Governance and Regulations in the Integration of Local Communities for the Authenticity and Integrity of the Cultural Heritage of the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, Madagascar

The strategic role of local communities is recognized in the management of sites listed as World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (2007). This chapter focuses on the complexity of inclusive governance of the authenticity of the world cultural heritage of the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga in Madagascar. To what extent do the authenticity and integrity of the cultural heritage of the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, through their governance and promotion, incorporate the values of identity and sacredness represented in community practices? This first UNESCO cultural heritage site in Madagascar, listed in 2001, has a remarkable ecosystem of a fortified royal city with unique traditional and colonial architecture, natural or built ritual sanctuaries (Doany) and a remnant of natural forest. Deep cultural (Austronesian and African) and spiritual imprints present on the site of a circular viewpoint at an altitude of 1,400 m justify its designation as an associative cultural landscape. The chapter revealed that the authenticity and integrity of the heritage depend on coordinated governance by institutional and community actors, including the participation of local communities. In addition, traditional systems (rituals, royal and ancestral cults), sacredness and historical remains require institutional recognition as legitimate management mechanisms and components of authenticity in order to preserve the outstanding universal value and integrity of this cultural heritage.