Abstract
Conservation of heritage resources, both architectural and cultural, focuses on the important of historical context, identity and to provide livelihoods for people. Management and stakeholder engagement are fundamental for conservation. This article describes the contribution of stakeholder perceptions in the development of management guidelines for the conservation of heritage resources in the town of Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga. The concept of conservation is usually used with reference to the natural heritage; however, this should also include architectural and cultural conservation, in the same location, as is done in many other parts of the world. The study of the combined architectural and cultural heritage in Wakkerstroom is one of the first of such studies in South Africa. The natural heritage resources were identified and a stakeholder map developed after conducting interviews with 27 participants in the township of Esizameleni and 15 participants in the town. Resources identified included the provincial heritage sites of the Wakkerstroom Wetland, the Paul Kruger Bridge, St Mark’s Anglican Church and the Old Courthouse Building. Heritage value definitions in the town area were centred on inheritance, whilst township stakeholders valued the identity aspect of heritage. A lack of communication, participation and awareness around heritage conservation was identified as a key issue amongst the communities. In addition, unlike natural heritage conservation, where the Wakkerstroom Natural Heritage Association takes care of the wetland, no organisation was found to be responsible for cultural heritage conservation in the town. The municipality urgently needs to address these concerns by developing an integrated management plan for heritage resource conservation. Conservation implications: Conservation includes more than just the conservation of natural heritage. The Wakkerstroom Natural Heritage Association (WNHA) manages natural heritage, but there is no organisation managing cultural heritage. Heritage conservation would benefit from the development of an integrated management plan lead by Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality together with the identified stakeholders.
Highlights
Introduction and backgroundThe term ‘heritage’ is used loosely to describe everything that is inherited or handed down to future generations from the past (Lowenthal 2005)
The results provide an interesting test case as to whether a single location could be used to show the benefit of a single integrated management plan for the conservation of both the natural and cultural heritage resources
The Wakkerstroom area has diverse natural and cultural heritage resources including an internationally recognised wetland with high bird, mammal and reptile diversity as well as it being one of the oldest towns in the region, established in 1859. These attributes suggest that the concept of conservation should embrace both the natural heritage as well as the architectural and cultural heritage, in the same location
Summary
Introduction and backgroundThe term ‘heritage’ is used loosely to describe everything that is inherited or handed down to future generations from the past (Lowenthal 2005). Cultural heritage resources include buildings, art, traditions and practices of cultural and historical value (Lowenthal 2005). Heritage resources have been shown to be important in, amongst other factors, issues of history, identity and maintenance of livelihoods for people in South Africa and the world (Nzama 2009; Parts et al 2011; Su et al 2018). Conservation of both natural and cultural heritage provides the benefit of encouraging economic activity through an integrated development plan, one aspect of which could be tourism. Conservation of the natural heritage is often focussed on biodiversity, ecosystem integrity and ecosystem goods and services and seems more tangible than conserving cultural heritage, which has many more components
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: KOEDOE - African Protected Area Conservation and Science
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
