TEHIC-Handbook_of_best_practices

3. Outlook for heritage interpretation in Europe and future prospects. 39 but also a source of wealth, social cohesion, and employment creation. Any local and regional development strategy based on comprehensive projects for sustainable growth of cultural and natural heritage must guarantee a twofold effect: on the one hand, the preservation of cultures, monuments, and environments; on the other hand, the trigger- ing of induced effects on the territory, like the development of the tertiary sector, job creation, etc. However, in order to pay special attention to heritage and to give priority to this type of projects when designing strategies for territorial promotion and development, it is necessary to bear in mind the professional practice of heritage interpretation. Is there a consensus in Europe on what is meant by a heritage interpretation project? In a broad sense, interpreting is revealing the meaning of something tangible or intangi- ble that needs to be explained in order to be understood by non-specialists. If we apply this broad definition of interpretation to heritage, any museographic approach will be interpretation, even the most academic museography also implies an interpretation ex - ercise, because heritage interpretation always involves the creation of a narrative and an experience. In general, interpretation becomes necessary when understanding is difficult or when meanings are in conflict. The action of interpreting has to do with the ancestral need of human beings to understand the world around them. In the field of heritage, there is a first stage of interpretation that corresponds, for example, to the interpretation made by archaeologists of the remains discovered in an excavation: this is the primary interpretation, and it is the basis for all subsequent inter - pretations. The second stage of interpretation is when a guide-interpreter translates the primary interpretation for the general public. This interpretation has to do with the com - munication of knowledge and is the one we can find in museums, itinerar - ies, or archaeological sites. What happens when interpretation is not used for a heritage enhancement project? Basically, we will find the lack of speech, lack of a concept of the visit, lack of visit logic and, as a result, lack of understanding of the site or heritage object. That is at best, because at worst we will find a narrative that lacks the necessary rigour. Interpretive panel. Fuentes de Andalucía, Seville, Spain. Picture by Espiral Patrimonio.