A team of experts will head to Madeira later this month to carry out an ‘in situ’ analysis of the candidate levadas for UNESCO World Heritage status.
The information was provided by Susana Fontinha, coordinator of the application of the Levadas da Madeira to UNESCO world heritage, on the sidelines of a visit carried out by the regional secretary for Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Susana Prada, to the exhibition ‘Levadas da Madeira’ on display in the Campo da Barca Building.
The visit by UNESCO experts follows the presentation of the regional application dossier, which took place earlier this year.
It should be recalled that within the scope of the candidacy of the Levadas da Madeira to UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and because “it is vitally important to inform and publicise the said candidacy, promoting the involvement and participation of citizens in this process”.
The Institute of Forests and Conservation da Natureza (IFCN) produced an itinerant exhibition with information, in Portuguese and English, which makes reference to the origin of the Levadas and the epic work of their construction. Also the existing canal network in Madeira; its multifunctionality and sustainability; to the wise and historical relationship between the people of Madeira and the Levadas; and even some Madeiran terminology related to the theme.