Cultural Heritage
for Nature Restoration
Helping organisations and communities bring living heritage into nature recovery
Nature recovery is as much about our human relationships with nature as it is about the practical work of restoration itself.
Lasting environmental stewardship depends on a deep sense of place, which grows from cultural memory and meaning kept alive through living creative practice.
Forms of cultural heritage such as music, song, story and placenames carry traditional ecological knowledge and encode values of care and reciprocity towards the living world. Although the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) recognises these cultural practices as important resources for biodiversity and sustainability, they remain largely overlooked in the planning, funding, and delivery of nature recovery initiatives.
As a researcher and creative practitioner, I work with organisations, community groups and policymakers to explore how intangible cultural heritage can help shape more place-sensitive, inclusive, adaptive and resilient approaches to nature restoration. Through research, facilitation, creative engagement and strategic advice, I help ensure that cultural knowledge, memory creative practice are recognised as a vital part of environmental stewardship.
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.”
This British Academy policy discussion paper explores how integrating Intangible Cultural Heritage can support place-sensitive nature recovery. Through two case studies from the Scottish Highlands it examines how placenames, creative cultural expressions and traditional ecological knowledge can contribute to inclusive, forward-looking, adaptive approaches.
‘Integrating Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Nature Recovery: A Place-Sensitive Approach in the Scottish Highlands’ (2025)
