Beyond Culture/Nature Divides: New Approaches and Tools for a Cultural Integrated Landscape Management

In this article, we revisit the core concepts of nature and of landscape assessment and sustainability, based on which we propose an approach to natural resource management and diversity preservation from the perspective of cultural landscapes. We build on past and contemporary debates on the notion of nature and its relation to “Non-Nature”, attempting to systematize the main variables of the study of past societies as a methodological framework for the analysis of contemporary contexts; this is based on bibliographic references and case studies using such methodological approaches. Landscapes are structured through human activity, which relates to the technological and logistic drivers of historical studies, and are the domain of humans (anthropic nature), as opposed to non-anthropic nature (or wilderness). Sustainable resource management, focused on the preservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity as part of it, needs to overcome the divide between nature and culture, framing debates and conflicts as part of a cultural landscape of discussions served by an established methodological framework, in which education is the main driver and museum-related structures (libraries, etc.) form the flexible institutional backbone. The introduction sets the context for the argument, revisiting some of the theoretical approaches to the notions of nature and landscapes from the late 19th century in Europe, while also referring to reflections in antiquity and traditional and indigenous understandings. A section on materials and methods explains the methodological framework and data used by the author, situating it within a systematization of the humanities’ assessment of the past. A third section explores the interplay between materialities and perceptions, including the relevance of time- and space-driven approaches that shape different perceived landscapes; it proposes a definition of cultural landscape structured through these interplays. The fourth section discusses the dimension of perceived nature as a cultural landscape and characterizes its main drivers, offering two contemporary case studies as examples. A final section of conclusions discusses the role of humanities and of structures like museums, pointing to the new UNESCO program BRIDGES as a useful tool for pursuing landscape transformations.