Untangling the Concept of Cultural Landscapes: A Critical Review

In 1992, UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention was the first global legal instrument to recognise and protect cultural landscapes, setting a precedent for adoption of the concept within numerous national and international conservation designations and conventions. However, despite its widespread recognition, there is no universal definition for what constitutes a cultural landscape. In response, this review disambiguates the concept as understood within internationalised conservation instruments. It begins with an examination of hegemonic Eurocentric heritage and conservation discourses, revealing how they construct culture and nature as separate entities with distinct value typologies. Using examples, the review then explores how cultural landscapes are interpreted by Australia ICOMOS’ Burra Charter and IUCN’s Category V Protected Areas. Subsequently, it outlays how cultural landscapes are constituted within the World Heritage Convention itself. It is revealed that while cultural landscapes offer a framework for understanding and protecting interlinkages between nature and culture, their realisation can be constrained by Eurocentric biases in discourses underpinning the processes of the World Heritage Convention. These biases are particularly problematic in recognising and inscribing the landscapes of Indigenous peoples.