Listening to the voices of the cultural landscape

This paper explores the issue of local involvement in cultural landscape management, comparing the relationships of rural communities in the mountain regions of mid-Wales and the Cooma-Monaro and Snowy Shires with their landscapes. The people are a vital part of these landscapes, cultural landscapes that are a palimpsest of the past and our canvas for tomorrow. There is a need to listen more closely to what the people of these communities have to teach including their knowledge of the landscape, related experiences, values and beliefs, as well as the effectiveness of past management approaches. The active commitment of the local level and Its diverse communities to regional and national strategies, and vice versa, are vital to successful sustainable outcomes for the landscape.