The Relationships Between Cultural Heritage, Maya Spirituality, and Archaeology in Guatemala

Reconciling the Conservation of Cultural Heritage with Rural Development

I. INTRODUCTION II. CULTURAL & NATURAL HERITAGE: AN OVERVIEW A. Cultural Heritage B. Natural Heritages C. Nature Conservation Strategies Worldwide D. The Links Between Cultural and Natural Heritage E. Characteristics of Sites of Overlapping Cultural & Natural Heritage III. The Present and Future of Integrated Cultural & Natural Heritage Management A. Challenges Posed to Protecting Cultural and Natural Heritage B. Existing Legal/Regulatory Efforts to Protect Cultural and Natural Heritage 1. Developed Countries a. The United States b. The European Union (1) England (a) National Parks (b) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (c) Conservation Areas (2) Dartmoor National Park (a) The Dartmoor Local Plan (b) Local Plan Aims (c) Local Plan Landscapes c. Canada 2. Developing Countries a. China b. Brazil IV. CONCLUSION A. Why Integrate Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection? B. Bridging Boundaries for Mutual Gain I. INTRODUCTION Formal legal efforts to protect cultural and natural heritage are not a modern phenomenon. In the developed and developing worlds, regional, state, and local governments undertake efforts to protect their cultural heritage and their natural resources. Most cultural and natural resource protection regimes, however, have evolved independently of one another. This is only recently beginning to change. As scholars, regulators, and activists increasingly recognize the links and overlap between areas of cultural and natural heritage, they are beginning to come together to develop new regimes for joint cultural and environmental protection. These early efforts jointly to protect cultural and natural heritage vary significantly in character and success. These variations reflect a still vague and evolving understanding of the interplay between culture and nature, the relationship between public and private land ownership, and significant regional differences in existing legal regimes, economic development, and environmental agendas. Further, there is currently very little comprehensive research examining global efforts to develop heritage protection areas that integrate both cultural and natural resource conservation. There is even less research analyzing how relationships between land ownership and social conceptions of culture and nature impact the development of future cultural and natural heritage programs. The goal of this paper is to contribute to and encourage the development of innovative, interdisciplinary approaches for the protection, preservation, and enhancement of natural and cultural heritage areas. The second section of this paper examines traditional notions and regulatory regimes for cultural and natural heritage protection, and delves into the links between cultural and natural heritage. Section three analyzes existing cultural heritage and environmental/natural protection laws, and provides examples of joint cultural and natural heritage preservation efforts. In particular, section three considers how current and prospective joint cultural and natural heritage protection efforts in developed and developing countries contribute to the social and economic development of communities and regions, and advance the principles of sustainable development by strengthening the historical continuity of a place and its people, and by guiding development in ways consistent with the characteristics of these cultural and natural resources. Additionally, section three examines case studies in the United States, Europe, Canada, Brazil, and China to demonstrate the challenges and critical elements integral to developing innovative and sustainable cultural and natural heritage preservation schemes. …

Beugelsdijk S., Van Schaik T. and Arts W. (2006) Toward a unified Europe? Explaining regional differences in value patterns by economic development, cultural heritage and historical shocks, Regional Studies 40, 317–327. The concept of the ‘Europe of the regions’ has given rise to the question of whether there is a process of cultural unification discernible among European regions. The paper reports the results of an empirical analysis of cultural differences among a panel of 55 European regions. Modernization theorists argue that cultural convergence can be expected, whereas culturalist theorists claim there are processes of path dependence. Using existing measures of culture, it is found that economic development is an important driver for value change, but that cultural (religious) heritage leaves a permanent imprint. In addition, the results suggest that historical shocks influence the process of cultural change. Beugelsdijk S., Van Schaik T. and Arts W. (2006) Toward a unified Europe? Explaining regional differences in value patterns by economic development, cultural heritage and historical shocks, Regional Studies 40, 317–327. The concept of the ‘Europe of the regions’ has given rise to the question of whether there is a process of cultural unification discernible among European regions. The paper reports the results of an empirical analysis of cultural differences among a panel of 55 European regions. Modernization theorists argue that cultural convergence can be expected, whereas culturalist theorists claim there are processes of path dependence. Using existing measures of culture, it is found that economic development is an important driver for value change, but that cultural (religious) heritage leaves a permanent imprint. In addition, the results suggest that historical shocks influence the process of cultural change. Culture, Dépendance causale, Europe, Théorie de modernisation, Théorie des apports culturels Beugelsdijk S., Van Schaik T. and Arts W. (2006) Toward a unified Europe? Explaining regional differences in value patterns by economic development, cultural heritage and historical shocks, Regional Studies 40, 317–327. The concept of the ‘Europe of the regions’ has given rise to the question of whether there is a process of cultural unification discernible among European regions. The paper reports the results of an empirical analysis of cultural differences among a panel of 55 European regions. Modernization theorists argue that cultural convergence can be expected, whereas culturalist theorists claim there are processes of path dependence. Using existing measures of culture, it is found that economic development is an important driver for value change, but that cultural (religious) heritage leaves a permanent imprint. In addition, the results suggest that historical shocks influence the process of cultural change. Kultur, Abhängigkeit vom eingeschlagenen Weg, Europa, Theorie der Modernisierung, Theorie des Kulturismus Beugelsdijk S., Van Schaik T. and Arts W. (2006) Toward a unified Europe? Explaining regional differences in value patterns by economic development, cultural heritage and historical shocks, Regional Studies 40, 317–327. The concept of the ‘Europe of the regions’ has given rise to the question of whether there is a process of cultural unification discernible among European regions. The paper reports the results of an empirical analysis of cultural differences among a panel of 55 European regions. Modernization theorists argue that cultural convergence can be expected, whereas culturalist theorists claim there are processes of path dependence. Using existing measures of culture, it is found that economic development is an important driver for value change, but that cultural (religious) heritage leaves a permanent imprint. In addition, the results suggest that historical shocks influence the process of cultural change. Cultura, Dependencia de rutas, Europa, Teoría de la modernización, Teoría culturalista

Objective - The existing literature contains no studies examining the issue of coffee culture and cultural heritage in the context of coffee brands’ websites evaluations. There are some well-known local coffee manufacturer brands in Indonesia and Malaysia respectively, and some of them are actually created by immigrated Chinese businessmen many decades ago. This study aims to delineate an understanding on digital representation of coffee culture and cultural heritage of Chinese Indonesian and Malaysian coffee brands through discourse methods associated with the analysis of intertextuality, and/or content which refers to content in other presentation forms and texts. Methodology/Technique - These coffee brands’ websites reinforce local identities, through the creation and diffusion of a discourse of identification. Computer-mediated discourse analysis (CMDA) was carried out by focusing on one coffee brand in Malaysia and Indonesia respectively whose owners are Chinese diasporas. This study follows the basic methodological orientation of CMDA which is language-focused content analysis. Findings – The results indicate that the Malaysian coffee brand accommodates Malaysia Chinese culture and heritage while the Chinese Indonesian coffee brand does not illustrate its own ethnic roots in all digital branding and marketing activities. Both brands in this study prioritise the coffee process technology on their websites. Novelty - The existing literatures primarily discusses food culture from sociohistorical perspective. Coffee cultures have been increasingly transnational in both Indonesia and Malaysia. Some earlier studies talked about the dynamics of coffee production in these regions, however, this study specifically examines the discourse of coffee culture represented by the most representative coffee brands in these two countries where little attention is given to their websites and relevant content patterns. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: L2, L23 Keywords: Corporate Websites, Coffee Brands, Cultural Heritage, Indonesia, Malaysia. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Changsong, W; Rahman, T; Sadat, A.A; Amalia, A; Sudiwijaya, E. (2021). Digital Representation of the Coffee Culture and Cultural Heritage by Chinese Indonesian and Malaysian Coffee Brands, Journal of Management and Marketing Review, 6(2), 137 – 145. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2021.6.2(5)

Perishing Heritage:

Since individuals achieve social cohesion by embracing culture, and societies exist and develop through their cultures, the transmission of culture and its products, namely cultural heritage, is considered important. The transmission of culture and cultural heritage is made possible through cultural heritage education, and this education is carried out in schools through certain courses. The social studies course is among the courses in which cultural heritage content is most extensively included. Social studies course fulfills this function through its curricula. In this context, the aim of the study is to examine the 2018 and 2024 Social Studies Course Curricula in terms of culture and cultural heritage elements. The study was conducted using the document review method, one of the qualitative research methods, and the data source consisted of the 2018 and 2024 Social Studies Course Curricula. Document analysis was used in the analysis of data obtained from the curricula. According to the findings obtained from the research, in the 2018 and 2024 Social Studies Course Curricula, statements related to art, cultural values, lifestyles, cultural competencies, national consciousness, historical consciousness, language, religion and beliefs, historical figures, cultural institutions, historical artifacts and sites, family history and dynamics, economy and livelihood, significant days and celebrations, scientific knowledge and practices, forms of governance, educational systems, defense systems, and sport were identified, whereas no statement related to ways of thinking was found. Since ways of thinking are absent from both the 2018 and 2024 curricula, it is recommended that this issue be taken into consideration in future revisions of the curriculum.

Information and communication technology (ICT) plays a significant role in making cultural heritage preservation activities find acceptance and appreciation from society. By using Web 2.0 developments, preservationists may strengthen the idiosyncrasy of cultural heritage. For Indonesia, highlighting a unique cultural heritage is important since Indonesia has cultural similarities with other countries. An intensive dialogue among historians, anthropologists, artists, activists, and other participants can facilitate the meta-reflection which is needed in formulating cultural heritage. Such a dialogue space can conveniently be constructed using Web 2.0 technologies. Instead of presenting a technically-focused applications of Web 2.0 technology for cultural heritage, this paper highlights the inquiry, dialogue, and collaboration behind culture and cultural heritage activities. It also discusses technocultural issues, including Web 2.0, globalization 3.0, and the rise of a new technocultural class, in order to create a framework for culture and cultural heritage approaches before implementing technological solutions to cultural heritage problems.

Objective - This article is to introduce theoretical motivation for the interaction and links joining national identity, collective memory, cultural heritage, digitization and libraries understood as memory institutions, and substantiate memory institutions and digital collective memory as an essential source for national identity. Research methods - The author claims that the digital resources managed by memory institutions, particularly libraries, are the fundamentals of national identity. Therefore she discusses postmodernism as a theoretical basis for the system of concepts of "national identity – collective memory – cultural heritage – memory institutions – digital resources – users", and presents the structure and individual concepts of this system. The research method used was qualitative research with discourse analysis and a theoretical analysis of information sources such as: J. Baudrillard, I. Hassan, D. Harvey, R. J. Lifton, J. F. Liotard, P. Waugh, A. J. Toynbee, G. E. Veith et al., conventions and resolutions of the European Commission, Committee and Parliament, legal provisions in culture and cultural heritage by the Government of Latvia. Results and conclusions - National identity is seen as a totality of meanings the main manifestations of which are the cultural and national heritage as the basis for the personal system of values and experience. National identity is formed by the totality of conceptions on affiliation with something. Conceptions, ideas are formed in the interaction process of personality and the collective memory based on digital resources. The collective memory, i.e. the resources in libraries, museums and archives, particularly the digital ones, is the main element for the construction of national identity. This construction is delivered by memory institutions through collecting, harvesting, saving, arranging and providing access to resources via the digitization process. Digitization should become the main tool for maintenance, inclusion, communication, and identity in the process of globalization. The author introduces theoretical model, based on the discourse of postmodernism ideas, theoretical conclusions of world researchers and philosophers, official conventions, guidelines and declarations - for justifying memory institutions’ resources as the basis of national identity. Such a theoretical analysis of the "national identity – collective memory – cultural heritage – memory institutions – digital resources – users" is the first experiment in Latvia to place the important role of memory institutions, particularly libraries, in a system of cultural heritage, digitization, new environment and national identity. The main conclusion is that the philosophical discourse of postmodernism accepts the idea of the leading role of memory institutions in the structure of national/digital heritage and national identity.

The Roman Limes, the former natural border of the Roman Empire, has been recognized as a cultural landscape with exceptional universal values of international importance by the relevant organization for the protection of cultural and natural heritage - UNESCO. The Danube River is an integral part of the Roman Limes, a testimony to the culture and traditions of the peoples who lived on the banks of the Danube, as well as cultural heritage in general. Within the part of the Danube River that passes through the Republic of Serbia, the Djerdap segment stands out. It includes sites of different historical periods (prehistoric, ancient and medieval) and is significant cultural heritage on an international level. However, most of the sites are underwater as a result of the construction of the Djerdap Hydroelectric Power Plant. Consequently, insufficient access to its cultural heritage has led to its insufficient presentation and promotion, but also a lack of information about the existence of the cultural heritage. Therefore, the main goals of this paper are to spread knowledge about Djerdap's cultural and natural heritage, to promote its importance, to identify potential for integrating the cultural heritage into contemporary trends through the affirmation of cultural routes, and to establish sustainable development of the cultural landscape. The results of the research are presented through an urban architectural project that represents the sublimation of critical attitudes formed with regard to the protection, presentation and promotion of cultural heritage. The project draws from a literature analysis, case studies and examples of good practice relevant to the research. The expected results of the research include raising awareness of the importance of Djerdap's cultural heritage through promoting a cultural route and forming a potential model for the use of its cultural heritage in the process of establishing sustainable development of the cultural landscape.

<p>During the last decades, there has been quickly increasing awareness of the need for efficient, science-based tools, to be used to monitor and protect cultural and natural heritage. Indeed heritage assets are increasingly at risk because of the impact of natural and anthropogenic hazards, the frequency and intensity of which continue to be amplified and worsened by climate change. The protection of archaeological sites and monumental complexes in the age of mass tourism and climate change represents a growing challenge that can only be addressed by integrating management models and best practices. In this context, the innovative application of remote sensing technologies and Copernicus data and information could certainly constitute a turning point as demonstrated in other transversal areas. Sites and monuments are affected by various anthropogenic environmental pressures, acting in synergy, that impact them with varying frequency and intensity both in space and time. Therefore, long-term monitoring of prioritised environmental and climate parameters and indicators, at proper spatial and temporal resolution, is a key requirement for setting up action plans and strategies of sustainable management. This monitoring should rely on the integration of data from remote sensing and in situ measurements, along with climate modeling and forecasting outputs.  The present paper aims to summarize the work and outcomes conducted by the Task Force Copernicus Cultural Heritage (CCHTF) to evaluate the uptake extent in the field of Cultural Heritage management by the Copernicus Committee. The objective of CCHTF was to assess the current and future potential of Copernicus data, services and products uptake by users, and identify the possible Copernicus architectural solutions to support data and/or information access. The CCHTF was composed by the Member States’ (MS) national experts, from both the Cultural Heritage and Earth Observation domains, officially coordinated by Italy and chaired by the Italian Ministry of Culture. The CCHTF included an extended range of stakeholders (research and business communities, public authorities, policy and decision makers, operational bodies and social players), who provided a set of users’ needs, extending across the different cultural heritage disciplines.</p> <p>The interaction with the Copernicus Entrusted Entities responsible for the Service, Space and in-situ component developments resulted in the identification of a number of further Copernicus products, suitable for support of CH users’ activities; these mostly stem from the Global Land Component, Atmosphere, Climate Change and Marine monitoring Services, as well as Emergency and Security. At the end of the users consultation phase, 41 specific requirements were identified. After that, the matching of the identified requirements with the Copernicus capacity was addressed, identifying 31 requirements partially or completely satisfiable by the current Copernicus products. As general outcome we can say that cultural heritage sector stands to benefit greatly from an increased use of remote sensing technologies. It is also expect that the use of Copernicus capabilities by cultural heritage stakeholders will produce innovative new methods and approaches to cultural heritage protection and management. This importance must urgently be reflected by substantial and sustainable investment into all of the EU’s relevant technological programs.</p>

The purpose of this study is to highlight the conceptual and methodological approaches as well as practical experience in creating of an Atlas Information System of natural and cultural heritage of Ukraine (AIS PiKS) and to outline the directions of its long-term development. AIS PiKS means a problemoriented information system that provides an opportunity to store, systematize and analyze a large amount of accounting and statistical information that will present a modern and clear information picture of the state and trends of the development trends of objects and territories of the country's natural and cultural heritage and its regions, and present it with traditional and modern means of visualization; to assist the bodies of state administration in the formation and implementation of state policy in the field of natural and cultural heritage, such as accounting, protection, conservation and use of its objects and territories etc. At the first stage of its development, AIS PiKS was reflected in the form of appropriate blocks of the electronic Atlas "Population of Ukraine and its natural and cultural heritage" (hereinafter – the Atlas). The development of the atlas was completed in 2020 by the Institute of Geography of NASU. Among the many scientific and applied tasks that were solved, the focus is on research of their thematic component, among them – the theoretical development of the component structure and content of AIS PiKS, development of conceptual and terminological apparatus, analysis, and visualization of various spatial and descriptive information. The formation of information database AIS PiKS was carried out in the presence of a huge number of potential mapping objects, inefficiently functioning state accounting system of PiKS objects and territories and the need to supplement existing lists with data on spatial localization of mapping objects, visualization of topographic location and necessary attributive (descriptive) information. The need to present a wide range of data from areas related to geography (primarily culture) required the search for new conceptual approaches, methodological solutions, and relevant information sources. As a result, the first in Ukraine specialized thematic maps of ethnocultural, religious and scientific and technical heritage were created, which is a scientific novelty of the Atlas. For the first time in Ukraine, сultural-landscape zoning of Ukraine has been developed at the macro level, thus starting to fill a gap of the absence of domestic developments of this kind. The map "Cultural-landscape zoning of Ukraine" became one of the key topics of the electronic atlas "Population of Ukraine and its natural and cultural heritage". The study identified proposals on the main directions of development and practical application of AIS PiKS. Besides actualization of data, they involves the development of the main ideas and areas of research planned in the Atlas, especially on complex electronic atlases, the deepening of the regional aspect of case studies of cultural and natural heritage through inclusion in the systems of national and regional strategy, spatial development planning, research on integrated study of territory, mapping and development of CLZ of cultural and natural heritage of regions and administrative districts, etc.

In smart cities, technology is never for its own sake, but for improving the lives of citizens. As culture is at the heart of well-being, it makes sense that technology should be employed to harness and magnify the incredible potential of local culture. This paper presents a brief survey of some tools and technologies that EUROCITIES smart cities are employing in cultural policy and practice. From crowd monitoring and neuroanalytic cameras, to platforms and videogames, cities in the ROCK project, funded under the Horizon 2020 program, are harnessing technology to improve access to and preservation of culture and cultural heritage. In smart cities, technology is never for its own sake, but for improving the lives of citizens. As culture is at the heart of well-being, it makes sense that technology should be employed to harness and magnify the incredible potential of local culture. This paper presents two ways in which European smart cities are using technology in cultural policy and practice. The first section focuses on data gathering: What technologies are cities using to gather data about cultural heritage engagement, and how are they using this data to modify their cultural policies? The second section focuses on the use of technology to create platforms for user-generated content on culture and cultural heritage: How are cities giving citizens the run of digital spaces to propose and disseminate culture and cultural heritage?

This research paper argues that human culture and cultural heritage or property are of rising prominence in international relations and security studies in a rapidly globalizing and securitizing world. However, despite the tremendous security threats they encounter, they represent an arena of inquiry, somewhat overlooked and understudied in place of developing a critique of conventional security paradigms. The paper aims to address a host of questions, including: what are culture and cultural heritage or property? And what are the tremendous security threats they encounter? The paper utilizes qualitative research methodology and a constructivist theoretical approach to examine the eminence of culture and cultural heritage and the role they contribute to the construction and reconstruction of societies, human identities, collective memories, and governance institutions. It also sheds light on the various security threats and risks, culture and cultural heritage face especially in times of violent conflicts and natural disasters, and the security policies that could be adopted to respond to such threats and risks at the national, regional, and international levels.

Possible policies and actions to protect the soil cultural and natural heritage of Europe

Country(side) in the Context of Climate Change The theme of this issue of M/C Journal is ‘country’, with a remit to contemplate the multifaceted and pliable deployment of that term. Notably, ‘country’ can be used synonymously with both ‘the rural’ and ‘the nation’, and in many contemporary western societies these evocations are not so far apart. Indeed, they often overlap: countryside landscapes (which may be either pastoral or wilderness) are frequently used as symbolic sites to encapsulate broader national imaginaries and thus project a wider sense of national identity and belonging. As David Bell argues, the (rural and/or ‘natural’) countryside is often deployed as a storehouse for cultural meanings associated with national values that “shor[e] up what it means to be English, or Dutch, or whatever” (151). This association is apparent in Australia too, where interleaving the countryside and nation-state is long-standing in settler (i.e. Anglo-Australian) landscape tropes, notably ‘the bush’, ‘the outback’ and the wheat/sheep farming belt (Gorman-Murray et al; Ward; Sarah Bell). My entry into this theme is through what might seem, at first glance, an obscure avenue: I provide a case study of the place of “Australia’s snow country” (AALC 16) – the Australian Alps – in national imaginaries. On the one hand, the snow country may appear marginal to national landscape tropes, in which images of the bush, beach, outback, desert and tropical islands dominate. This is perhaps most apparent in images used to ‘sell’ Australia in international tourism campaigns (Gorman-Murray et al; Waitt). But on the other hand, I argue, the snow country is also prominent in Australian lives, lifestyles and mythologies, evinced through several measures. At one level, the Australian Alps in New South Wales and Victoria, in particular, are widely known for winter ski and snow sports tourism, with alpine resorts generating $1.318 billion in economic activity and 17,030 jobs in 2005 (NIEIR). At another level, the Australian Alps have been a focus of national socioeconomic development through the Snowy Mountains Scheme’s massive engineering project, completed between 1949 and 1974. Apart from national development goals around power generation and farmland irrigation, the Scheme also brought large-scale non-British migration with far-reaching implications in shaping modern Australian society (Lennon). And from yet another perspective, the Australian Alps have their own particular place in settler mythologies through narratives of the cattlemen and stockmen of ‘the high country’ (a settler descriptor for the Alps) (Lennon; Truscott). The snow country, then, and especially the Australian Alps, does play a significant role in discourses of Australian nationhood, belonging and identity. I argue that the importance of the Australian Alps in national imaginaries is heightened in the current context of societal and political apprehension about the effects of human-induced climate change on Australia. Already the warmest and driest continent, modelling suggests the effects of global warming on Australia will be severe, with south-east Australia – the most temperate part of the continent, where both the Alps and the bulk of the population are located – becoming even drier and warmer (Lowe). The Garnaut Climate Change Review (www.garnautreview.org.au) indicates that without immediate measures, many of Australia’s fragile landscapes will be radically altered as soon as 2050, including the Murray-Darling Basin, the Great Barrier Reef, the Kakadu Wetlands and the Australian Alps (Garnaut, Draft Report; Garnaut, National Press Club Address; Peatling). With regard to the snow country, research from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) indicates imminent significant reduction in the area, depth and duration of snow cover in the Alps as a result of warming and drying, with high impact scenarios estimating more than 90% shrinkage in snow cover by 2050 (Hennessey et al). This will have severe impacts on local ecosystems (Pickering et al) and ski tourism (Bicknell and McManus). But what effect might this have on the cultural significance of the snow country in national imaginaries? How will the Alps be re-valued in light of climate change? Equally, this demands consideration of how the Alps are currently, and have previously been, placed in discourses of nationhood and identity, and whether these tropes are reflected, enhanced and/or transformed in the context of climate change. To address these issues, this essay provides three narratives about how the Australian Alps have been viewed and valued in national imaginaries, each focusing on past, present and ‘future’ visions of the snow country. I begin with the present, noting how the Alps are currently figured discursively as a unique national landscape. Present evocations are, of course, based on past practices, lives and mythologies, and so in the second narrative I turn to the Alps’ settler histories. I focus on the town of Kiandra, its association with snow and alpine imagery, and the way it provided a vector for further settlement and use of the Alps. But Kiandra is now a ghost town, serving as a harbinger of possible alpine futures. So the last narrative turns to concerns about the future of the Australian Alps, and what lessons could be learnt from the expected impact of climate change on the snow country. As this ordering suggests, rather than a presenting a wholly linear argument, these narratives bounce off each other, constellating temporally and spatially diverse perspectives on the Australian Alps. The data interpreted in this essay are drawn from current media commentaries, archival sources, landscape photography (of Kiandra), and a survey on the cultural significance of the Australian snow country in the light of climate change. Throughout the discussion I use a range of descriptors for the snow country – countryside, landscape and environment, for instance. While I recognise that some of these terms have distinct definitions in certain disciplines – e.g. contentions within cultural geography about the application of ‘landscape’ (Merriman et al) – I employ them in an interchangeable and non-technical manner to describe the snow country. The Australian Alps: a Unique National Landscape The Australian snow country comprises the alpine and sub-alpine bioregions – a particular group of landscapes with distinct flora and fauna determined by a combination of climate, altitude and seasonal snow cover, and thus restricted to the more mountainous terrain in the continent’s south-east corner (AALC). As Figure 1 below indicates, the largest (and most famous) zone of snow country is the Australian Alps, which stretch across NSW, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Roughly 90% of this landscape is sub-alpine snow gum woodland, while the remaining 10% is the true alpine zone above the treeline, comprising herbaceous plants, shrubs and grasses. Snow cover in both the alpine and sub-alpine zones is seasonal, lasting from roughly May to October, but longer at higher altitudes and latitudes. Overall, the snow country makes up less than 1% of Australia’s land area, and over half of this is in the mainland Alps. Despite its limited range, this countryside is a critical component of wider ecological and hydrological conditions: the small area of high rainfall and snow cover comprising the Australian Alps “determine[s] the distribution of water to rivers, and therefore to people, in a way that affects the whole of south-eastern Australia” (Slattery 5). Figure 1: Australian alpine and sub-alpine areas. Hydrological importance aside, the Australian Alps are also culturally significant in national imaginaries. In June 2008, the Alps were chosen as one of only eight ‘national landscapes’ to be featured in Tourism Australia’s new eponymous marketing initiative, pitched as a “unique Australian destination” to international tourists (Talip 4). The ‘National Landscapes’ campaign explicitly links the snow country with national identity, configuring the Alps as an archetypical Australian landscape. Peter Jacobs, the Australian Alps Region National Landscapes Steering Committee chairman, explained the connection between the landscape and a unique Australian experience: Touring in the high country and experiencing the vast alpine landscapes, the beautiful, majestic snow gum forest is a feature that really stands out for people. And the other thing that people often find a bit odd about the Australian Alps, especially from overseas, is the snow experience and although we’re not necessarily trying to compete with international larger resorts, the whole concept of snow in Australia and being able to ski and see a snow-covered alpine landscape is very unique. (Talip 4) Snowy climatic conditions, then, are a critical element in the Alps’ national importance. But at the same time, the significance of the Australian Alps as a national landscape is not due simply to winter ski tourism. Other cultural narratives render the snow country central to Australian nationhood and cultural identity. These are also iterated by Peter Jacobs: “It’s a lot to do with the stories of […] early settlers like cattlemen and miners, the Man from Snowy River. There’s a real cultural link to the adventure of the Alps” (Talip 4). Jacobs thus draws attention to the place of the Alps in some of the central motifs of Australia’s defining bush mythologies – the pioneering cattlemen and stockmen, their role in domesticating the countryside, and their memorialisation in the well-known narrative of The Man from Snowy River (Truscott). While these configurations are white and masculine, certainly not all-inclusive or mindful of Indigenous displacement, they have been nevertheless fundamental in framing the cultural heritage and legacy of the Australian Alps. The Man from Snowy River, writt