The UNESCO Chair in “Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes and Communities of Knowledge”
The UNESCO Chair in “Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes and Communities of Knowledge” of the University of Basilicata (UniBas), established in December 2016 at the Department of European and Mediterranean Cultures (DiCEM), together with the School of Specialization in Archaeological Heritage (SSBA), has a partnership with Mediterranean Universities and Research Institutions, local government and international networks.
Thanks to research and education, the UNESCO Chair is a bridge among the academic world, civil society, research and management policies, and has strategic and sustainable objectives, as: to protect, promote and transmit the landscape as cultural heritage, to strengthen international cooperation in the scientific field, especially on landscape issues, for sustainable development. It aims also to contribute to the growth of conscious, responsible and creative global citizens.
The specific objectives of the UNESCO Chair are:
- to give visibility to the cultural landscapes of the Mediterranean that express strategies for the sustainable use of territories and harmonious relations with nature, for the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage and biological and cultural diversity;
- to encourage and support local institutions in the development and implementation of policies for the management of cultural landscapes of the Mediterranean;
- support policies that express a vision of the cultural landscape focused on knowledge and respect for the communities of knowledge that inhabit, interpret, create and operate within cultural landscapes;
- to promote access, transmission, growth and exchange of knowledge related to landscapes and cultural heritage, through workshops, seminars, cycles of lectures and the implementation of open data at international level;
- contribute to the creation of a Permanent Observatory for the management of the UNESCO site “I Sassi e il Parco delle Chiese Rupestri di Matera”;
- promote collaboration with other research centres in the Mediterranean area, in order to share experiences and knowledge;
- working in close collaboration with UNESCO on similar projects and activities and with UNESCO Chairs pursuing similar objectives.
