From Old to New: An Action-Oriented Integrated Heritage Management Planning Framework of the Kondoa Rock-Art Sites, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tanzania

The management of the Kondoa rock-art World Heritage Site has grown increasingly complex over the past 15 years due to its layered cultural and natural significance. The site has lacked an updated management plan since the expiration of its 2016 framework, creating challenges in guiding conservation and stakeholder engagement. Developing a new plan has been particularly difficult, as it must balance the interests of multiple stakeholders while addressing the site’s complexity. The earlier plan, prepared for the 2006 World Heritage nomination, followed a largely top-down approach influenced by the Authorised Heritage Discourse (AHD), prioritising compliance with inscription requirements over local engagement. This paper explores the application of an action-oriented approach to heritage management, grounded in community-centred theories. By incorporating local knowledge, identity, and place attachment, it shows how management plans can evolve from static, bureaucratic documents into dynamic, adaptive tools that better reflect community needs and support sustainable heritage conservation.