Connecting cultural pasts with ecological futures
Supporting organisations, community groups and policymakers engage with Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for nature recovery
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 encodes ecological knowledge and can foster the cultural connections with place that are vital for lasting environmental stewardship.
As the UK begins to implement ICH in policy and practice, there is an opportunity to bring cultural knowledge and practice into nature recovery and biodiversity strategies. My work helps organisations, community groups and policymakers engage with ICH in ethical, creative and meaningful ways:
Strategic advice on bringing ICH into nature recovery and restoration
Designing creative programmes that foster nature connection, care and stewardship
Tailored workshops and training for 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 policy disussion 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.
“What if every nature restoration initiative included a policy for engaging with Intangible Cultural Heritage? What if every woodland, wetland, river, coast, or landscape-scale project recognised that cultural practice and traditional ecological knowledge are a vital part of restoration?”
