ABSTRACT
By the nineteenth century, natural history had maintained its status as a subject of taste and distinction as studies of the development of animals and plants were the pursuit of the educated and wealthy. Upon the features of the environment were placed social and cultural values that elevated it as a topic of respectability. In the twentieth century, the representation of natural history has been used to conduct wars, define gender roles, negotiate issues of ethnicity and reassess the notions of identity within contemporary life. In the twenty-first century, natural history stands as a means by which wider society can address the pressing issues of environmental change and rethink the relationship between the human and the non-human. Therefore, to assess the status of natural heritage, its uses and its values, a recognition of its constantly shifting status needs to be made.
