This dissertation is about an important area in the discipline of architectural conservation, and it is cultural Landscape, defined as the combination of built and natural heritage resources. The understanding of the concept of “cultural landscape” is relatively new to Hong Kong, having been formally introduced by Dr. Ken Nicolson in 2002 as part of the syllabus of the postgraduate curriculum of HKU’s Architectural Conservation Programmes (ACP). Today, the people of Hong Kong are more aware of cultural landscape, and the term now appears in government documents. However, the concept has been with Hong Kong for a long time, expressed in the principles of fung shui. Many of Hong Kong’s cultural landscapes are influenced by fung shui and a common feature is fung shui woodland, which will be the focus of this dissertation. Fung shui is a belief system and a traditional form of landscape planning, and villages in Hong Kong and their woodlands are sited according to the principles of fung shui. The purpose of fung shui is clearly described in Yoon (1980). He stated that the aim of Fung Shui, is to maximize the wellbeing of human by maintaining the harmony between human and the nature. It is believed that all matter on the earth; both living and non-living things carry Qi or cosmic breath, which are responsible for ensuring posterity and vitality. Either insufficient or excessive Qi would result in decline and misfortune. In “Venturing Fung Shui Woods (2004)”, it is mentioned that some of the oldest fung shui woodlands in Hong Kong date back to more than 300 years. Fung shui woodland is an important element of rural Hong Kong cultural landscapes representing our traditional belief system and high cultural significance. The author also describes fung shui woodlands as like a living herbarium or plant museum, offering valuable resources for both academic research and nature conservation. A review of the recent literature on fung shui woodland, in Fung Shui View (2012), the authors explain the value of the fung shui woodland is not only in terms of ecological, but also social. From the above publication, it is clear that the fung shui woodland is one of the important cultural landscape elements in Hong Kong, which illustrates our tradition cultural beliefs and the important value of original village settlements. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

This is an interdisciplinary arts practice based PhD that incorporates fieldwork into its exploration of Abernethy Forest in Cairngorms National Park, and Culbin Forest in Morayshire, Scotland. The thesis explores how a contemporary arts practice can articulate a place’s multi-layered complexities and how processes of coming to know influence and impact on the kinds of artworks created. This way of working incorporates an innovative approach that draws on geographical, anthropological, historical and ecological sources, and includes the synthesis of a contemporary arts practice with an ethnographic element - more specifically participant observation, with foresters, ecologists and others - as a mode of gathering. Description and examination of encounters in the field give context to the artwork and provide additional knowledge that lends insight into management practices and the knowledge that these workers possess. The research constitutes an original contribution to investigations of the forests of Culbin and Abernethy and correspondingly innovative outputs. This research proposes that a contemporary arts practice can articulate and communicate aspects and elements of place in ways that offer insights to artists, geographers, anthropologists and others. Central to this is the idea that places are multi-layered, everchanging, embodied, active and containing complex ecological, sensorial and physical histories and presences. Communicating these understandings requires a multi-faceted way of working and multi-modal ways of articulation in recognition of place as an experiential field of investigation. The art produced forms a non-linear, multi-stranded body of work that emphasises the benefits of multiple formats within an arts practice. The thesis enhances and further complicates conceptualisations of place that in geography and anthropology are often restricted to academic writing and demonstrates how artists and others can usefully enlarge and expand the ways in which places can be articulated and rendered.

This thesis compares archaeological culture areas and contemporary cultural landscapes of the Hopi and Zuni tribes as an evaluation of the scale in which stakeholders consider heritage resources. Archaeological culture areas provide a heuristic for interpretations of past regional patterns. However, contemporary Hopi and Zuni people describe historical and spiritual ties to vast cultural landscapes, stretching well beyond archaeological culture areas in the American Southwest. Cultural landscapes are emic delineations of space that are formed through multiple dimensions of interaction with the land and environment. Concepts of time and space and the role of memory, connectivity, and place are explored to help to delineate the scale of Hopi and Zuni cultural landscapes. For both Hopis and Zunis, the contemporary cultural landscape is founded upon the relationships between places and between past and present cultural practices. Cultural landscapes provide a framework, for anthropological research and historic preservation alike, to contextualize the smaller, nested scales of social identity and practice that they incorporate.

This file contains a sample of photographs taken during the Arizona Strip Landscapes and Place Name Study(2003-2004). The photographs in this slideshow provide the viewer with an overview of places visited and resources examined during this study.

The Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA)-University of Arizona ethnographic team (UofA team) contracted with the National Park Service (NPS) Midwest Regional Office in 1998 to conduct an ethnographic and ethnohistoric study of commercial fishing activities at Isle Royale National Park (IRNP). The UofA team, having no connection with Isle Royale National Park, the commercial fishermen or their families who are the focus of this study, provides this report as an independent study of the ethnography and ethnohistory of commercial fishing at Isle Royale. The purpose of this study is to document and analyze historic and contemporary commercial fishing in the immediate vicinity of ISLE ROYALE including the identification of specific ethnic or social groups who have both traditional and contemporary ties to this fishery. By identifying resource use areas and concerns that may affect NPS management responsibilities, the results of this study will aid managers to anticipate resource protection issues that may affect Isle Royale National Park. The ability to anticipate such issues will place managers in a better position to understand and deal with such issues specifically as these pertain to the development of further cultural and natural resource studies, interpretative programs, and management decisions.

A presentation of findings from the ethnographic study of commercial fishing in the Isle Royale National Park. The complete report, which can be found in this collection, is titled 'The Isle Royale Folkefiskerisamfunn: Familier Som Levde Av Fiske: An Ethnohistory of the Scandinavian Folk Fishermen of Isle Royale National Park.'

A presentation on the cultural interpretation by American Indian ethnic groups connected with Sunset Crater of volcanic events and products of such. The complete report, which can be found in this collections, is titled 'Traditional Resource Use Of The Flagstaff Area Monuments.'

A presentation on the historic and prehistoric use of resources at Isle Royale National Park. The complete report, which can be found in this collection, is titled 'The Isle Royale Folkefiskerisamfunn: Familier Som Levde Av Fiske: An Ethnohistory of the Scandinavian Folk Fishermen of Isle Royale National Park.'

This presentation is was given at the Great Basin Conference in 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This talk presents key findings from the 2005 report: Yanawant: Paiute Places and Landscapes in the Arizona Strip Volume One of the Arizona Strip Landscapes and Place Name Study (Stoffle et al. 2005). This talk focuses on pilgrimage trails in the Arizona Strip.

This presentation is was given at the Great Basin Conference in 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This talk presents key findings from the report- Ha`tata (The Backbone of the River): American Indian Ethnographic Studies Regarding the Hoover Dam Bypass Project (Stoffle et al. 2000). This talk highlights the pilgrimage trails to Sugarloaf Mountain.