Issues

• Cultural Landscapes
• Heritage Places and Features
• Heritage Objects
• Archival Material
• Memory
• Social and Contemporary Significance

• Planning Scheme Provisions

At a glance

The issue

Cultural landscapes are an aggregation of places, features, objects, archival material, memories and perceptions of social and contemporary significance. The World Heritage Convention defines cultural landscapes as the 'combined works of nature and of man', demonstrating the evolution of human society in conjunction with environmental constraints and opportunities, and illustrating successive social, economic, and cultural forces.

The condition of cultural landscapes ranges from those that are lost, existing in myth only (like the landscape of Atlantis) to those with numerous surviving features, objects or related documentation. Some are living landscapes, but their usage has altered them considerably, while others are largely unchanged. Sometimes, like the landscape of Pompeii, a fossil landscape has been unusually well preserved.

This 'At a glance' section provides an overview of Tasmania's cultural landscapes. More detailed information and references are contained in the Cultural Landscapes Issue Report. Indicators for assessing the condition and pressures of cultural landscapes in Tasmania are currently in development and are provided within the Assessing and measuring the current situation section of this report. An assessment of the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station cultural landscape is also presented within the section. A separate case study is provided that demonstrates the integrated process of assessing all cultural heritage items associated with the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station.

A number of related recommendations are presented, in particular, the Cultural Landscapes and Streetscapes and Strategic Cultural Heritage Management recommendations.

Favourable news

• The Tasmanian Heritage Council, established under the Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995, is championing a broad cultural landscape investigation, for the purpose of identifying significant areas and establishing appropriate regulatory controls.
   
• A review of the Tasmanian Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995 has been announced. A review committee has been established and its terms of reference defined. These terms of reference include specific reference to consideration to cultural landscapes (item 6).
   
• A new strategic and systematic process for the integrated identification and assessment of cultural heritage condition, pressure, and protection priorities-including cultural landscapes-is currently being developed by the Tasmanian Government and the University of Tasmania. An Australian Research Council linkage grant has been awarded to the project to trial the methodology of the new system in an assessment of the Willow Court historic precinct (an 18 ha site of Australia's longest continually operating mental institution).
   

Unfavourable news

• Cultural landscapes currently have little or no recognition through legislation. However, the recently announced review of the Tasmanian Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995 may improve this situation.
   
• Detailed and reliable baseline information that would allow the assessment of the condition of Tasmania's cultural heritage and progress in our efforts to protect this heritage is still not available.
   
• There is currently no legislative requirement for provisions for landscape and heritage precinct protection within planning schemes. Although there has been an increase in broader heritage area protection through controls on use and development in surrounding areas within planning schemes, there are still many (32% of 41 currently active schemes) that lack such controls.
   
• There is a lack of adequate legislation for Aboriginal heritage, and there is no independent advisory group like the Tasmanian Heritage Office in place that deals with Aboriginal heritage issues.
   

Uncertain news

• There is considerable uncertainty in the conditions of, and pressures on, of Tasmania's cultural landscapes because, until recently there has been no integrated and systematic process for the assessment of cultural heritage in general. A system including indicators for assessing the condition and pressures of Tasmania's cultural heritage is under development with only limited heritage having been assessed using this system to date.
   

• Issue Report - continued in depth