Petra, Wadi Musa, Jordan

Cultural Resource Management Planning for the World Heritage Site of Petra

diverse views of Petra Archaeological Park and World Heritage Site 

 

'Conserving and Presenting Petra to the World' is the theme under which I have been contracted to undertake my work on conservation and tourism initiatives at this outstanding archaeological and natural park.  With a new parliamentary act and new regional administration in 2009, I was appointed the Team Leader for the elaboration of the Petra action priorities, co-ordinating the 5-year Operational Priorities Plan. This covered multidisciplinary aspects of Petra's management, including staged action planning in:

  • management structure and strengthening

  • site experience: trails, signs, visitor centre, ticketing

  • tourism positioning, branding and marketing

  • infrastructure and waste management 

  • resource conservation and risk mitigation

  • education, outreach and strategic alliances. 

Since 2010, I have advised Park management on diverse issues, and have coordinated detailed component plans and terms of reference for significant Park initiatives.  These formed a part of the partnership between the Petra Archaeological Park management and the USAID Tourism Development Project (and in 2014-2015 the USAID Economic Growth Through Sustainable Tourism Project), and include the briefs for a Regional Development Plan and an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - the first undertaken for a historic or World Heritage site in Jordan. I have coordinated the Petra Trails Plan and the Petra Conservation Action Plan. The Petra Trails Plan has been fully implemented. Short term activities to advance the conservation of the material heritage of the rock hewn monuments have commenced. 

Working closely with the Petra Archaeological Park and the Department of Antiquities senior staff, Archaeological Research and Excavation Regulatory Guidelines were drafted and collectively endorsed by these authorities. This established new and critical standards for planned and active site archaeological work which clearly integrate conservation objectives. 

I co-ordinated the development of the Beidha Visitor Interpretation Plan, an outstanding Neolithic site previously not interpreted for visitors. The plan has been collectively implemented by its contributors, the Park staff, the Siyaha project and the Council for British Research in the Levant.  

 
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