Supporting organisations, community groups and policymakers engage with Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for nature recovery
Connecting cultural pasts with ecological futures
In 2024, the UK ratified the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), committing to the protection and promotion of traditional arts, practices, crafts and ecological knowledge.
The Convention explicitly recognises that ICH plays a vital role in sustainability and biodiversity: it can foster the cultural connections with place that are vital for lasting environmental stewardship.
As the UK begins to implement this in policy and practice, there is an opportunity to bring cultural knowledge and practice into nature recovery and biodiversity strategies. I work at this intersection, helping communities, organisations and policymakers engage with ICH in ethical, creative and meaningful ways.
Advising on policy and strategy for integrating ICH into nature recovery and restoration initiatives
Designing creative programmes that draw on ICH to foster nature connection, care and stewardship
Facilitating bespoke workshops and training across culture, heritage and environment sectors
British Academy Policy Discussion Paper
‘Integrating Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Nature Recovery: A Place-Sensitive Approach in the Scottish Highlands’ (2025)
I am the lead author on this paper considering how integrating Intangible Cultural Heritage, as defined by the 2003 UNESCO Convention, can support place-sensitive nature recovery. It recommends cross-sector collaboration between cultural and environmental policy, supporting inclusive, forward-looking and adaptive approaches.
“Nature recovery is as much a cultural task as it is an ecological one. The long-term sustainability of environmental stewardship depends on emotional, ethical and cultural connections between people and place. Music, song, story and traditional ecological knowledge offer a powerful means to nurture that connection.”
About Me
My name is Mairi McFadyen, and I bring over 15 years’ experience working with Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Scotland. I am a formally trained ethnologist with a PhD in traditional song from the University of Edinburgh, and have taught heritage studies, ethnology and folklore across further and higher education. My work has supported national forums for traditional arts - music, storytelling and dance - while also contributing to ICH policy development through Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS).
I lead the ‘Creative Connections’ course for Tobar an Dualchais – Kist O Riches, Scotland’s largest digital archive of oral and cultural heritage, working with artists, musicians and educators to explore cultural memory and public folklore in the context of environmental awareness and climate action.
Currently, I am a Human Ecology Researcher-in-Residence with my collaborator Raghnaid Sandilands for the Findhorn Watershed Initiative, a catchment-scale ecosystem restoration project. Here, we are exploring how cultural heritage and creativity can rekindle nature connection, guide restoration efforts and foster relationships of care for lasting stewardship - a project I was invited to present at the 2023 ‘ICH in Scotland’ Conference at Birnam Arts.
Alongside this, I offer training in citizen fieldwork and oral history methods, enabling communities and organisations to document, archive and safeguard ICH in ways that are participatory, inclusive and grounded in local realities. This hands-on approach strengthens community stewardship and builds intergenerational learning.
