Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape

Institutional dynamics and adaptive capacity in world heritage management: case studies from Southeast Asia

World Heritage site management institutions face increasing complexity due to evolving heritage concepts and global threats, yet many struggle to adapt. A refined framework for adaptive capacity is proposed, identifying six key factors—cognitive frame, learning capacity, formal governance structures, organizational relations, agency, and resources—that shape institutional dynamics. This study, focusing on three Southeast Asian sites (Vat Phou in Lao PDR, Ayutthaya in Thailand, and George Town in Malaysia), demonstrates that while adaptive change concepts are useful beyond climate contexts, existing frameworks fall short of capturing dynamic processes. The research suggests restructuring World Heritage policy to address the growing complexity of heritage conservation.