Heritage: Pride or passion, product or service?

Concerns about cultural, natural, tangible, and intangible heritage have caused governments to enact protective legislation, courts to impose penalties, and organisations to conduct awareness campaigns. Heritage has become an important economic attraction that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors and billions of dollars into communities around the world, but what is the heritage that is being protected and promoted? This paper is a commentary on the theoretical basis of heritage. The questions posed and the ideas offered are not intended to condone the unregulated movement of cultural or natural materials (heritage) in any form. The plunder of archaeological sites, the theft of cultural and natural objects and specimens, and the destruction of structures and locations for profit or during times of conflict are heinous acts. These activities incite the spoilage of history, deplete traditional values, and degrade the basic notion of human decency. Nevertheless, the question remains: what is heritage? .