ABSTRACT
For many Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) practitioners, cultural heritage has been, and in many cases still is, interpreted as comprising the "physical expression" of culture. There are strong links between cultural heritage and other environmental components, including but not limited to biodiversity, landscape, and human health and well-being. This chapter takes the requirements of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards 7 and 8 (indigenous peoples and cultural heritage, respectively) as its starting point, but also draws on approaches used by others at the international level – including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the World Bank – and guidance produced by national governments and industry. The cultural heritage of people includes the works of its artists, architects, musicians, writers and scientists and also the work of anonymous artists, expressions of the people's spirituality, and the body of values which give meaning to life.
