ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the role of the Burra Charter in the significance assessment process and the importance of making this process evidence-based and as objective as possible. It also explains the relationships between the statement of significance, conservation policies and the development of management strategies for a site and strategies for assessing the impact of development. The assessment of aesthetic significance also often seeks to integrate both natural and cultural heritage values. Aesthetic considerations are particularly pertinent to assessing some kinds of heritage, such as rock art, not only with regards to appreciating the art itself but also in terms of rock art research. Assessing the degree of significance partly rests on evaluating the site against three further moderators of cultural heritage value: representativeness, rarity and integrity. While the cultural landscape aspect of significance assessment encourages us to view individual sites as nodes in a wider mnemonic landscape of movement and meaning, this creates obvious problems for heritage management.
