The network is an opportunity to explore the Dolomites’ cultural richness in connection to its Outstanding Universal Value, though a series of multilingual (including minorities) museums located in mountain communities and cultural itineraries made to explore the Dolomites and its people and history. As museum play a key role in the life of local communities and they support the recording of local history and experiences through time, these places are also fundamental for communicating the values of the Dolomites through several natural and cultural perspectives.

Museums and cultural itineraries play a key role in raising awareness on the life of local communities and the experience lived by these territories from prehistory, through the two world wars until today, through events that have deeply shaped the cultural and social communities of this areas. The network of museums is a key platform for the direct interaction with local communities and for these communities to share their knowledge about the Dolomites and the historical events that have shaped its landscapes.

Last but not least, the offer a chance for people with physical disabilities to explore the Dolomites in an accessible way

Awareness raising on the values of the Dolomites as a World Heritage property is necessary for the long term conservation of the place but also a provision of the World Heritage Convention.

In order to further advance awareness raising efforts among citizens, communities and local actors living insider and nearby the Dolomites, the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation has created a weekly television segment called Noi, Dolomiti UNESCO” (in English “We are the UNESCO Dolomites”) in which are presented the experiences and lives of people living, operating and/or working inside the territory of the Dolomites. The series is televised through the main television channels of the five provinces and the two regions in which the Dolomites are located, and via YouTube.

This activity aims at raising awareness at the wider level of regional and territorial communities, focusing on the natural and cultural values of the site but also exploring the social and economic lives of local communities and people.

The building block focuses on the network of agricultural producers and breeders that has been established under the framework of the project “Produttori di Qualità”(in English “producers of quality”). The network is currently made of 72 local individuals/small companies dedicated to the production of food and beverage products that are certified for their quality. The network includes producers focused on the creation of quality products rather than quantity.

The project focused on enhancing the awareness of living and operating in a World Heritage site and in creating meaningful networks of good practices and cooperation between producers, valuing the specificity of each product.

This has also become a platform for the creation of a direct connection between quality production and mountain huts, and hence enhancing the experience of locals, visitors, tourists as well as promoting local products and creating a mean for a sustainable economic development. In this cases farmers and breeders are not only seen as users of the natural environment, but active actors in the conservation of the landscape of the Dolomites.

In 2016, the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation in cooperation with the association of mountaineer and mountain climbing and the owners and managers of 66 mountain refuge in the core area of the Property, have launched the project “Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Mountain Huts”. The project aims at strengthening the capacities of mountain hut managers as key stakeholders for the effective management of the Dolomites and key actors in the communication and promotion of the values of the Dolomites.

This partnership has been further strengthened through the adoption of the Convention of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Mountain Huts in 2017, which focuses on boosting the symbolic role of refuges, promoting them as information providers and raising the standard of their accommodation and their environmental performance.

The project focused not only on the installation of information panels and point, but also on training and capacity building activities dedicated to mountain hut owners and managers. These activities focused on UNESCO World Heritage key information and on understanding the Outstanding Universal Value of the Dolomites and its management structure.

Previous to the inscription in the WH List, from 2000 to 2013, the HHTR World Heritage Administration and the Yuanyang Management Committee for World Heritage HHTR enacted a modern law and regulatory system to promote the sustainable development of the rice terraces based on local customary laws, such as regulations on forest protection and water resources use. They have drafted local laws, regulations and administrative measures. At the same time, they nominated the site to be protected at national level. They formulated conservation and management plans which were announced by the State Council and provincial people’s government so it could be incorporated into the national legal protection system. This would allow them to obtain State financial support. While using and maintaining the customary laws and village regulations, the conservation and management of the rice terraces are conducted according to the law and are gradually being integrated into the modern legal framework.

Red rice is the local traditional rice species in HHRT and the “rice-duck-fish” is a traditional ecological farming model which fosters biological and cultural diversity. With the assistance of governments at all levels, local authorities promote red rice cultivation and encourage ecological production with the “rice-duck-fish” system. They have announced preferential policies, and are providing a platform for cooperation with agricultural research institutes, guiding farmers to plant high-quality red rice with high market prices, restoring traditional ecological agriculture symbiosis model, and ensuring that farmland food is safe to serve as table food. Through promotion and event planning in collaboration with cooperatives, products such as red rice, terrace-cultivated fish, terrace-cultivated duck eggs are increasing the income of farmers and boosting their enthusiasm for terrace cultivation.

Large enterprises have been involved in the development of a red rice industry and brand through high-quality rice processing, setting up professional cooperatives, and adopting a large-scale business model of “companies + cooperatives + bases + farmers.” Related services, crafts and e-commerce are encouraged to promote designated villages, such as Yakou.

Water management is the core of the technology and culture in HHRT, including canals, distribution and regulation. The “water-wood” is a dynamic irrigation system based on equity and water level/water flow rate relationship. Hani people built trunk canals to retain water from the top of the mountain following topographic contours. According to the terrain, canals and branches were built vertically to channel water. To rationally allocate water, water-woods are located where terraces begin and in gentle slopes along the main vertical canals, which adjust water flow, direction and speed. Depending on the field size, each family gets adequate water. Water rights are guaranteed by the Water Committee in charge of  managing canals and woods and solving disputes over water. 

In Yakou, the abandonment of water-woods and canals aggravated the impacts of drought. Local managers communicated to villagers the importance of the water-wood system, and investigated why it was abandoned. The Water Committee was reorganized and a Water Chief, responsible for solving disputes and for the inspection and maintenance of the canals, was elected. A new water source was found and canals, channels and water-woods were restored systematically bringing back the water supply to the terraces.

Participatory research is essential when historical records lack and new concepts are introduced. The research in Yakou included three phases. The first phase aimed to understand the site and its significance. As a typical village with a well-preserved landscape of “forest-village-terrace-water system”, Yakou was selected to represent the landscape pattern of Laohuzui Area. Fieldwork was conducted both by the nomination team (Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage) and the scientific research team (Yunnan University). The second phase focused on the restoration of Yakou’s irrigation system. Semi-structured interviews to locals, fieldwork and restoration were conducted. According to research results, the traditional water management system and related knowledge emerged as key elements in Yakou. Ditches, canals and water-woods were repaired to ensure its long-term use, and traditional ceremonies and inspection system were established by the elders. The third phase focused on the enhancement of the water management, where researchers conducted spatial research of the settlement patch distribution pattern and hydrological analysis using Geographic Information System followed by the replication of the experience in other villages.

The partnership and management system of prefecture-county-township-village is under the guidance of the Upstream competent department and cooperates with specialized research and technical institutions at different levels. It is a locally adapted innovative partnership that solves the integration between traditional and modern management, as well as international and national requirements.The World Cultural Heritage Management Administration of HHRT is responsible at prefectural level of the communication and coordination between international and national institutions. The Government of Yuanyang is the body in charge of heritage protection and management. A specialized unit, the World Heritage Management Committee of Yuanyang HHRT has been established to enforce the management plan and deal with daily affairs in the World Heritage site. Panzhihua Town and the Village Committee of Yakou are in charge of implementing conservation activities and coordinating with local stakeholders. From 2012-2018, the prefecture commissioned an investigation on the attributes and the water management system of Yakou village, in order to understand its underlying problems. The county sectors conducted the restoration of the water-wood management system based on the investigation's results.

Røros municipality is a Sámi management area for language and culture which is a legal status where Sámi culture and language should be used for public communication, schools and land use plans at municipal level. The process to be a Sámi management area started in 2015, and the objective for the process was to lift forward the Sámi language and culture in the municipality. The municipality board delegated the mission to a political committee, who presented the results in November 2016. The government approved the application in 2018. Today there are 12 Norwegian municipalities that are Sámi management areas for language and culture. 

In Røros, the signage of places and streets shall be translated to Sámi language at county and municipality levels. A Sámi name for Røros will also be decided. There is also education in Sámi language in primary school in Røros and Engerdal municipalities. Sámi language is also used in the signing of e-mails of officers. For the translation and naming process, the municipality appoints a committee which suggests words and names. The suggestions are taken into the municipality board, which sends the proposal to the Sámi Parliament. The Parliament discusses it on a hearing, and when the hearing is over, the municipality board finally decides the names.