Patrimonio natural y patrimonio cultural

Abstract

There is a view that a scenic value restoration would be the romantic recovery to the original state of nature.

It is often forgotten that our landscapes are made of an important cultural heritage due to human activity on nature.

This article describes and considers some traditional activities which, on the basis of hydro-power energy, generated those landscapes: the iron works, shipyards, mills and salt-mines; they all needed grounding works, construction of buildings, canals and dams or direct exploitation of mines, quarries and forests.

All these elements are now cultural heritage, a testimony of our history and must be taken into account in proposals for conservation of restoration projects.