Cultural Resource Management: Linking Argentinian National Parks' Rock Art, Identity Reinforcement Policies and Present Communities

Lorena Ferraro
Responsable del Programa Manejo de Recursos Culturales,
Argentinian Administración de Parques Nacionales

Introduction

This presentation aims to outline the conceptual basis and operational guidelines leading the activities of the Cultural Resource Management (CRM) at the Administración de Parques Nacionales of Argentina, and highlights the means by which Protected Areas are linked with local communities with regard to conservation, use and maintenance of the cultural heritage, both inside the parks and in the surroundings.

Although the outline tackles the cultural diversity issue, it can be used to deal with geodiversity, since both natural and cultural heritage are inseparable parts of the environment. As an example, some cases of rock art archaeological site management in National Parks and their surroundings from different areas of the country are shown. On one hand, these cases represent a highly vulnerable part of the cultural heritage due to its fragility and visibility. On the other, they have an important communicative and artistic value.

CRM Conceptual basis at the Administración de Parques Nacionales

The Argentinian Administración de Parques Nacionales (APN) has designed a Cultural Resource Management Programme (CRM) as a tool for the strategic planning of conservation and development. Such programmes fulfil the objectives concerning the adoption of juridical, scientific, technical, administrative and financial procedures for the identification, conservation, re-evaluation and rehabilitation of cultural heritage under the jurisdiction, management and domain of the APN. In this way, the institution works as a national authoritative body ruled by the general goals established by its Institutional Management Plan, its Cultural Resource Management Policy, the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (UNESCO, 1980) and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Thus, CRM in practice implies a set of associated activities, such as research, physical conservation, public use and community participation. Furthermore, the identification, monitoring and control of property are incorporated in a continuous evaluation of variables related to the characteristics and conservation state of the resources and their environment, as well as topics regarding their administrative context and the values assigned by different community sectors. The main objective of the programme is to promote the sustainability of resources and the contribution to the social and economical development of populations, relating the objectives of conservation with sustainable use of cultural heritage.

The APN intends, in this way, to improve the care of Protected Areas and the quality of life of populations inside and outside the parks. The conceptual basis and operational guidelines include

• The conservation (use and maintenance) of natural and cultural heritage and local and indigenous communities' knowledge.
• Measures to make heritage more dynamic in a sustainable framework, contributing to the strengthening of identity, by creating decision-making spaces to reflect about who we are, what resources we have and what state they are in, and what we want to do with them.
• Carrying out activities both inside and outside National Parks. Not leaving the importance of in situ conservation in Protected Areas aside, we assume these areas are not conservation islands and should be integrated into the environment, incorporated in regional planning, and linked to local communities and other institutions or groups, as proposed by the Bioregional Management (Miller, 1996; see Molinari and Ferraro, 2001).
• Provision of environmental properties and services, such as technical assistance for the sustainable use of resources.
• Consideration of the responsibilities and benefits for the care of property (Molinari and Ferraro, 2001) by local communities.

The Convention on Biological Diversity's (PNUMA, 1992) goals are thus fulfilled: conservation, sustainable use and egalitarian distribution of benefits. Those goals are conceptualised and instrumented in wide terms, considering that both biodiversity and cultural diversity are crucial for the maintenance of life.

Cultural diversity involves material as well as intangible (current and past) dimensions. This second immaterial dimension implies the ways and knowledge different societies relate to themselves, their past and the natural resources of the environment. Thus, these experiences and knowledge may help to reach the objectives of sustainable development. For instance, we can mention the COP 7's invitation to the parties to begin a survey of the existing and potential conservation options. Clearly, they believe that the exchange of information and experiences provides tools for the development of capacities and decision-making.

Examples

Perito Moreno National Park and surroundings
In the north-west sector of Santa Cruz Province we have defined a working area enclosing the Perito Moreno National Park, the tourist Estancia Menelik (next to the park) and the Gobernador Gregores locality, as well as a number of ranches in the Strobel Lake plain and Cardiel Lake basin. In 1998, a Cultural Resource Management Plan of the park was developed. Three years later, Estancia Menelik was incorporated into this plan. This plan involves the identification and evaluation of archaeological sites and the adoption of decisions about their treatment: archaeological research, presentation of some of the sites, intervention and preservation (considered as the absence of intervention). At the same time, we started working on Evaluation Workshops with the Gobernador Gregores community. These workshops are related spaces where people make a diagnosis of their reality and resources, and outline projects for the conservation and sustainable use of heritage property. We are working on this framework for the cleaning of the local river, the design of a museum and the creation of an oral history project to make primary school children research local history through interviews to their elders. Moreover, archaeological research was carried out in the Cardiel and Strobel lakes area and the in-between basaltic plain. In this project, the APN technical assistance for the sustainable presentation of environmental units was included. Thanks to this, the Estancia Las Tunas has created a bird-watching post, an interpretative path of local flora and is likely to create a post for the geology and archaeology of the Cardiel Lake.

Lihué Calel National Park and surroundings
The Lihué Calel National Park is in La Pampa Province. The management of its cultural component started being systematised in 1993. Since 2001, however, Cultural Resource Management activities have been extended to Puelches locality, 30 km from the park. The activities developed in the park have involved co-operation with a research team from Buenos Aires and Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires universities. These activities include the excavation of a prehispanic cemetery, the research and conservation of 11 rock-art sites, and the presentation of a rock-art location through a Cultural Interpretative Path that introduces the visitor to the life-style of prehistoric peoples. Moreover, the Evaluation Workshops in Puelches community have helped the development of a craftsman centre where craftsmens' skills are observed, a school is run, and handicrafts are made and sold for the social and economical development of the locality. Furthermore, we are working on the design of a museum with facilities for a cultural centre. In addition, the oral history programme involves primary school pupils in the writing of an interpretative script of the Quebrada de Namuncurá (Namuncurá Gorge), inside the National Park. The significance of this place is evident in the many archaeological sites resulting from human activity during the prehispanic periods (for instance, five rock-art sites), the Spanish–Indian contact, the systematic genocide of aboriginal inhabitants and the oldest criollo settlements in the area.

Talampaya National Park and surroundings
This National Park is the newest of the three. It is found in the La Rioja province. Among its advantages we can highlight the fact that, together with the Ischigualasto Provincial Park, it was selected as a World Heritage Site in 2000. Thus, it has a General Management Plan, a Public Use Plan (shared with Ischigualasto) and we are working on the Cultural Resource Management Plan, drawing on the one created for Los Pizarrones rock-art site, which is currently being implemented (with UNESCO sponsorship). Because it was earlier under a provincial jurisdiction until its nationalisation, the park is currently undergoing re-structuring in the activities and public use sectors following the ruling documents already mentioned. This has facilitated the design of development activities in a rock-art archaeological site and a geological and geomorphologic interpretation sector that will improve the visitation quality of the park. As already mentioned, our hope is to start integrating community participation activities in the CRM in the near future. We aim to reinforce ideas and spaces already created, such as the "Comision Asesora Local" (Local Counselling Committee) that periodically gathers representatives from different organisations and interest groups for an update on the administrative decisions and on the public use that takes place in the park.