Published on 07 Mar 2022
Cultural and natural heritage is part of our everyday life but is not truly part of policy protocol. However, the connection between cultural and natural heritage and policy needs to be further explored since it can be the key for rural areas regeneration.
Policy Recommendations for the Integration of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CNH) within Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation is the last document published by RURITAGE project,outlining a broader perspective of what innovation and regeneration can mean for communities – especially rural ones. It provides practical strategies to bridge the gap by bringing culture together with areas like smart specialisation, innovation, experimentation, entrepreneurship, business development and sustainable development.
The document details ways for cultural heritage and smart specialisation experts to work in an interdisciplinary way, breaking down barriers between sectors that might otherwise be seen as unrelated.
Some of the key recommendations are:
• Interact across sectors and areas of expertise.
• Embrace a broader view on innovation and try to look at CNH from new perspectives.
• Bring cultural and natural heritage into research and innovation.
• Think beyond tourism to diversify the rural economy.
• Consider the complexity of heritage in an integrated way, including cultural, natural and digital components as well as tangible and intangible aspects.
• Include the Culture and Creative Industries, which are an excellent way to bring cultural and natural heritage features to life.
From RURITAGE’s document, it is clear that policy should apply a cross sectional approach to preserve and valorise cultural and natural heritages for a harmonic development of communities.
