Exploring the rich and diverse cultural natural heritage in rural territories, the RURITAGE Atlas serves as a valuable tool for promoting awareness and understanding of these resources. By identifying features and visualizing local specificities within the broader context of the RURITAGE project, the Atlas facilitates recognition of opportunities for sustainable development and inclusive growth. It caters to decision-makers, policy-makers, land managers, investors, teachers, and citizens, enhancing public knowledge and appreciation of the unique characteristics of cultural natural heritage.
The Atlas offers a comprehensive mapping approach that integrates tangible and intangible dimensions of heritage in rural landscapes. Through a comparative perspective, it enables in-depth analyses of rural territories, highlighting their historical, cultural, and environmental significance. By showcasing a variety of mapped rural territories as role models and replicators, the Atlas underscores the importance of heritage as a driver for rural development. It provides a digital platform for users to explore and understand the natural, cultural, and historical diversity of rural landscapes in Europe and beyond.
Focusing on the intangible heritage of rural landscapes, the Atlas contextualizes various pilots within the RURITAGE project, fostering mutual learning processes and network creation. The digital platform, including a web GIS and a database, supports local stakeholders and monitors territorial developments. By combining tangible and intangible heritage through a multidisciplinary approach, the Atlas contributes to the protection and activation of rural heritage, empowering local communities to harness the potential of their heritage assets for sustainable regeneration.
