Working Together at the Intersection of Culture and Nature – A World Heritage Context

The Edmonton Round Table – Working Together at the Intersection of Culture and Nature: A World Heritage Context – was held from October 3-5, 2022 at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Alberta. The meeting was organized under the auspices of the Heritage Resources Management Program of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Athabasca University.

Edmonton Round Table Proceedings (2022)

The selected theme stemned from the designation of two World Heritage Sites in Canada, Pimachiowin Aki, Manitoba and Ontario (listed in 2018 as a mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Site) and Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi in Alberta (listed in 2019 as a cultural World Heritage Site). Both sites are traditional and ancestral lands of Indigenous Peoples featuring interwoven cultural, spiritual, and landscape values. The Round Table’s particular interest was in the operational management of these special places. Traditionally in Canada, cultural and natural heritage sites are managed under different departments and through different mechanisms. The Round Table provided an opportunity to revisit how heritage sites with intersecting cultural and natural values can be managed in a more collaborative environment and across administrative boundaries.

The Edmonton Round Table is modeled on the highly successful Montreal Round Tables created by the Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage at the Université de Montréal. Each year, the Chair, Dr. Christina Cameron, selected a difficult topic of current interest to researchers and practitioners. Proceedings of the fourteen Montreal Round Tables (2006-2018) are available below and also through the Université de Montréal.

It was the first time that such a Round Table with a focus on world heritage matters took place in western Canada. The timing was also significant as the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. The Edmonton Round Table invited thirty Canadian and international experts and emerging professionals in heritage conservation and related disciplines who work in public, private, academic, and non-governmental organizations. What the participants had in common was experience in managing places at the nexus of cultural and natural heritage. Over three days, speakers were encouraged to share their specialized knowledge as a means of framing the debate. Due to COVID restrictions, some presenters contributed virtually to the discussions. In the spirit of a Round Table, each participant was expected to join in a frank exchange of views.