The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

15. The evolution of landscape conservation in Australia
status is heightened recognition, including promotion (where appropriate) of the cultural
heritage it protects (ECC, 2001).
This case study illustrates how a range of government agencies have redesignated a wellloved
historic landscape to recognise the primacy of its heritage values which have been an
inspiration for artists, tourists and field naturalists alike. The designation has also led to better
protection of related heritage values on surrounding private lands. This cultural landscape has
been nominated for the new National List of Australian Heritage Places.
Conclusion
Australians are proud of their protected landscapes – in national parks and reserves and in
farmlands with sustainable new production techniques. Australian cultural landscapes such as
Uluru and Kakadu are recognised as having universal associative cultural values through
inclusion on the World Heritage List. These sites are icons of Indigenous landscape manage -
ment over millennia with intangible heritage as the driving force for current management by
‘keeping country straight’. The case studies in this chapter demonstrate the importance of
involving people living in or having connections to the place to incorporate their beliefs and
practices into management of the landscape. Even so, the diffusion of this concept to other
protected areas has been slow, at least in part due to the dominance of the natural heritage
paradigm.
The introduction of the new national heritage regime will create a National List which may
assist Australians to appreciate all the values present in a place, as the debate about what
constitutes national significance will lead to a greater realization of all the values present.
Conflicting values and levels of significance will be exposed and whether those values are
considered to meet the threshold for national listing will depend on public knowledge of history
and ecology. Urban parks and Landcare schemes also play a role in cultivating conservation
experiences among an urbanized population and among rural communities.
The three levels of government in Australia have traditional roles in land management,
which have evolved and changed as Australia’s constitution has been tested and interpreted
through the courts over the last 30 years. Today Australia is at a new threshold, as individual
owners and the State and Commonwealth governments realize the need to manage landscapes
at local and regional scales for sustainable outcomes conserving all heritage values.
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