The Value of UNESCO in the Province of Trento: Survey on the Perceived Value of UNESCO Recognitions

Fondazione Santagata, together with TSM-STEP School for Territorial and Landscape Governance, is conducting an analysis on the perceived value of UNESCO recognitions coordinated by the Autonomous Province of Trento – Sustainable Development and Protected Areas Service, with particular attention to existing and potential synergies among the different designations, both territorial and non-territorial.

The survey aims to move beyond an approach focused on individual sites or recognitions by adopting a systemic perspective, with the objective of understanding how the various designations are perceived by different audiences (whether as distinct entities or as components of a unified system, and to what extent they contribute in an integrated way to enhancing the province’s natural, cultural, and social heritage).

Context

The Autonomous Province of Trento has established the “Provincial Coordination of UNESCO Recognitions” to foster effective collaboration between the Administration and the various entities and institutions involved in UNESCO designations. These include territorial recognitions such as the Dolomites World Heritage Site, the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings of the Alpine Arc World Heritage Site, the Adamello Brenta Geopark, and the Ledro Alps and Judicaria Biosphere Reserve—as well as non-territorial recognitions, academic institutions, and thematic networks, such as the UNESCO Chair at the University of Trento, the UNESCO Global Network of Water Museums, the recognitions related to Alpinism and the art of dry stone walling, and the UNESCO Club of Trento.

Together, these elements form an integrated system for the enhancement of natural, cultural, and intangible heritage, based on the interaction between conservation, community participation, knowledge production, and sustainable development. In this context, the Province plays a strategic coordination role aimed at promoting synergies, strengthening system governance, and guiding shared initiatives.

Objectives

– to analyze the perceived value of the different designations through a general survey and semi-structured interviews with sector stakeholders;
– to understand the level of integration and collaboration among the different designations.

Expected Outputs

– Research report aimed at providing the Coordination Table with a state-of-the-art overview, in terms of perception and synergies, to support the definition of future initiatives.

Partner

Autonomous Province of Trento – Sustainable Development and Protected Areas Service
TSM-STEP School for Territorial and Landscape Governance