Cultural Resources

Cultural resources are physical objects or places of past human activity, such as a historic site, object, landscape, structure or even a natural feature of significance to a group of people traditionally associated with it. Such examples can include archiological sites, buildings or old roads, prehistoric village sites, rock inscriptions, and battlefields. These resources often yield unique information about past societies and environments that are of importance to society today.

Integrating Cultural Resource Preservation at a Landscape Scale

A collaborative research project sponsored by the National Park Service and the Appalachian LCC seeks to integrate cultural resources, such as historic bridges and Civil War Battlefields, into landscape conservation planning and design to emphasize both natural and cultural resources in defining conservation priorities.

Urban Conservation

People are moving into cities at a greater rate than ever before. This makes urban conservation a crucially important endeavor in order to make nature and natural resource issues relevant to a growing part of the population. Many agencies and organizations are working in urban environments to preserve green spaces, enhance awareness of urban conservation issues, and create sustainable solutions to make cities more livable. This section focuses on areas and opportunities available to cities to experience nature first-hand in the unique places within and surrounding our ever-expanding urban communities. It also highlights approaches to engage urban populations in exploring the wonders of nature found in and around cities and towns. Check out a variety of resources, activities, and other information related to urban conservation.

Cultural Landscapes

Landscapes, the visible features of an area like mountains or rivers or skylines, house an abundant of riches and dynamic relationships. They can range from thousands of acres of farm land to an historic seaport, from a Civil War battlefield to the pristine wilderness of some of our most cherished national parks. There are natural landscapes and human-dominated landscapes and cultural landscapes.

Socioeconomics

Put simply, socioeconomics looks at how economic activity influences and is influenced by society. In the world of conservation, this could mean how changes in price or demand for products like coal or corn influences natural resource management and conservation decisions. In this section of Nature and Society, explore various initiatives, projects, and tools related to the socioeconomics of conservation.