Natural and cultural landscapes

What do you see when you look out the nearest window? Do you see any buildings or roads? What about trees or flowers? Depending on where you are in the world, the view could be totally different. When you look out the window, you’re seeing a part of the Earth at one time from one place.

This part of the earth, and all the features you see in it, is a landscape. Some landscapes contain only natural landforms: mountains, hills, plains, lakes, streams, or natural vegetation like trees. These are natural landscapes. Natural landscapes can be changed by people: Maybe a bridge is built over a river, or a road is built through a forest. When humans change natural landscapes, they become cultural landscapes.

Cultural landscapes can be urban or rural. Parks, gardens, industrial sites, historic sites, and farms are all examples of cultural landscapes. The way humans interact with the land tells us a lot about the culture and history of a place. That is why, since 1992, the United Nations has recognised cultural landscapes as part of their World Heritage program. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, defines a cultural landscape in three ways.

When you walk in a formal garden, you’re looking at a landscape someone has designed. They picked out where all the plants would go, and how to place the walkways. This is an example of a clearly defined landscape. This type of cultural landscape is designed and created by humans on purpose. And these are the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras.

In 1995, it was the first-ever site to be included on the World Heritage List in the cultural landscape category. Built at a high altitude on steep slopes, the rice terraces form a very beautiful and elaborate farming system. The terraces have been developed over time for social, economic, or religious reasons. But despite the development, they are still similar to their original natural environment. They are an example of an organically evolved landscape.

And even today, locals plant rice on the terraces and work together to maintain them. Now, look at these volcanoes in Tongariro National Park in New Zealand. This is also designated a cultural landscape... but why? Nothing here has been changed or built by humans....

This place is considered a cultural landscape because of its spiritual significance to the indigenous Maori people. This is an associative cultural landscape. Associative cultural landscapes can be any landscape that carries spiritual, economic, or cultural significance to a group of people. To date, over 100 sites have been included as cultural landscapes by UNESCO. All landscapes can change over time due to exposure to weather, or natural disasters.

But with new technologies, humans’ ability to dramatically change landscapes has increased. Dams and levees can permanently alter the flow of rivers, and flood surrounding areas. Digging deep underground to mine metals or fossil fuels can destabilize the ground, affecting vegetation and animal habitats. And certain types of development erase earlier aspects of history and culture. In places that experienced colonisation, for example, towns and plantations established by colonists often remain where important indigenous cultural landscapes once stood.

The work of UNESCO and local governments, along with indigenous knowledge and management, could be the key to ensuring that cultural landscapes are protected and preserved for generations to come.