Local Visions of the Landscape: Participatory Photographic Survey of the World Heritage Site, the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

Abstract

Inscription as a World Heritage Site increases tourism and the area is depicted in a variety of media. Many stereotypical landscapes have been formed in this way. A lot of research has focused on landscapes as formed by outsiders; however, the landscape of the local residents has not been well analysed. Here, we used a participatory photographic survey to examine the landscape of the local residents of the World Heritage Site, the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras in Ifugao Province, Republic of the Philippines. We clarified that the local inhabitants are acutely aware of the space inherited from their ancestors, as well as the space as it relates to their livelihoods and food supply. This awareness is reflected in the photographs of the landscape taken by the local residents.