IFLA and UNESCO-HIST Forge Strategic Partnership at the 5th Huangshan Dialogue to Advance Heritage Conservation and Climate-Resilient Landscapes
HUANGSHAN, China – June 1, 2026 — On the occasion of the 5th Huangshan Dialogue on UNESCO-designated Sites and Sustainable Development, the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) and the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO (HIST) officially signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The five-year strategic agreement establishes a collaborative framework to leverage cutting-edge space technologies for the preservation, management, and sustainable development of global landscape architecture and UNESCO-designated heritage sites.
The MoU was formally executed by Prof. Huadong Guo, Director of HIST, and IFLA President Dr Bruno Marques during the high-level international forum held in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China.
Bridging Digital Intelligence and Landscape Wisdom
The core objective of the partnership is to maximise the benefits of satellite and space technologies for safeguarding the World Natural and Cultural Heritage, the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and UNESCO Global Geoparks. By combining IFLA’s global network of over 100,000 landscape architects with HIST’s expertise in applied space information technologies, the collaboration aims to advance the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the World Heritage Convention.
Under the terms of the MoU, potential areas of joint activity include:
International Research: Joint initiatives assessing landscape impacts, climate change, disaster risk reduction, and assisting in the post-disaster recovery, rehabilitation, and nomination procedures of heritage sites.
Capacity Building: Collaborative training, field projects, and thematic seminars tailored for site managers and landscape architects, particularly within developing nations.
Information and Data Exchange: Sharing specialized research data—including datasets from the SDGSAT-1 satellite—to track environmental changes and co-publish significant scientific breakthroughs.
Mutual Consultation: Professional exchange of experts to support technical missions and the development of the IFLA-led International Landscape Convention.
A Mainstream Movement for Socio-Ecological Conservation
Speaking at the dialogue during his keynote address, "Beyond Preservation: Nature-Based Solutions, Digital Intelligence, and Traditional Knowledge in UNESCO-Designated Landscapes," IFLA President Dr Bruno Marques emphasised that heritage sites must be treated as living socio-ecological systems.
"Digital tools give us the monitoring capacity to know precisely what is changing, where, and at what rate," stated Dr Marques. "But digital intelligence without landscape intelligence is just data. Together, they become evidence-based conservation at scale. This partnership with HIST will allow us to build a bridge between cutting-edge digital twins, remote sensing, and the traditional ecological knowledge required to design resilient futures."
The signing reinforces IFLA’s commitment to translating global environmental benchmarks, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, into physical, climate-positive urban and natural designs.
About HIST
The International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO (HIST) is an international organization hosted by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. HIST is mandated to assist UNESCO’s programmes and Member States by deploying space information technologies for the conservation and sustainable management of world natural and cultural heritage sites.