ABSTRACT
Intangible natural heritage can refer to environments, geographic places or a set of values embedded within museum artifacts or specimens. In the discussion of this book (Chapter 9), Eric Dorfman and Janet Carding describe intangible natural heritage as heritable environmental forces that create biological and geological entities, as well as the resulting interaction with human communities. A definition of intangible values by Allen Putney 1 refers to “that which enriches the intellectual, psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural and /or creative aspects of human existence and well being”. To refer to objects of natural history as steeped in values of intangible heritage brings in the notion of things as ‘events’ or an ‘affecting presence’. 2 Taking this further, Kiresheblatt-Gimblett suggests that
natural heritage, conceptualized in terms of ecology, environment and a systematic approach to a living entity, provides a model for thinking about intangible heritage as a totality, rather than as an inventory, and for calculating the intangible value of a living system, be it natural or cultural. 3
Taking these concepts into account, certain natural history specimens in museums can also demonstrate high intangible natural heritage value because of their enhanced cultural significance, as distinct from their scientific face value as voucher specimens or samples from specific localities. The value in a museum natural history specimen is first and foremost as a representative reference object of a particular biological or palaeontological species or type of mineral, but often such objects have hidden layers of meaning that can be historical, cultural, artistic or sometimes even abstractly philosophical.