Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the profession of managing cultural heritage. It is the process of recognizing, protecting, and promoting cultural assets and resources of historical, aesthetic, scientific, or social significance. It is a subset of cultural resources management (CRM), but it also draws on cultural conservation, restoration, museology, archaeology, history, and architecture techniques.
While the phrase cultural heritage is commonly used in Europe, the term cultural resources is more broadly used in the United States, specifically referring to cultural heritage resources. This field comprises a wide range of activities aimed at preserving and commemorating a certain region’s, community’s, or society’s cultural heritage. Cultural heritage can comprise both tangible assets such as historic buildings, artifacts, and artworks and intangible elements such as traditions, languages, and customs.
Here are some key aspects of cultural heritage management:
- Identification and Documentation: The first stage in cultural heritage management is to identify and document the heritage resources. Surveys, studies, and assessments are used to compile inventories of historic places, items, and intangible heritage aspects.
- Preservation and Conservation: Cultural property assets, once identified, require preservation and conservation activities to protect them from physical, environmental, or human hazards. This could include restoring historic structures, caring for art and antiquities, and digitizing information for long-term preservation.
- Legal and Regulatory Frameworks: Many countries have put in place laws and policies to protect their cultural heritage. Cultural heritage managers work within these frameworks to assure compliance and, when necessary, to push for further legal safeguards.
- Public Outreach and Education: Promoting cultural heritage often involves educating the public about the importance of these assets. Museums, exhibitions, guided tours, and educational programs help people connect with their heritage.
- Tourism and Economic Development: Cultural heritage can play a significant role in local economies through tourism. Management strategies may focus on sustainable tourism practices that allow visitors to appreciate the heritage while minimizing negative impacts.
CHM has traditionally been concerned with identifying, interpreting, maintaining, and preserving major cultural places and physical heritage assets, however intangible aspects of legacy, such as traditional skills, cultures, and languages, are also taken into account. In the face of a threat, the subject often receives the most attention and resources, with the emphasis frequently on rescue or salvage archaeology. Urbanization, large-scale agriculture, mining activities, looting, erosion, and unsustainable visitor numbers are all potential hazards.
Archaeologists, historians, conservators, anthropologists, community leaders, government officials, and others work together to manage cultural assets. Its purpose is to ensure that a society’s cultural heritage is conserved and shared with current and future generations.
