Heritage conservation and development

What does heritage mean? 

Heritage is all of those items and places that are valued by the community, conserved and preserved for future generations. People commonly equate heritage with historic buildings, but the concept is much wider and includes items and places with natural heritage significance and Aboriginal heritage significance. Although these categories are covered by different legislation in reality they often overlap. 

Heritage values can be ranked at different scales from local to world significance. Individual items or places may be valued according to their rarity or because they are a particularly good example of their kind. Judging these qualities is inevitably subjective but professional guidelines are provided in the Australian Natural Heritage Charter and The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for places of cultural significance. 

Why does heritage matter? 

Heritage is valued by the community because it provides links to the past and contributes to our sense of place. Heritage provides reference points in history, illustrates natural processes, and presents opportunities for education and research. 

We all value places for different reasons and heritage is expressed in our collective sense of value. Heritage enriches our lives, and the loss of any item makes us all poorer.