Antarctica's cultural heritage

• Main Authors: McKenzie, Jacinta, McEldowney, Jessie, Talbot, Peter
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Antarctic; Christchurch; Nimrod; South Pole; The Antarctic; Antarc*; South pole
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14308

Cultural heritage is a dynamic concept, incorporating the ideas and values of many different organisations and individuals; it is heavily dependent on the context of the item or site being conserved, and transforms something from an old article into a historically significant object. A formal definition of cultural heritage did not appear in the Antarctic Treaty System until 1995, however Antarctic heritage value has been applied to various sites and monuments since the inception of the Treaty, from Shackleton’s Nimrod Hut to a heavy tractor. This report examines a number of case studies to determine the various ways in which heritage items and sites can be managed – such as the removal of the South Pole Dome – as well as their conservation after natural disasters, for instance the Christchurch earthquakes.