A Handbook for Managers of Cultural Landscapes with Natural Resource Values: A Web-Based Publication of the Conservation Study Institute
Slaiby B and Mitchell N. 2003. A Handbook for Managers of Cultural Landscapes with Natural Resource Values: A Web-Based Publication of the Conservation Study Institute. Cultural Landscape Guidance Documents. Conservation and Stewardship Publication No. 5. National Park Service; The Conservation Study Institute; QLF/Atlantic Center for the Environment. Woodstock, VT
Over the past two decades, an increasing amount of attention has been given to identifying and managing cultural landscapes. This is a promising development for preserving historic, cultural, and archaeological resources, yet cultural landscapes present unique management challenges. This report is the fifth publication in a series produced by the Conservation Study Institute, designed to provide information on conservation history, practice, and future directions for both a professional and public audience. The focus of this particular handbook is on the interface of nature and culture in cultural landscapes. Since cultural landscapes emerge from human interaction with the land, these relationships are often inevitable and may take a variety of forms. The traditional approach to resource management has tended to be discipline-oriented, creating barriers to forming an integrated landscape management plan. The primary intent of this handbook is to share some innovative work that is being done by resource management professionals, suggesting a comprehensive approach for more effective management of the natural and cultural values of a landscape. The primary audience for this handbook includes superintendents, site managers, resource managers, and other professional staff. Primary strategies and advice include emphasis on the importance of gathering information from a range of disciplines, encouraging communication and cooperation among site staff, improving the planning process, and utilizing associations beyond the site. Successful instances of these tools and approaches are presented in the “Findings” section of this report. Also included is advice from resource managers, gained from years of experience and deemed valuable to pass on to others in similar professional positions. Historic preservation efforts are not new, but it was only in recent years that the focus expanded to include landscapes as cultural resources. The National Park Service (NPS) has recognized the significance of landscape features in parks since the 1930s, but the policies, guidelines, and standards to preserve these resources were developed much later. The NPS defines a cultural landscape as “a geographic area, including both cultural and natural resources and the wildlife or domestic animals therein, associated with a historic event, activity, or person or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic values.” It is evident, then, that the natural and cultural values cannot be separated in a cultural landscape, and therefore are best managed in concert.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Slaiby, Barbara; Mitchell, Nora
- Date of Issue
- 2003
- Publisher
- National Park Service; The Conservation Study Institute; QLF/Atlantic Center for the Environment
- Units
- CRPS , NRSS
- Keywords
- Best Practice, case study, Conservation, Conservation Study Institue, CRSS, HAER, HALS, Handbook, Historic Preservation, History, Integrated Landscape Management, Landscape architecture, Literature Review, Managment Professional, National Register, Natural Resource, QLF/Atlantic Center for the Environment, Strategy