Strategie per la conservazione integrata di un patrimonio a rischio, tra fruizione e tutela: il sito UNESCO della Costiera Amalfitana

Abstract

The debate that leads to the ratification of the Convention on the Protection of the Natural and Cultural World Herit- age, adopted by the General Conference of the Member States of UNESCO in 1972, with the establishment of a special list of assets, which is recognized as having an exceptional universal value, was born in that particular historical moment in which the first problems of an environmental nature and ecological urgency begin to arise for the fate of our planet's natural resources, which thus go alongside the much more consolidated debate on the survival of cultural heritage. Twenty years later, the international organization, with the revision of the operational guidelines of the Convention, will expand the previous categories of assets to be protected, so as to include, the new typology of 'cultural landscapes'. In this category the 'Amalfi Coast' has been registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) since 1997, due to both its relevant natural and anthropic characteristics. Nevertheless, this contribution analyzes the considerable transformations of the area, mainly from the second half of the twentieth century to today, identifying possible integrated conservation strategies for the future.