Final answer:
Cultural resource management is an applied anthropological field crucial for preserving and managing cultural heritage by using anthropological skills to engage with and respect local communities. It involves the protection of cultural sites, collaboration on conservation projects, and contributes to public policy, thereby addressing modern societal challenges.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cultural Resource Management in Applied Anthropology
Cultural resource management is a field of applied anthropology that focuses on conserving and managing cultural heritage and resources. This involves working with various communities, including indigenous populations, to ensure their cultural sites and practices are preserved and protected. Anthropological skills are employed to understand the larger context of local environments and to facilitate the intersection of cultural importance with conservation and development efforts.
One of the key aspects of cultural resource management is the collaboration with local communities to address issues that they deem important. For example, many tribes are actively involved in the creation of geographic information system (GIS) products to manage their lands and help consult with various entities. Moreover, cultural resource management addresses the potential disconnect between conservation efforts and the cultural values of local communities, ensuring that projects are respectful of and beneficial to the local social fabric.
Applied anthropologists working in this field contribute in diverse ways—ranging from language revitalization, preservation of traditional practices, to contributing to public policy. The discipline emphasizes the value of diversity and the role of anthropology in addressing contemporaneous local and global challenges, leading to a broader impact on societal development and the protection of the human legacy.