Coben, L. y Stanish, S. Sustainable Preservation Iniciative 2010

8/3/2019 Coben, L. y Stanish, S. Sustainable Preservation Iniciative 2010

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The Sustainable Preservation Initiative (SPI) seeks to save and preserve the

worlds cultural heritage by providing transformative and sustainable economic

opportunities to poor communities in which cultural heritage sites are located.

The SPI mantra is Saving Sites by Transforming Lives.

SAVING SITESTRANSFORMING LIVESBYThe Sustainable Preservation Initiative

By Lawrence Coben & Charles S. Stanish


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according to University o Pennsylvania archaeolo-

gist Larry Coben, SPIs Executive Director, we need to

provide an alternative to other potential economic uses

o archaeological sites, such as looting, agriculture, graz-

ing, residential and commercial uses. That enables us to

help people better their lives and gives them a powerul

economic incentive to preserve our shared heritage .

SPI was incubated at the A rchaeological Inst itute

o America and the Cotsen Institute o Archaeology at

UCLA as a response to the rapidly accelerating destruc-

tion o the worlds global heritage. War, looting, climate

change, neglect and increases in extreme tourism are

all contributing to the massive damage to archaeologi-cal sites. Particularly in poorer communities, there is

no unding or site preservation, and alternatives to

archaeology are the best economic uses o sites. The

problem o economically superior uses is prevalent in

both more and less developed countries, rom histori-

cally signicant buildings in major cites razed to build

condominiums to sites looted to sell artiacts by poor

local residents. The current economic crisis only exac-

erbates this problem.

Existing preservation paradigms have proved inade-

quate and unsustainable, primarily due to the absence o

an economic reason or local communities to continue

preserving sites ater the departure o archaeologists and

conservators. How can someone tell a poor person not to

economically exploit a site, even i destructive, without

providing a viable economic opportunity that provides

income to that person while simultaneously preserving

cultural heritage? SPI seeks to create a new paradigm to

solve this problem.

The explosion o extreme tourism and globalization

create enormous potential or locally based tourism and

artisan businesses. Even small local economic benets

can compete successully with looting and alternativeuses o sites. And the creation o local businesses with a

vested interest in the preservation and maintenance o a

site provides an ongoing and long-term source o incen-

tive and unding or site

preservation, as well as

all o the benets nor-

mally associated with

economic development

in poor communities.

PEOPLE CANT EAT THEIR HISTORY,

Even small local economic benefts

can compete successully with looti

and alternative uses o sites.


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SPIs goal is the creation o this new preservation

paradigm. Working with community and governmen-

tal leaders, local business people, archaeologists and

preservationists, SPI will develop plans or projects and

businesses that will be locally owned and that maxi-

mize spending in the communities surrounding the

sites. Through microlenders, charitable organizations

and other sources o unding, SPI will provide grants to

existing or start up businesses such as tourism, guides,

restaurants, hostels, transportation, art isans and site

museums and other rapidly implementable projects.

Continued economic support will be tied to successul

sustainable business and preservation eforts. Through

this combination o local involvement, decision mak-

ing and ownership, sustainable economic benets and

value will be related to and conditioned upon continued

site preservation. These businesses will also provide an

ongoing revenue stream to meet preservation and other

local needs. This paradigm provides two or the price o

oneevery dollar spent on economic development and

the improvement o local peoples lives will also serve to

preserve the worlds cultural heritage.O course, mere successul implementation o a ew

projects will not stem the destruction o the worlds

global heritage. Rather, SPI will publicize, publish and

educate with respect to its successes and ailures, as well

as create an online network o experts who can consult

with archaeologists and local communities to assist

them in the implementation o local economically sus-

tainable projects. Many archaeologists desire strongly

to assist their local communities in this way, but are not

trained to do so. SPI will be a resource or them to call

Working with community and governmental

leaders, local business people, archaeologists

and preservationists, SPI will develop plans

or projects and businesses that will be locally

owned and that maximize spending in the

communities surrounding the sites.


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upon to meet this goal and preserve their sites. SPI will

also provide course material or inclusion in archaeo-

logical curricula.

SPI is presently active in Peru and Armenia, and ex-

pects to announce projects prior to year-end in Jordan.

SPIs strongest supporters include the AIA, the Cot-

sen Institute and the members o its outstanding board

o directors, which includes a broad cross section o

archaeologists, business people, international develop-

ment experts and diplomats, all o whom are dedicated

to the successul implementation o SPIs new preserva-

tion paradigm.

Lawrence Coben is Executive Director of the SPI.

Charles Stanish is Director of the Cotsen Institute of

Archaeology.

SUPPORT THE SPI

The Sustainable Preservation Initiative is

looking for donors who share its vision of

community-based heritage preservation. To

nd out more about supporting the project,

please visit: www.ioa.ucla.edu/support.

For more information about the Sustainable

Preservation Initiative, visit :

www.sustainablepreservation.org.

Documents

Coben, L. y Stanish, S. Sustainable Preservation Iniciative 2010