World heritage sites embody the culture and spirit of an ethnic group and a country and the first and biggest beneficiary should be the local people, according to Magdalena Faillace, an official with the Secretariat of Culture of Argentina.

Thus the development and conservation of the world heritage should be incorporated with poverty relief efforts, Faillace said at the ongoing 28th Conference of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province.

Faillace said that after a historic site or a natural or cultural landscape is included on the World Heritage List, it firstly signifies a worldwide recognition of the site and its significance, which helps enhance a nation's cohesion and dignity.

However, Faillace added, one of the important functions of a heritage site should be to help relieve local residents at the site, especially those in economically backward regions, from poverty and improve their living standards via the sustainable development of culture-related tourism.

Tourism is a major approach to develop a heritage site, which is a general practice in the world, Faillace said.

But during the development process, it is imperative for the local government and related departments to be prudent. They should not only enable the local residents to benefit from tourist development, but also do their best to protect the residents' traditional livelihood, noted Faillace.

This view was echoed by Francisco Lopez Morales, deputy from Mexico and head of the world heritage department of the National Institute of Anthropology and History. He said at the WHC conference that most historic relics and world heritage sites are situated in poor and remote rural areas and that Mexico was no exception.

The Mexican government has exerted great efforts to conserve the nation's heritage and see it as a guarantee to pass on the nation's spirit, according to the Mexican culture official.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2004)