Proceedings
of the
2018 World Heritage USA Symposium

Forward Together: A Culture-Nature Journey Towards More Effective Conservation in a Changing World

November 13-14, 2018 at The Presidio, San Francisco, California

Convened by the United States National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites

World Heritage USA

in partnership with
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, ICOMOS, IUCN, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Presidio Trust, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Golden Gate Parks Conservancy, and U.S. National Park Service

INTRODUCTION

The 2018 International Symposium, Forward Together: A Culture-Nature Journey Toward More Effective Conservation in a Changing World, welcomed participants from across the United States and from 15 other nations and six continents to explore the understanding that cultural and natural heritage are dynamic and inextricably linked in many landscapes and waterscapes and that effective and long-lasting conservation of these places depends on better integration of the ‘entangled dimensions’ of culture and nature.

The Forward Together symposium sought to advance the evolving collaboration between these two international organizations in exploring the interconnections of cultural and natural heritage and ways to shape more sustainable conservation. In this context, the symposium was designed as an opportunity to exchange knowledge, assess lessons learned, and identify strategies to advance the integration of culture and nature for more effective conservation.

To achieve these goals, the symposium addressed a set of broad interrelated themes that are important areas of innovation in conservation today:

  • Taking a landscape approach,
  • Recognizing intangible heritage and diverse perspectives,
  • Enhancing resilience, adaptation and sustainability, and
  • Building capacity for change.

Past and future directions for World Heritage is an important topic that cuts across these themes.

The authors of papers in this Proceedings spoke on these themes, representing a diverse array of professional backgrounds and working in a wide variety of places across the U.S. and around the world. They bring experience from projects on the ground as well as diverse perspectives from regional, national and international programs. World Heritage USA is pleased to include papers from other countries, as one of the goals of World Heritage USA is to encourage international exchange and collaboration that is valuable in generating insights and new ideas.

Key findings that emerged from the symposium and next steps for continuing the Nature-Culture journey are included in The Presidio Declaration, World Heritage USA Statement from the 2018 International Symposium. World Heritage USA welcomes all contributions to realizing these next steps on the Nature-Culture Journey, as we move Forward Together.

Symposium Proceedings Co-editors : Nora Mitchell, Archer St. Clair, Brenda Barrett, Jessica Brown, and Anabelle Rodríguez. Citation guidance is below and in the full text of the Introduction.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Links to Eassays Below and in linked PDF)
PART 1. ADOPTING A LANDSCAPE APPROACH

Stewardship of Biocultural Landscapes in the 21st Century: Forging Community-Based Approaches

Strategies for Managing Multiple Values of Large Landscapes and Trans-Boundary Sites

Taking a Landscape Approach to Integrating Nature and Culture

PART 2. RECOGNIZING INTANGIBLE HERITAGE AND DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

Stewardship of Biocultural Landscapes in the 21st Century: The Role of Traditional Knowledge and Practices

Intangible Heritage as a Driver of Cultural Landscape Management and Holistic Conservation

CITATION GUIDANCE

Recommended Citation for the Proceedings:

Mitchell, N., et al. (Eds.) 2018. Proceedings of the World Heritage USA International Symposium Forward Together: A Culture-Nature Journey Toward More Effective Conservation in a Changing World, 13-14 November 2018, The Presidio, San Francisco, California. Available at …

Recommended Citation for Paper within Proceedings:

Author/s Surname, First Initial. Conference paper title. Title and editor/s of published proceedings which may include place held and date, page range. Available at …

Example:

Aultman, J., Chaatsmith, M., Bartley, E., 2018. “Water/Earth/Sky Journeys: Overcoming Serial Nomination Challenges with a Themed Landscape Approach”. In N. Mitchell, et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of the World Heritage USA International Symposium Forward Together: A Culture-Nature Journey Toward More Effective Conservation in a Changing World, 13-14 November 2018, The Presidio, San Francisco, California. Available at …

POSTSCRIPT

The symposium built on the Malama Honua Statement of Commitments from the Nature-Culture Journey at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawai’i (2016), the Yatra aur Tammanah Statement of the Learnings & Commitments from Culture-Nature Journey at the ICOMOS Triennial General Assembly in India (2017) and ICOMOS Resolution 19GA 2017/25 Incorporating the Interconnectedness of Nature and Culture into Heritage Conservation. This symposium added to the sense of momentum and sense of urgency that carries forward to the 2020 General Assembly of ICOMOS and the 2020 IUCN World Conservation Congress.

Key findings that emerged from the symposium and next steps for continuing the Nature-Culture journey are included in The Presidio Declaration, World Heritage USA Statement from the 2018 International Symposium. World Heritage USA welcomes all contributions to realizing these next steps on the Nature-Culture Journey, as we move Forward Together.

Agenda for the Symposium: US_ICOMOS_Forum_Program_2018_Final

Participant list: ForwardTogetherParticipants_FINAL

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Learn more about the Culture-Nature Journey and Malama Honua: To Care for Our Island Earth and “Nature/Culture Journeys: Exploring Shared Terrain.”