ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a study of natural heritage and its representation in museums, parks, tourist sites and popular culture, to assess its definitions, its values and its uses within the contemporary western world. The central focus of the assessment is how sites of natural heritage in Europe and the United States have defined and shaped the ideology of the 'modern' age. The book assesses the manner in which these sites provide modes of witnessing which impact upon how the world is perceived. The history of these representations is assessed at the outset before the sites of engagement with natural history, in terms of museums, national parks, heritage sites and media representations, are examined. These witness perspectives do alter in time and context but it is in the act of witnessing that alternative or affirming perspectives are formed.
