Heritage landscapes compared/contrasted, contested/interpreted, lost/won

Abstract The landscape concept plays a growing role in anthropology and archeology, especially for discussions of “heritage landscapes.” Landscape has long been a central theme in geography, but with democratized Geographic Information Systems (GIS), that theoretical legacy can be overlooked. Critical theory based on international examples shows that heritage landscape designation is socio-politically charged, with indigenous voices often drowned out by those of experts representing governments, international agencies, and industry. Study of North American archeological bison-kill sites as landscapes long predates “formally named landscape archeology”, but their protection and interpretation remain challenging. Involvement of indigenous people in heritage landscape preservation is inadequate and must be strengthened.