01818nas a2200253   4500000000100000000000100001000000100002008004100003653001500044653001400059653003900073653001700112653002900129653003300158653001500191653002500206100001400231245014100245856006600386300001200452490000700464520107900471022001401550       2006                            d10acommitment10acommunity10aCommunity participation (THE\_204)10aConservation10aEnvironment (THE\_65229)10aIntangible cultural heritage10aJapan (JP)10aSpiritual connection1 aKumi Kato00aCommunity, Connection and Conservation: Intangible Cultural Values in Natural Heritage. The Case of Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Area  uhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13527250600821670  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.  a1352-7258