Copyright of Full Text rests with the original copyright owner and, except as pennitted under the Copyright Act 1968, copying this copyright material is prohibited without the pennission of the owner or its exclusive licensee or agent or by way of a licence from Copyright Agency Limited. For infonnation about such licences contact Copyright Agency Limited on (02) 93947600 (ph) 0,(02) 93947601 (fax) 200209106 Jane Lennon Jane Lennon established a heritage consultancy based in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1993. She has a long involvement with heritage conservation in National Parks, forests, coasts, goldfields, inner urban areas and museums as a public servant (1973-93) and as a member of numerous professional and community associations. She has an MA (Hons)from the University of Melboume. She is currently an Australian Heritage Commissioner, a member of the Queensland Museum Board, and elected to the International Centre for Studies in Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome (1CCROM) in April 2000 as the Australian government representative. In addition, Deakin University appointed her adjunct professor in their Cultural Heritage Centre in 2000. She is a past president of the Board of Trustees of Newstead House, Queensland Historians Institute Inc. and of Australia ICOMOS Inc. lane has undertaken a range of conservation surveys and studies in all the eastern States and national projects including a study of the cultural landscapes of the Central Victorian Goldfields for the 1996 State of Environment report which led to her currently being on the World Heritage Centre expert group examining management guidelines for cultural landscapes. In conjunction with colleagues from the University of Canberra she prepared a report in 1999 for Australia ICOMOS on cultural values in natural areas. Cultural Landscapes: Conserving Cultural Heritage Values In Natural Areas In 1996 Australia ICOMOS obtained funding from the Australian Heritage Commission for the preparation of a discussion paper on the need for conserving cultural values expressed in natural areas such as forests and national parks. This arose from looking at the gaps in the distribution of our knowledge of cultural values in so called wilderness areas and other natural areas where indigenous people had lived prior to the arrival of Europeans, who in turn had occupied and then abandoned some of these lands. The study was also meant to assist those practitioners identifying cultural values in Regional Forest Assessment (RFA) area studies. The paper was prepared by me in conjunction with three colleagues from the University of Canberra: Brian Egloff, Adrian Davey and Ken Taylor. All too often cultural values are considered separately from natural values when conservation planing and management are undertaken. Forces are emerging which add urgency to the consideration of both values. As both the Federal and the State governments restrict the scope of their activities, government agencies consolidate and deal only with what they defme as their core business. Increasingly, a multidisciplinary approach to heritage conservation by land management authorities is not considered to be part of that core business. On the other hand, there is a trend internationally towards an integrated approach to heritage identification, assessment and management. This is seen in the shift away from individual site or place management in isolation, towards landscape and regional conservation planning and management processes which are underpinned by multidisciplinary studies and community participation. A review of natural areas listed on the Register of the National Estate indicates that a substantial number are places with cultural or social values mentioned in the statement of significance or within the nomination. Some of these places are highly valued by local communities. They represent scenes of hard-fought land use conflicts, yet they may be within management regimes which emphasize natural characteristics and values. This discussion paper raised the question as to how cultural places within areas which are recognized and managed for their natural qualities can be best identified, assessed and managed to conserve both cultural and natural values which at times may seem to conflict. Conservationists have had the benefit of nearly two decades of using the Burra Charter and its guidelines in their work in the historic, built and cultural/social environment. This has resulted in a common tenninology and understanding of a procedure for considering the range of issues to be addressed in planning conservation action. The newly fonnulated Natural Heritage Charter is aiming to address this need in respect of the natural environment, while a range of guidelines and the Malimup Communique offer advice from an indigenous heritage viewpoint (Australian Heritage Commission, 1998). The revisions to the Burra Charter to take greater account of the understanding which arises from associations and meanings connected with places. This is also relevant to the consideration of cultural values expressed in natural areas, especially those without historic structures, the traditional visible means of physical support.