A conservation management plan (CMP) is a document that helps develop the management strategy for historic assets, sites and places.
The subject generally receives most attention, and resources, in the face of threat, where the focus is often upon rescue or salvage archaeology.
Possible threats incorporate urban development, large-scale agriculture, mining activity, erosion or unsustainable visitor numbers.Conservation management of cultural heritage has traditionally been associated with the identification, interpretation, maintenance, and preservation of important cultural sites and physical heritage assets, although intangible aspects of heritage, such as traditional skills, cultures and languages are also considered.Heritage conservation is a practice and a philosophy, using scientific tools and methods with applied ethics, and, where required, regulation and environmental law to limit the use of certain materials.Conservation of cultural heritage and the built environment of archaeological monuments, buildings of historic significance, and landscapes is important.
This promotes cultural awareness and preserves existing heritage for future generations to enjoy.
A Conservation Management Plan might be useful to accompany an application for approval under the Heritage Act.The conservation management plan should provide information to help assess the application, including a clear statement of the significance of the item, clear identification of the constraints and opportunities that affect the item and clear policies as to which fabric, or elements, of the item need to be conserved.A conservation plan should also include what can be changed, if and where any new development occurs, and the parameters for such development or the degree of change that is allowed.
A conservation plan might be valuable as a framework for an agreed-upon management approach to a heritage item, particularly where the item is managed by several different managers or there are complicated relationships between elements of various degrees of significance.The reason for which a conservation planning exercise is being undertaken must be clear from the beginning, and then the appropriate kind of planning document can be created.