Clive Ruggles asked our permission to List Stonehenge Aotearoa as a site of Astronomical Importance. We were pleased to give our permission – Kay Leather and Richard Hall
The sky, our common and universal heritage, is an integral part of the environment perceived by humanity. Starting from this general idea, the Declaration in Defence of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight, adopted in 2007, states that “an unpolluted night sky that allows the enjoyment and contemplation of the firmament should be considered an inalienable right [of humankind] equivalent to all other socio-cultural and environmental rights”.
Many different factors, but most notably the continued increase in light pollution, are turning this resource—virtually unchanged throughout the history of humankind—into an extremely scarce asset. An essential element of our civilisation and culture is rapidly becoming lost, and this loss is affecting most countries on Earth. Under these conditions, certain places whose sky is still dark, and whose scientific cultural or environmental values depend on starlight, should be recognized and preserved as points of reference to a common heritage in danger.
The heritage of science continues to be insufficiently recognized, something that was stressed as recently as 2008 at a UNESCO International Expert Meeting on Science and Technology held in London. A part of the necessary recognition, at least in the astronomical field, may come from a new concept of tourism. In addition, the starry sky can highlight the strong link between tangible and intangible heritage.
The contents of this page are based upon text in the ICOMOS-IAU Thematic Study no. 1 (2010). Original text © Clive Ruggles, Michel Cotte and the contributing authors.
As featured on UNESCO’s Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative website