01396nas a2200205   4500000000100000000000100001000000100002008004100003653002900044653003900073653003400112653003700146100002000183700001800203245007500221300001300296490000600309520086100315022001401176       2007                            d10aEnvironment (THE\_65229)10aCommunity participation (THE\_204)10aNatural disasters (ICH\_1239)10aEmergency situations (ICH\_1333)1 aDirk Spennemann1 aKristy Graham00aThe importance of heritage preservation in natural disaster situations  a993-10010 v73 aDisaster management for cultural heritage has been gaining recognition as an important issue for the long term management and conservation of these assets. Natural disasters are localised events and have the ability to cause widespread loss and destruction to a community s cultural heritage. The social benefits of heritage preservation are often cited as the justification for developing disaster management plans. These social benefits are generally presented in relation to the disaster recovery phase. However, these benefits are also attributable to the initial stages experienced during a disaster event. Applying these existing arguments to this initial stage may assist to transcend the existing attitudinal barriers and present the issue of disaster management for cultural heritage in a manner which is relevant to the diversity of stakeholders.  a1466-8297