الحفاظ

Why Conserve?
We conserve because heritage is a non renewable resource. The urgency to conserve flows from the realization that our heritage is being eroded at an alarming rate.The General Conference of UNESCO in 1972 noted that the cultural heritage and the natural heritage are increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction.

What is conservation?
Any action taken to prevent the deterioration of a heritage building and to prolong its life while maintaining its architectural integrity is conservation.
Golden Rules: The minimum effective action is always the best.
Traditional planning of cities had provided a means of sustainable development. This is increasingly being disregarded in the headlong rush for development, where sustainability is at the lowest priority. Structures and systems that have passed the test of time are our heritage. Therefore, we need to conserve them to be able to draw upon this vast pool of knowledge.
Economics of conservation: Conservation of heritage structures can be economical, often costing only 2/3rd of new structures of the same area and saving the cost of renewing the infrastructure. It is a fallacy that conservation is costly; in reality it saves large sums of money. Therefore it is prudent and practical to conserve.