Rethinking Management Planning Methodologies: A Novel Approach Implemented at Petra World Heritage Site

The World Heritage Site of Petra in Jordan is a large and complex site to manage with its multiple stakeholders, governance complexities, and competing local interests. It has been subjected to numerous management plans, none of which were fully implemented. In developing a new Integrated Management Plan one of the biggest challenges was to develop a methodology that would allow all voices to be heard, various interests brought together, and local ownership of the plan’s objectives achieved. This paper reflects on the practical experience of a novel approach to management planning at a cultural heritage site which draws on the theories and practices of participatory planning and natural environment management, and combines top-down and bottom-up approaches through collaboration with local entities and stakeholders. Utilising local institutional resources, in an approach that is locally driven and externally facilitated, the resulting Integrated Management Plan exemplifies a process of co-creation of management decisions.