Library Guides: Landscapes & Landforms: Valuing Landscapes

Source: Alessia Francischiello (2018)

Humans place value on a landscape for a number of reasons, usually for its cultural, aesthetic, spiritual or economic importance. Cultural value refers to value as expressed by people through creative means such as poetry, literature, art and films. We can see this in the way in which Indigenous Australians connect to country, or how a community might want to protect a park from development because it is important to the the history of a town. Aesthetic value means valuing a landscape for its beauty or majesty. Example of this include the Grand Canyon in the United States. And economic importance refers to how much money a landscape is worth. This can refer to minerals available for mining, trees available for logging, or the tourism money available. Spiritual value refers to the ways a landscape is important to the religious and spiritual beliefs of a certain group of people. Examples of this are sites that are sacred to Indigenous Australians, such as Uluru. Landscapes can be valued for many things at the same time and might have competing values, for instance, mining companies might value a location as economically important because of its mining resources, but an Indigenous community might value the same landscape for its cultural importance. Read through the resources below to learn more about the value of landscapes, and particularly the value that Indigenous communities put on landscapes in Australia.

General Resources
Indigenous Australians

Valuing landforms and landscapes (Rachel Whitty, 2016, June 14)
Scroll this presentation to learn more about some of the ways in which humans value landscapes.
Why is the Amazon rainforest disappearing? (TIME, 2019, September 12)
This article describes how the economic valuing of the Amazon rainforest is causing mass deforestation and leading to the loss of cultural lands and biodiversity. The article includes lots of amazing photos of the deforestation to show just how much of the rainforest has been lost.
Land clearing isn't just about trees - it's an animal welfare issue too (The Conversation, 2017, July 5)
Tens of millions of wild animals are killed each year by land clearing across Australia, according to our research on the harm done to animals when native vegetation is removed for agricultural, urban and industrial development. Read through this article to learn more about how economic value (clearing land) comes into conflict with cultural value (animal welfare).
World of Change: mountain-top mining in West Virginia (NASA, n.d.)
This series of satellite images from 1984 - 2015 showing large scale clearing for coal mining in West Virginia. These images demonstrate economic and aesthetic values at odds.
Tourism strategy for the international experience seeker market (Australian Alps National Landscape Inc. 2010, April)
This report has a great breakdown of how people value a landscape, in this case the Australian Alps. The table on page 4 is particularly useful.

Wetlands and Indigenous values (Department of the Environment, n.d.)
For Australia’s first people, the land and sea and all that connects them are the source of identity, spirituality, culture, economy and wellbeing. Read through this fact sheet to learn more.
How Uluru came to be (ABC, 2021 August 19)
This region contains many landform features and is a place of special significance for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples alike. Find out about the Earth movements that created these incredible landforms and the creation stories of the area's Aboriginal traditional landowners in this video.
Uluru given its Aboriginal name (Australian Geographic, 2013, November 7)
On December 15 1993, Uluru became the first icon in Australia to be given back its Aboriginal name, giving birth to a wave of dual-named sites and landmarks across Australia. This decision recognises the cultural value of the land to Indigenous Australians. Read this article to learn more.
Welcome to Kakadu: caring for country (ABC, 2021, August 19)
In this video, meet traditional owner Marcus Dempsey and visit Ubirr, a rocky lookout in Kakadu National Park. Learn about why the landscape is important Marcus and his family.
Meet Uluru's traditional owners (ABC, 2021, October 18)
Have you been to Uluru? Watch this clip and learn about the Anangu people, the traditional owners of Uluru and the surrounding lands. The Anangu people have a very special relationship with Uluru and believe it's their job to protect this sacred place.
What is a sacred site? (Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, n.d.)
Sacred sites are places within the landscape that have a special meaning or significance under Aboriginal tradition. Hills, rocks, waterholes, trees, plains, lakes, billabongs and other natural features can be sacred sites. In coastal and sea areas, sacred sites may include features which lie both above and below the water. Read this website to get a more detailed definition of what a sacred site is.
Meaning of land to Aboriginal people (Creative Spirits, 2021, September 23)
Land means different things to non-Indigenous and Aboriginal people. The latter have a spiritual, physical, social and cultural connection. Land management and care are vital for Aboriginal health and provide jobs. Many Aboriginal artworks tell about the connection between people and their land. Read through this website to learn more.

Aboriginal Australia & the Torres Strait Islands : guide to indigenous Australia by Sarina Singh
Publication Date: 2001
For travellers who want to understand Australia's 50,000-year-old cultural tradition. More than 60 indigenous people have contributed to this guide, together with some of Lonely Planet's most experienced guidebook researchers. Includes an introduction to indignenous languages.
Macquarie atlas of Indigenous Australia : culture and society through space and time by William Arthur & Frances Morphy
Publication Date: 2005
An atlas is a way of representing, in graphic form, a human landscape - a pattern of human activities in space and time. This book opens up a window onto the landscape of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives, from 60,000 years ago to the present time.
Loving country : a guide to sacred Australia by Bruce Pascoe & Vicky Shukuroglou
Publication Date: 2020
Loving Country is a powerful and essential guidebook that offers a new way to travel and discover Australia through an Indigenous narrative. The authors show travellers how to see the country as herself, to know her whole and old story, and to find the way to fall in love with her, our home. Featuring 18 places in detail, from the ingenious fish traps at Brewarrina and the rivers that feed the Great Barrier Reef, to the love stories of Wiluna and the whale story of Margaret River, there is so much to celebrate. This immersive book covers history, Dreaming stories, traditional cultural practices, Indigenous tours and the importance of recognition and protection of place.