ABSTRACT
By criticizing the fragility of the social in sustainability debates this chapter examines the relationship between culture and sustainable development through the perspective of the intertwined nature–culture histories of protected areas. These histories reveal diverse governance models, ranging from those aiming at strict conservation to those searching for integrated sustainability synergies. Whereas strict conservation models embody the discursive separation of nature and human life, including a view of nature–society in conflict and an approach to nature to be rationally managed by experts, the contemporary sustainability quest of a number of parks reveals attempts to shift towards approaches aiming at restoring the unity between nature and culture. The overall aim of this chapter is to answer the following question: what can culture in and for sustainable development learn from protected areas? The answer to this question is a double plea for, first, (re)thinking culture in sustainable development without forgetting ‘nature’ and, second, bringing to the fore critical socio-political issues, including equity, solidarity, respect and justice, without which sustainable development loses its essence. In short, these two complementary claims cannot continue to be the great absentees in the debates on culture and sustainability. On the one hand, it is not only artificial to separate nature from culture but also denigrating to ignore diversity in cosmologies, cultures and communities. On the other hand, a truly dignifying nature–culture relationship is the one that not only respects nature but also those fundamental human values and rights that are prerequisite for a socially sustainable reproduction of our vivre ensemble.
