OUR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE - 
TRANSFORMATIONS, COLLECTIONS, CREATIVE PROCESSES 
natural and cultural heritage initiative, authors and participants: 
Elmar Csaplovics, University of Dresden; Ashis K. Saha, IIT Rorkee 
Ulrike Herbig, Institute for Comparative Research in Architecture (ICRA) 
Biilend Atalar, Frank Duke Biney, Leoward Cabangbang, Christiane Diekmann, Gustavo Adolfo Esquivel, Karolina Kosc, 
Juan Carlos Montoya, Maja Oven, Miki Shimizu, Michal Vanek, Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus 
Andrea Seppi, Anoyo Group, Leipzig; Axel Guhlmann, Workshop for Transmissions, Leipzig 
KEY WORDS: Natural and Cultural Heritage, Landscapes, Conservation and Development, Sensing and Documentation Methods, 
GIS, Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, "Transformations, Collections, Creative Processes", "Reflected 
Documentary Photography", "Graphic Art, Texts, Sounds" 
ABSTRACT: 
In "our natural and cultural heritage - transformations, collections, creative processes" a variety of approaches will be offered 
towards widening the view on complex heritage systems. In developing the human sensing of natural and cultural relations in context 
new perspectives may be gained towards protecting and developing "our individual and common natural and cultural (re)sources". 
Participating in these creative processes may help to sense "our natural and cultural heritage" as a"living memory" operating between 
historic (re)construction processes and future projections. 
Further application of carefully selected documentation strategies in scientific research, education and arts may contribute to the 
establishment of adaptive and proactive monitoring systems. The gained awareness and partial insight into the physical and spiritual 
potential of "our natural and cultural grounds", opportunities and threats, would thus supports an active human involvement in 
environmental stewardship along the following guideline: taking over some responsibility in balancing ongoing local-global 
transformations and taking part in establishing collections that signify a part of our human identity. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
In the following parts of the paper short descriptions of "our 
natural and cultural heritage" will be sketched in integrative, 
interdisciplinary and international approaches from the wide 
field of science, education and arts. A variety of individual and 
common "bundles of perspectives" will be offered, focussing on 
different areas in the world. Thus they may contribute to a 
careful "sensing of our world's heritage". The complementary 
poster will serve as visual support, including all figures and 
selections of images to illustrate these perspectives. 
1.1 Overview : 
1. Introduction 
2. Case Study 
3. Documentary Projects 
4. Study Project 
5. Art Projects 
6. Perspectives 
2. CASE STUDY 
2.1 Topochronological Documentation of Landcover 
Change in the Chamoli and Rudra Prayag Districts in 
Uttaranchal (India) as an Indicator of Impact on Natural 
Heritage 
The central region of Uttaranchal covers most sensible areas of 
heterogeneous landscapes characterized by river valleys, steep 
slopes and high mountains ranging from about 900m up to 
4800m altitude (Fig. 1 ). Since historical times important 
pilgrimage and trade routes cross the region bound to the 
Tibetan and Nepali borders about 50 km to the north east and 
east respectively. The upper courses of the Alaknanda and 
Mandakini rivers developed small flood plains dotted all along 
the valleys. Settlements and temples had been established all 
along the routes and flourished during times of intensive 
cultural and economical interrelations between Tibet and the 
northern India. Nowadays the trails from old have partly 
vanished or are demolished, the settlements and temples having 
preserved an outstanding character of regional architecture. The 
landscapes are unspoiled and remarkably famous for their well- 
balanced equilibrium of man-made agricultural land use 
patterns like patches of fields in the small flood plains and 
fragile systems of terraces along the steep slopes and the 
magnificent natural landscape of the high mountain areas 
(Fig.2). Grazing is bound to seasonal movements slightly 
similar to transhumance, that is in the valley bottoms during 
winter and up at the mountains all around the meadows and 
sparsely forested areas up the mountain ridges during summer. 
The network of routes and trails, the locations of settlements 
and the land use and land cover patterns contribute to a 
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