Paintings on the meadows

About RURITAGE

All over the world, rural areas tell us the story of a thousand of years long collaboration between nature and human society. These places embody unique examples of cultural and natural heritage, which not only needs to be safeguarded but also recognized as communities of sustainable development. RURITAGE is a four-year-long EU-funded research project, initiated in 2018, which strives to turn rural areas into laboratories to demonstrate natural and cultural heritage as an engine for regeneration.

The six locations introduced in this book joined the RURITAGE project as Replicators, in order to learn effective regeneration strategies. The RURITAGE method is clear: first the project initiated six Systemic Innovation Areas (or so called SIAs), as frameworks to identify unique heritage potential within rural communities. These SIAs are: Pilgrimage; Resilience; Sustainable Local Food Production; Integrated Landscape Management; Migration; and Art and Festivals. Since there are numerous examples of good practices showing how cultural and natural heritage can function as an engine for development, RURITAGE also selected thirteen rural areas as Role Models, in reference to the six different SIAs. Then, the prosperous practices of the Role Models were analysed and furthermore transferred to six selected Replicators. These Replicators represent local communities within rural territories that are in the process of building their own heritage-led regeneration strategies, although in need of support to improve their skills, knowledge and capacity building.

If you would like to know more about the project and it’s methodology, you can visit the project website: www.ruritage.eu

Selecting pine nuts at Kozak Plateau. As in the past, the nuts are extracted and shelled one-byone, by hand.

Photo by Sıdıka Konuk