Toward cultural sustainability in digital natural heritage exhibitions: an expert consensus evaluation framework

Abstract

Introduction Digital natural heritage exhibitions are increasingly used to mediate heritage communication, public engagement, and sustainability-oriented cultural practices. However, existing research has largely emphasized technological performance and visitor experience, while paying limited attention to how digital exhibitions contribute to cultural sustainability as a long-term process of meaning-making, value formation, and governance. This study addresses this gap by developing a structured evaluation framework for cultural sustainability in digital natural heritage exhibitions. Methods A three-round Delphi method was employed to elicit and refine expert consensus. Based on literature synthesis and expert evaluation, cultural sustainability was conceptualized as a multidimensional construct comprising four interrelated dimensions: knowledge transmission, cultural identity, Intergenerational Continuity, and environmental responsibility. These dimensions were further operationalized into a set of evaluative indicators for assessing the cultural sustainability capacity of digital natural heritage exhibitions. Results The findings show that cultural sustainability in digital natural heritage exhibitions is not a loose aggregation of independent attributes, but an internally coherent and progressive structure. Knowledge transmission provides the cognitive foundation, cultural identity facilitates meaning internalization, Intergenerational Continuity supports continuity over time, and environmental responsibility extends cultural sustainability toward value-oriented and behavioral outcomes. The final framework offers a systematic basis for evaluating how digital exhibitions move from cognitive engagement to sustained cultural value generation. Discussion This study contributes to sustainability and heritage research by translating cultural sustainability from an abstract concept into an operational analytical framework. It extends the application of cultural sustainability theory to digital heritage contexts and provides a practical tool for exhibition design, heritage evaluation, and sustainability-oriented governance. The framework may support future empirical validation and comparative studies across diverse digital heritage and smart tourism contexts.

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