*3.2. Beneficiaries*

Below, we provide details of those stakeholders already identified during the ICOMOS-IFLA *Principles* phase [36], who will benefit from the activities planned. For each beneficiary, we specify the role and purpose:


#### *3.3. Activities*

In this section, we detail the single activities listed in Table 1 that are in course of being proposed or approved by the above-mentioned actors. We organized the activities in different groups, each one addressing the issues and recommendations that emerged in the initial research [36]. For example, "Group of activities 1" refers to "Issue and recommendation 1", etc.

#### 3.3.1. Group of Activities 1

The recommendation proposed matches Action criteria B.3 and C.5 in the ICOMOS-IFLA document. Therefore, we designed specific activities to meet their requests. For Action B.3, "*Defining strategies and actions for dynamic conservation, repair, innovation, adaptive transformation, maintenance and long-term management*", we propose two types of activities:

 Assessment of costs and benefits of the current hydraulic infrastructures. This type of analysis must be conducted by the RWWTC, RAJO and the local Municipality in collaboration with the local farmers, who also represent the final beneficiaries. There are currently several approaches to assessing similar situations. Among those, both cost–benefit analysis (CBA) and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) are increasingly applied to archaeological sites, monuments and other heritage places [70,71], while Contingent Valuation (CV) may help in estimating the expected benefits from the qanat for the local residents [72].

 Planning and implementing preservation and enhancement. The first step regards stopping or modifying all those activities, potentially directly or indirectly, damaging the qanat located within the 15 m buffer zone and, therefore, non-compliant with Iranian law for the protection of cultural heritage as well as the UNESCO regulation for WHS in Iran (Figures 3 and 4). To this end, the qanat area was divided into five sectors, three of which are characterized by a specific type of threat. The upstream sector, defined as "Upstream agricultural fields", does not present immediate risks, although restoration activities of the qanat structure are necessary. Moving towards the valley, the second sector (Figure 4D) corresponds to the northern part of the village of Chavan. Here, 80 buildings are located within the 15 m buffer zone. The majority of buildings include small residential units (22%) or non-used/abandoned ones (30%), while only 7% consist of small-scale industrial complexes. The third sector (Figure 4C) is the one threatened by the mining area, while in the fourth one, the main issues are represented by the railway (Figure 4A) and gas pipeline (Figure 4B) and their debris. While we acknowledge the difficulty of moving a railway and the pipeline, it would be advisable to lift it, thus, making a bridge over the qanat path, so as to substantially reduce the vibrations and pressure caused by trains. The same could be for the pipeline. At the same time, to reduce the number of small vehicles, we suggest an increase in public transport connections between Tabriz and Chavan. This would also facilitate the people living outside the qanat area to easily visit and enjoy it.

**Figure 4.** Main activities/structures currently threatening the No-Ras qanat stability and use. (A) Railway; (B) gas pipeline debris area; (C) mining area; (D) houses in the Chavan village inside the buffer zone.

The structures affecting the preservation of the No-Ras qanat should be removed and, if possible, relocated elsewhere. Relocation would regard the railway, the pipelines and the houses. Removal without relocation and cleaning would instead regard the mining area and the debris area around the railway line. Mining activities have already demonstrated their dangerous effects on the qanat, causing at least two collapses in the underground gallery and the well in 2008, which caused substantial protests from the local farmers and the Fath Abad authorities.

Once these structures have been removed, No-Ras qanat will be restored. This action will consist in the reopening of the more than 40 wells currently closed and the consolidation of the 11 wells in operation (including the mother well) and the underground channel. The restorations must be carried out using materials compatible (hydraulic mortar, local marl or limestone and black poplar) with the existing ones and that respect the characteristics of the original artifacts.

Once the entire qanat structure is restored and back in operation, we will proceed to the enhancement phase through a series of low-invasive targeted activities in those sectors where previous restoration and enhancement activities have not been carried out by the MCHT or other bodies (i.e., the Fath Abad historical garden).
