| The Center's mission is to provide leadership
and encourage research in applied activities to support a comprehensive
approach to the study of heritage. At the Center
for Heritage Resource Studies, the concept of heritage focuses
on the relationship between the uses of the past, local cultural expression,
and the natural environment. This concept of heritage derives from
the following: |
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Local identity and “sense of place”
are vital cultural components currently being threatened by
transformations in the global economy. |
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This “sense of place” may be defined by any combination
of natural and cultural resources, often blurring the distinction
between them. |
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The recovery, interpretation, and celebration
of the past are necessary for sustaining local identity and
sense of place. |
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Thus,
Center research and educational efforts are based on the following:
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The
uses of and values associated with the natural environment are
expressed in cultural terms, so efforts to conserve vital ecosystems
are dependent upon understanding the cultural component of natural
resource use |
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The
sustainability of our cultural and environmental resources is
dependent upon our understanding the ways in which heritage
is expressed and used to promote economic development and political
activity. |
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Community-based
tourism, focused on cultural and natural places, contributes
to the survival of communities and locales that are threatened
by transformations in the global economy. |
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As
a result, critical issues related to representation, diversity,
and equity in the conservation of natural and cultural resources
have emerged. |
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| The Center for Heritage Resource Studies was established
to bring scholars and practitioners together to support a comprehensive
approach to the study of heritage. The Center’s research and educational
efforts are formulated in a way that can be readily applied by those
who are responsible for the management of our historic, cultural,
and environmental resources.
In this way, the activities of the Center contribute substantially
to an increased awareness of the need for responsible heritage development.
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