Monitoring

The status of the World Heritage Area is conditioned by the fact that Greenland periodically monitors the appointed area. A monitoring plan ensures that the World Heritage Area does not deteriorate.
The monitoring of the World Heritage Area Ilulissat Icefjord is based on a monitoring plan and is based on the following criteria:
  • It must be focused on the values which constitute the rationale behind the area’s registration on the World Heritage List.
  • It must focus on the areas that experience the greatest impact of human presence.
  • It must be realistic in terms of the resources available for monitoring.
What Do We Monitor?
In this context Ilulissat Icefjord Office and the Greenland Home Rule Government have selected five focus areas for future monitoring:

  • The number of visitors to the various parts of the World Heritage Area and their influence on the area.
  • The amount of waste, and the wear and tear on the vegetation in The World Heritage Area.
  • The influence of helicopter flights, fishing, and tourism on animal life in the area.
  • The users’ experience of the area.
  • Glaciological and geological changes in the landscape.
How Do We Monitor the Area?
  • Feedback from the park ranger.
  • Citizens’ meetings and focus group interviews with the citizens of Ilulissat.
  • Questionnaire-based research among the inhabitants of the area.
  • Meetings with fisher- and sealer associations, representatives from the tourist trade, etc.
  • Statistics from the Greenland Home Rule Government.
  • Satellite images of glaciological changes.