6 . Tens of thousands of ancient pictures carved into the rocks at one of France’s most important tourist sites are being gradually destroyed. Scientists and researchers fear that the 36,000 drawings on rocks in Mont Bego in the French Alps are being damaged so rapidly that they will not survive for future generations.

The mountain believed to have once been a site for prayer is scattered with 4000-year-old drawings cut into bare rock. But as the popularity of the site increases, the pictures are being ruined by thoughtless graffiti.

Jean Clottes is the chairman of the International Committee on Rock Art. He says “People think that because the pictures have been there so long they will always continue to be there. But if the damage continues at this rate there will be nothing left in 50 years.”

He describes seeing tourists stamping on the drawings, wearing away the rock and clearness of the artwork as they do so. Some visitors he says even cut off parts to take home as souvenirs. Other researchers describe how people arrive carrying long sticks with sharp ends to scratch their own drawings, or even their names in the rocks.

But experts are divided over the best way to preserve the drawings. Henry de Lumley, director of the Museum of Natural History in Paris, believes that the only way to save the site is to turn the whole mountain into a “no-go” area, preventing the public from going there except on guided tours.

Clottes disagrees. “The measure suggested by Henry de Lumley is the most severe, and while it is the most effective, it is also certain to bring about protests from people who live there” he said. “The site was classified as a historic monument years ago by the Ministry of Culture and we must do as much as possible to save what is there.”

Annie Echassoux who also worked on researching the site is alarmed that as the mountain becomes easier to reach — tourists can now avoid the three-and-a-half-hour walk by hiring vehicles — the damage will increase rapidly. She thinks that the only solution is to rope off the area and provide guides. “You can’t say the plan can’t go ahead because there is no money ” she said. “That is not good enough. Money must be provided because the Ministry of Culture has classified this area as a historic site. If we don’t take steps, we will be responsible for losing the drawings for the next generation.”

How is everything going?

Yours,

Li Jin

Yours,

Li Jin

Best wishes

Yours.

Li Hua

10 . Economic development is necessary if we want to improve society. There comes a time when the old must give way to the new, and it is not possible to keep everything from our past as we move towards the future. Finding and keeping the right balance between progress and the protection of cultural sites can be a big challenge.

Big challenges, however, can sometimes lead to great solutions. In the 1950s, the Egyptian government wanted to build a new dam (坝) across the Nile in order to control floods, produce electricity, and supply water to more farmers in the area. But the idea led to protests (抗议). Water from the dam would likely damage a number of temples and destroy cultural relics (遗迹) that were an important part of Egypt’s cultural heritage (遗产). After listening to the scientists who had studied the problem, and citizens who lived near the dam, the government turned to the United Nations for help in 1959.

A committee was established to limit damage to the Egyptian buildings and prevent the loss of cultural relics. The group asked for contributions from different departments and raised funds within the international community. Experts investigated the issue, ran several tests, and then made a suggestion for how the buildings could be saved. Finally, a document was signed, and the work began in 1960.

The project brought together governments and environmentalists from around the world. Temples and other cultural sites were taken down piece by piece, and then moved and put back together again in a place where they were safe from the water. In 1961, German engineers moved the first temple. Over the next 20 years, thousands of engineers and workers rescued 22 temples and countless cultural relics. Fifty countries donated nearly $80 million to the project.

When the project ended in 1980, it was considered a great success. Not only had the countries found a path to the future that did not run over the relics of the past, but they had also learnt that it was possible for countries to work together to build a better tomorrow.

The spirit of the Aswan Dam project is still alive today. Perhaps the best example is shown by UNESCO, which runs a programme that prevents world cultural heritage sites around the world from disappearing. If a problem seems too difficult for a single nation, the global community can sometimes provide a solution.