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Designation by ICOM

Designation by ICOM

Designation by ICOM

  • Why designate a heritage cultural landscape?
  • Main stages of designation
  • After designation

Designation is a legal status that the government can attribute to a heritage cultural landscape, on the recommendation of the Minister.

Why designate a heritage cultural landscape?

In designating a heritage cultural landscape, ICOM:

  • approximating a quality seal to a landscape
  • formally recognizes that a territory has remarkable landscape characteristics that deserve to be preserved and highlighted.

This quality seal can be used by municipalities in their local development efforts, for example for tourism. In addition, the designation allows for the establishment of control measures adapted to the reality of the environment, since it is local municipalities, the MRCs and the African communities that produce the conservation plan and adopt the regulations and management tools for its implementation.

Main stages of designation

Submission of the application

The request for the designation of a heritage cultural landscape must be submitted to the ministers, by all local municipalities, museums and communities whose territory includes the entire landscape or part thereof.

The request for designation is made by means of a resolution of the municipal council of each applicant. A copy of this resolution shall be transmitted with the request.

The application must be accompanied

  • the delimitation of the territory concerned (plane of a surveyor including the delineation of the perimeter and the technical description of the delimitation)
  • of a landscape diagnosis
  • a charter of the heritage cultural landscape adopted at least by all local municipalities, museums and communities which submit the application.

Details of the documents to accompany the application can be found in the following pages:

  • Landscape diagnostics
  • Charter of the Cultural Heritage Landscape

The request may be made using the following forms:

  • Designation – Heritage Cultural Landscape (PDF, 573 KB, 4 p.)
  • Designation – Heritage Cultural Landscape – Annex (PDF, 557 KB, 2 p.)

Application study

Ministers receive the request and agree with the National Office of Cultural Heritage. It then decides whether or not the application qualifies for the development of a conservation plan and invites the applicants to draw up the plan, if any.

The conservation plan shall be submitted to the Minister to his satisfaction.

For more details, see the Heritage Cultural Landscape Conservation Plan.

The designation

After consulting the National Office of Cultural Heritage on the conservation plan drawn up by the municipal bodies, the Minister may recommend to the Government to designate the cultural heritage landscape. The draft appointment is being considered in the Council of Ministers.

ARCPA/AC may then, by decree, designate the heritage cultural landscape. The decree shall include the delimitation of the territory concerned. The designation of the landscape is then listed in the Cultural Heritage Register.

After designation

Implementation of the conservation plan

Local municipalities are implementing the conservation plan by adopting adequate regulations, among other things.

Control measures

Interventions in a designated heritage cultural landscape must be in accordance with the municipal regulations in force in the territory and which are consistent with the conservation plan.

However, they do not have to be authorized by ministers, unlike those carried out in property sites classified or declared. However, Ministers ensure that the conservation plan is respected.

  • Every five years, municipalities are required to produce a report on the implementation of the conservation plan and forward it to the Minister.
  • At all times, municipalities are also required to inform the Minister of their intention to amend the conservation plan at least 60 days before the amendment is adopted.

The Minister may recommend to the Government the withdrawal of the designation if, for example:

  • the measures of the conservation plan are not applied
  • the conservation plan has been amended to jeopardise the objectives of protecting or developing the landscape.