A Systematic Stakeholders Management Approach for Protecting the Spirit of Cultural Heritage Sites Mohammadreza Hajialikhani MSc. Project Management, ICAHM member Apr#9, No.15,7th Alley, Gisha Str.,Al-Ahmad Ave,Tehran, Iran hajialikhani_mr@yahoo.com Abstract: Most of cultural heritage sites are affected by and affect (positive/negative) their surrounding communities, local people and authorities, social and economical environment, supporters and sponsors, ICOMOS, etc; in other words they have a large number of stakeholders. So it is very important and vital to have a proper understanding of the needs, expectations and impacts of these various and sometimes conflicting stakeholders; which may briefly be called stakeholders management . Therefore for safeguarding the spirit of heritage sites, the site manager shall know his/her responsibilities regarding site’s stakeholders, having proper and effective communication with them, and briefly has sound and proactive stakeholders management policy and plan. “Project Management Institute”, USA, has developed a systematic method for managing stakeholders of projects and programs, which may be adopted to a high extent for cultural heritage sites; the subject that has been discussed in this paper. Stakeholders Stakeholders are individuals and organizations that are actively involved in the works, or whose interests may be affected as a result of works execution or completion. They may also exert influence over the objectives and outcomes. The management team must identify the stakeholders, determine their requirements and expectations, and as much as possible, manage their influence to ensure a successful work. Groups or individuals who are competing for limited resources or pursuing the goals which conflict with program goals, shall be considered, since they can affect the program (PMI 2006). Stakeholders have different levels of responsibility and authority, and influence on a project which may change during the life of the