HIST Launches New Phase to Advance Space Technologies for Global Heritage Conservation

The International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) under the auspices of UNESCO will launch its third-phase operation (2025–2033) under an agreement signed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) representing the Chinese government, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and HIST. This marks a new chapter in joint efforts to monitor and protect UNESCO-designated heritage sites through space technologies to contribute to the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other landmark agreements.

UNESCO acknowledged that during its second phase (2019-2025), HIST has significantly advanced the sustainable development of both cultural and natural heritage globally and made significant contributions to UNESCO’s goals. In the past six years, HIST takes the lead in promoting the systemic application of space technologies to the conservation, management and sustainable development of UNESCO-designated sites. HIST has conducted more than 20 research projects benefiting 15 countries, organized five international workshops to train more than 500 managers and technicians from 21 countries, and cultivated 16 postgraduates from 10 countries. Based on previous research, it has published eight books and more than 100 academic papers in high-quality academic journals.

In its third phase, HIST will build space archaeology into an internationally recognized discipline and expand a global governance framework for heritage protection based on space technologies. It will establish a global database for the conservation of UNESCO-designated sites, develop methodologies for the collection and dissemination of Earth observation data and expand the technical application to address conservation challenges, strengthen capacities of site managers through training, education and technical consulting, and expand an international network of space technologies for heritage conservation.

As the only UNESCO Category 2 Centre dedicated to space technologies for heritage protection, HIST was established in 2011 and is hosted by the Aerospace Information Research Institute, CAS.

Group photo of UNESCO evaluation experts and HIST team. (Image by AIR)