Conservation in its widest sense includes preservation, conservation and restoration. Conservation and restoration is an interdisciplinary scientific field. Conservation is widely understood as assuring the durability and integrity of cultural property by intervening on it and its environment with scientifically tested methods.
Conservation and restoration are concerned with the cultural and archaeological heritage that can be subdivided into movable and immovable cultural and archaeological heritage respectively.

Movable cultural heritage comprises all works of art and craft that are not physically connected with structures, architecture and sites.

Immovable cultural heritage comprises all works of architecture (incl. wall paintings, mosaics and sculptures as part of architecture) and historic sites, above or beneath the surface.

A third differentiation can be drawn that comprises immaterial heritage, i.e. oral traditions, dance, customs, laws, music, etc..