The value of Global Heritage Stone Resource Designation in enhancing and recovering our legacy and culture

Resumen

Historical buildings in Europe and around the world are inevitably starting to show the damage that natural processes and anthropogenic actions, over time, have inflicted on them. Deterioration is shown not only in the aesthetic features of buildings but also in the main structural foundations of constructions. Results of unwise actions have been widely observed in the restoration of some buildings even in parts of UNESCO World Heritage cities and sites (e.g. Salamanca, Cáceres, Bath, Oxford, and Turin). Important natural stones have been identified in these, as well as other, places that are likely to be nominated as Global Heritage Stone Resources to promote their proper use in construction, maintenance and/or restoration. This work illuminates some problems associated with bad practices and emphasises the need to use, as far as possible, appropriate original natural stone in restoration in order to avoid further consequences. Knowledge and promotion of the Global Heritage Stone concept should help in drawing attention to these issues.