An excellent and detailed user-friendly book on how communities can identify, conserve and protect heritage places is Protecting local heritage places: A guide for communities published by the Australian Heritage Commission in 2000. At http://www.ahc.gov.au/infores/publications/localheritage/ahc-2.html, you can download this or send an e-mail to ahc@ea.gov.au requesting a copy or order a free copy from the Australian Heritage Commission, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601.
Another guide to assessing cultural significance, that explains the principles and concepts for modern conservation practice is The Burra Charter published by Australia ICOMOS (the Australian national committee of the Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites) in 2000. If you visit the Australia ICOMOS web page http://www.icomos.org/australia/ and click on Charters and publications, then Burra Charter, you can order a copy of the Charter or read all about it. The Burra Charter can be applied to natural, indigenous and historical places with cultural heritage values. It has been adopted by all levels of Australian government as the standard tool for guiding conservation work and underlies most heritage registers and/or inventories.
To assist people making decisions on the future of places with natural heritage significance the Australian Natural Heritage Charter published by the Australian Heritage Commission for IUCN in 1966 is very useful. The Charter can be applied to public and privately owned places, to terrestrial, marine or freshwater areas, and to protected and unprotected areas.(1) It can be viewed or downloaded from http://www.ahc.gov.au/infores/publications/anhc/index.html or write requesting copy from either the Australian Heritage Commission, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601, or the Australian Committee for IUCN (World Conservation Union), GPO Box 528, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2001.
Complementing the charter is the Natural Heritage Places Handbook, which expands on the principles in the Charter and explains the processes for conserving natural heritage places. Also provided are practical examples of how to apply the Charter. This 1998 handbook can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.ahc.gov.au/infores/publications/nhnames/contents.html or write requesting copy from either the Australian Heritage Commission, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601, or Australian Committee for IUCN (World Conservation Union), GPO Box 528, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2001.
Ask First: A guide to respecting Indigenous heritage places and values published by the Australian Heritage Commission in 2002 complements other heritage guidelines including the Burra Charter and the Australian Natural Heritage Charter. It is designed to help developers, planners, researchers and managers identify and address Indigenous heritage issues.(2) To order or download this guide, visit http://www.ahc.gov.au/infores/publications/indigenousheritage/index.html or write requesting copy from the Australian Heritage Commission, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601.
Another useful
book available from the Australian Heritage Commission is Successful
Tourism at Heritage Places: A guide for tourism operators heritage
managers and communities. This was a joint project between
the Australian Heritage Commission, the Cooperative Research Centre
for Sustainable Tourism and the Tourism Council Australia. Published
in 2001, this guide helps those who need to understand the issues
involved in planning for and managing tourism at heritage places.
It provides information on:
· understanding heritage significance
· heritage tourism
· guiding principles for tourism at heritage places
· five guidelines that provide practical advice and extensive
case studies
· a glossary and
· reference list.
1. http://www.ahc.gov.au/infores/publications/anhc/index.html
2. http://www.ahc.gov.au/news/mediareleases/2002/askfirst.html