NATHAN GREENHILL

Coordinator Recreation, Planning and Design Unit
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

Nathan Greenhill coordinates DBCA's design team creating naturebased recreation and tourism infrastructure for visitors to WA’s national parks and reserves. Nathan is commitment to cultural and biodiversity conservation and works to facilitate public engagement, understanding and advocacy by providing visitors with high value experiences, building connections and appreciation of WA’s natural areas. 

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COME FOR THE SPECTACLE, LEAVE WITH A CONNECTION

Lands and waters managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions display richness and diversity in their form, scale, culture, conservation values, and experiences they offer. People are often drawn to these places because of the spectacle, that is, a spectacular natural feature be it a sweeping horizon, a massive rock formation, towering trees, or an expansive beach. We are drawn to these places as a juxtaposition to the urban setting of our daily lives. We dream, arrange and plan our lives to go ‘away’; ‘up north’, ‘down south’ or ‘to the country’. We visit these spectacular places to experience awe, to be taken out of the everyday routine and into the moment allowing us to connect to these natural landscapes. 

This presentation will take us on a tour through Western Australia’s national parks and reserves to explore the role of the landscape architect in protecting these much-loved natural landscapes by facilitating meaningful experiences, creating connections between person and place, and building knowledge around the values that make them special through visitor education. I will explore critical thinking around how much development is too much; how to manage access, sustainability, environmental and cultural values; the benefits and challenges of creating focal points around ‘spectacle’ in natural areas; managing ‘over-tourism’; and the unseen benefits of natural area tourism.