that worked: the firefighters arrived in six minutes and put out the fire in three hours. The mosque hasn't closed to visitors even for a day. What could have been a disaster has turned out to be a scare, a restoration that will cost 1 million euros and will be paid exclusively by the cathedral chapter. However, while awaiting the final technical report, experts question the suitability of having a cleaning warehouse in the building, and criticism focuses on calls for more transparent management of the monument, that is, with public participation.

In the case of Las Médules, one of the great engineering works of the Roman Empire, the fire did not reach the Roman underground mines, but it did ravage a natural site that was part of the monumental complex, the result of the use of water to sink mountains. In fact, the fire even burned the park's archaeological classroom, as well as centuries-old chestnut trees, viewpoints, galleries, and lagoons. Every year, they welcomed 200,000 people, who will now see a site of ashes. Criticism focuses on the lack of forest prevention.

The person responsible: the owner

Both accidents highlight the difficulty of protecting monuments and spaces that are highly recognized for their heritage value. On paper, all sites included on the UNESCO list must have a management plan that includes the conservation and enhancement of heritage, as well as a risk and emergency plan in accordance with each country's regulations. "They all have an evacuation plan, but not all World Heritage sites have an emergency plan to safeguard heritage," warns Jordi Tresserras, a professor at the University of Barcelona, an expert in cultural heritage management, member of ICOMOS International, and advisor to UNESCO. In the case of Las Médulas, he states that it has not been implemented in time because they have recently changed their management model.

The Ministry of Culture coordinates the National Emergency Plan for Cultural Heritage—which, in fact, was immediately activated on Saturday following the mosque fire—but powers over World Heritage are delegated to the autonomous communities. The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) assures that "Catalan monuments that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List have fire prevention plans" because it is a requirement "to obtain the building's operating license" and that, in addition, "each facility has a management plan that monitors the building's state of conservation and details the conservation measures." The Heritage Department confirms to ARA that it is working with the Center for the Restoration of Movable Property and the Generalitat's Fire Department to develop "a protocol that establishes general guidelines for the protection of heritage against risks."

Although it is the autonomous community that must oversee compliance with UNESCO requirements, "the responsibility for ensuring the monument's conservation lies with the owner, who is its manager," Tresserras explains. Being part of the World Heritage list does not imply receiving any aid from UNESCO; "a property basically receives obligations" for being on the list. Only in the case of extreme crisis situations, such as a war, does UNESCO mobilize specific aid, such as the so-called "World Heritage Site." blue shield and other funds, to ensure the heritage in danger.

Can you get off the list?

Spain appears in the top 5 countries in the world with the most monuments on the UNESCO list. In total, it has 50, behind Italy (60), China (59), Germany (54), and France (53), and well ahead of other countries with greater area, such as Russia (32), or with their own ancient civilizations, such as Egypt (7) or Mexico (36). "There's a kind of craze to have properties on the World Heritage List," says Tresserras, who is collaborating with a new candidacy, that of Hispanic fortified cities of the Mediterranean, led here by Tortosa, which wants to be included on the indicative list (prior to nomination) in the next two years.

The difficulty of preserving some spaces is evident, especially when they are serial properties (such as Gaudí's work), when they have a mixed natural and cultural heritage (Monte Perdido, Talayotic Menorca), or when they are large areas. How do we protect a place like the Camino de Santiago, which spans 1,500 kilometers and has 2 kilometers of protection on both sides, including shelters, churches, and cathedrals?

The Notre-Dame fire This has raised awareness of the need to improve fire protection plans, especially to safeguard heritage. Every ten years, UNESCO requires countries to submit a study on the state of conservation and management of the properties on its list. Spain submitted it in 2024, according to Tresserras. It has never happened that UNESCO has taken radical measures due to deficiencies in management or risk plans. The cases of monuments that have been removed from the list are very rare and are due to urban planning operations that have destroyed the legacy that was preserved. There are three examples: Liverpool and the urban planning operation that has tarnished its port from the Industrial Revolution; the bridge that crosses the Elbe and destroys the views of Dresden; and the Arabian oryx sanctuary in Oman, which lost land and antelopes for oil exploration.

Talayotic Menorca, in danger

The danger of being dropped from the list stems from the ongoing conflict in Menorca: a roundabout jeopardizes the declaration of Talayotic Menorca as a World Heritage Site. The Ministry of Culture has warned the Balearic government, led by the People's Party (PP), that before building a new section of road in Alaior that could lead to an irreversible revocation of the UNESCO title, it must consult the operation with the World Heritage Center and await a response (which has not been forthcoming). The construction of four lanes near the Talayotic navetas of Rafal Rubí has caused a crisis within the Menorca Talayotic Agency, with three resignations of the agency's top officials and accusations. The PP has used road safety as an argument against heritage protection, and it seems that a bridge that was going to be demolished will now be built if there is no change of script.