01885nas a2200241   4500008004100000020001400041245014100055210006900196260001200265300001400277490000700291520107900298653001501377653001401392653003801406653001701444653002801461653003301489653001501522653002501537100001501562856006601577       2006                        eng d  a1352-725800aCommunity, Connection and Conservation: Intangible Cultural Values in Natural Heritage. The Case of Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Area0 aCommunity Connection and Conservation Intangible Cultural Values  c2006///  a458 - 4730 v123 aIntangible cultural heritage, according to a UNESCO definition, is ‘the practices, representations, expressions as well as the knowledge and skills that communities, groups and in some cases individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage’. Using a case study of Shirakami‐sanchi World Heritage Area, this paper illustrates how the local community's conservation commitment was formed through their long‐term everyday interactions with nature. Such connectivity is vital to maintaining the authentic integrity of a place that does not exclude humans. An examination of the formation of the community's conservation commitment for Shirakami reveals that it is the community's spiritual connection and place‐based identity that have supported conservation, leading to the World Heritage nomination, and it is argued that the recognition of such intangible cultural heritage is vital in conservation. The challenge, then, is how to communicate such spiritual heritage today. Forms of community involvement are discussed in an attempt to answer this question.10acommitment10acommunity10aCommunity participation (THE_204)10aconservation10aEnvironment (THE_65229)10aIntangible cultural heritage10aJapan (JP)10aSpiritual connection1 aKato, Kumi  uhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13527250600821670