IUCN (International Union for the conservation of Nature) and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) have published a new document: “Connecting Practice: A Commentary on Nature-Culture Keywords“. The Commentary (kind of report) intends to develop a basis for a common understanding of relevant terms among natural and cultural heritage professionals.
In this first step, ICOMOS and IUCN have concentrated on three ‘keyword families’ that were chosen as the most relevant by Connecting Practice. The ‘keyword families’ addressed were ‘biocultural’, ‘resilience’, and ‘traditional knowledge’.
The publication does not presume to be complete, but instead, to be a ‘work in progress that could be useful for heritage professionals working with an interdisciplinary language. It is intended that the Commentary will remain open a ‘living’ document that can continue to be improved.
Phase IV of Connecting Practice will first focus on ‘resilience’. The Commentary and feedback will be more widely used, for example in capacity building programs. The Commentary might be expanded to include more cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as non-Western ontologies and worldviews.
Download the Commentary here.
Source: ICOMOS.