The world’s special places are stories written in songs or carved on stone, physical embodiments of a people’s highest aspirations toward transcendence. At Global Heritage Fund, we protect these places that their stories may not pass away but remain, as strong and vital as the day they were written.
This work would not be possible without our dedicated team, who work every day to conserve the world’s most vulnerable places. In this new interview series, we shine a spotlight on the people behind our work – the conservation heroes working tirelessly to ensure that our projects are successful throughout the world.
As the Director of Programs and Partnerships at Global Heritage Field, Nada Hosking is leading some of our most exciting projects and redefining what it means to connect multiple stakeholders on large-scale international initiatives.
The Casablanca native didn’t start her career with the intention of saving the world’s endangered heritage sites. At the University of California, Berkeley, and under the mentorship of Professor Emerita Margaret Conkey, Nada was concerned with gender issues in the field of archaeology. But part of her research focused on the use of new technologies to create records of archaeological sites and the archaeological process in order to deal with the destructive nature of excavations.
At Global Heritage Fund, Nada’s background and training has been an asset that allows her to always look for alternative perspectives and non-traditional solutions to problems. She continuously strives to bring together a wide variety of stakeholders with different worldviews and cultural sensitivities.
COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION
Such collaboration is key for heritage projects, which can involve a wide diversity of stakeholders ranging from community elders to local business leaders, government officials to tourism agencies, and many more. Modern heritage projects tend to have fragmented relationships between different stakeholders, oftentimes dooming projects before they even begin. Without collaboration and constant communication between the involved parties, projects are prone to failure. This is where Nada’s international background has proven invaluable. As she expertly nurtures connections between different stakeholders, she shepherds GHF’s projects toward success.
Beyond connecting stakeholders, Nada also anticipates project and team requirements. When building interdisciplinary teams of heritage experts and consultants, she must ensure that all members can focus on their unique strengths: “I am inspired every day by the things I see our front-line project directors doing for heritage sites. This doesn’t come from a job description, but from their passion, commitment and sheer joy in undertaking a challenging issue. I am always looking to nurture their passion and strengths by providing them with the support they need, ultimately trusting them to do the right thing, and never asking anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself.”
Nada’s work covers heritage sites endangered by conflict and natural disasters. “People are finally realizing how crucial our work is right now, especially our approach involving communities.” Our Preservation by Design® philosophy saves heritage sites by emphasizing continual involvement of local stakeholders, ensuring that preservation methods are both successful and sustainable. Nada knows the importance of this approach: “Heritage assets can be destroyed so quickly by many different threats. We provide a cohesive approach that is key point to sustainable preservation. It’s what distinguishes us in the field.”
NEW TECHNOLOGY, ANCIENT HERITAGE
Documentation of sites and stakeholder collaboration are central to the project Nada is proudest of — the AMAL in Heritage program (AMAL), currently in development under her leadership. From just a concept note and small seed fund, Nada has grown AMAL to a full team of developers, raising additional funds and partnering with key organizations such as Prince Claus Fund (PCF), Arab Regional Center for World Heritage (ARC-WH), International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and Oxford’s Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) program. The AMAL platform allows heritage custodians to prioritize interventions, plan emergency actions and preserve crucial information that can be used for recovery or reconstruction of damaged heritage.
The AMAL platform is far from the only example of new technology being used to save endangered heritage sites. Nada has witnessed the rise of other new technologies in heritage, examples of the new saving the old. “There’s a need to digitize heritage sites and assets because we are seeing the worst cultural heritage emergency since World War II. Technologies can be used to document the making of heritage and restore it, both materially and in the imagination.”
Today, heritage sites and museums can also use emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality for site interpretation. Virtual Reality is another useful medium for our field. “VR is great because it makes accessible heritage sites that may otherwise be inaccessible to many people.” GHF has used VR to tell the story of our most remote heritage site, La Ciudad Perdida, Colombia. Of course, technologies are rapidly changing, and what is cutting-edge today may be outdated in just a few years or even months. However, Nada is hopeful about the future of technology and heritage. “In Europe, it has been estimated that only 17% of heritage collections have been digitized. It is important for the heritage sector to move fast and become part of the information economy in order to ensure preservation of heritage assets for future generations.”
EXPANDING HERITAGE MARKETS
Nada is also excited about GHF’s expanding China program. “GHF’s efforts at the Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu aim to maximize the benefits of tourism development for local communities, while stimulating investment and promoting the conservation of the site’s natural and cultural heritage.” Just as Chinese tourists are reshaping the world’s economy, the number of international travelers to China is seeing a steady rise. “With its long and profound history, China is becoming a mecca for cultural tourism.” Tourism revenue from foreigners visiting China reached £8.9bn in 2017, and the country expects 140 million inbound visits in 2018.
These numbers can be intimidating at a surface level, but Nada points out that Western China is quite far off many travelers’ radars: “Rural China has some of the most beautiful scenery in Asia, if not the world. Unfortunately, much of it is still not drawing tourists the way other more popular destinations do because it’s still largely unknown and far off the beaten path.” This means residents in these areas, who are typically poor, miss out on what could be an important source of income. “When it is well-managed, tourism has the ability to provide an incredible economic boost to host communities and supports positive conservation outcomes.”
In addition to Maijishan, GHF has also been working for the last five years in concert with the Guizhou Administration for Cultural Heritage to protect and promote vernacular architecture and the natural landscape at Dali Village from modern encroachment and encourage sustainable tourism.
SUSTAINABLE HERITAGE TOURISM
Travel and tourism are the world’s largest commercial service sector industry. Nada underscores the valuable role sustainable travel and tourism can play in the protection of cultural and natural heritage for future generations, including environmental preservation and the well being of local communities. Still, very few industry multinationals are investing in the conservation of heritage sites and ensuring that adjacent local communities benefit more from tourism. “The relationship between cultural heritage and tourism has become interdependent, and travel and tourism leaders should support heritage conservation to ensure the long-term health of their product. Cultural heritage attractions are key elements of their business.”
For an example of companies driven by long-term sustainability, Nada points to Lindblad Expeditions and American Express. “Lindblad is already our partner; they are very much committed to sustainable tourism principles and practices.” American Express has been contributing to the preservation of more than 500 iconic historic sites for over 40 years.
Heritage is a rapidly evolving field, and Nada is an integral part of GHF’s international projects. From her diverse upbringing and archaeological beginnings, to her current role as a collaborator, strategic thinker, and all-around maven, we appreciate Nada’s invaluable contributions to saving the world’s most endangered heritage sites.