Kathmandu, May 24:

The UNESCO office in Kathmandu has published a book to strengthen the involvement of local communities in heritage conservation.

Heritage Homeowner’s Preservation Manual — Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site, is the first in a series of Heritage Homeowner’s Preservation Manuals for UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the UNESCO said in a press release.

The book was published in response to growing need to ensure sustainable conservation of historic towns of Outstanding Universal Value.

It has been developed within the framework of the Integrated Community Development and Cultural Heritage Site Preservation in Asia and the Pacific through Local Effort Programme, which aims to strengthen the involvement of communities in heritage conservation.

“The purpose of the manual is to build local capacity in heritage preservation by training homeowners to maintain their historic properties using appropriate conservation approaches. The manual demonstrates the synthesis between traditional building techniques and modern conservation methods: A necessity for appropriate heritage conservation,” the statement adds.

The manual has been developed in conjunction with national conservation experts. It focuses on the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site, which comprises seven monument zones, including the Durbar squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath, and the Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changu Narayan.

The UNESCO hopes the manual will contribute positively to the long-term sustainability of the Kathmandu Valley, the release says.