Towards Holistic and Multifunctional Design of Green and Blue Infrastructure for Climate Change Adaptation in Cultural Heritage Areas

Changes in rainfall patterns, humidity, and temperature, as well as greater exposure to severe weather events, has led to the need for adapting cultural heritage to climate change. However, there is limited research accomplished to date on the process of adaptation of cultural heritage to climate change. This paper examines the perceptions of experts involved in the management and preservation of cultural heritage on adaptation to climate change risks. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from the UK, Italy, and Norway as well as a participatory workshop with stakeholders. The results indicate that the majority of interviewees believe that adaptation of cultural heritage to climate change is possible. Opportunities for, barriers to, and requirements for adapting cultural heritage to climate change, as perceived by the interviewees, provided a better understanding of what needs to be provided and prioritized for adaptation to take place and in its strategic planning. Knowledge of management methodologies incorporating climate change impacts by the interviewees together with best practice examples in adapting cultural heritage to climate change are also reported. Finally, the interviewees identified the determinant factors for the implementation of climate change adaptation. This paper highlights the need for more research on this topic and the identification and dissemination of practical solutions and tools for the incorporation of climate change adaptation in the preservation and management of cultural heritage.

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Climate change adaptation planning for cultural heritage, a national scale methodology

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development ◽

10.1108/jchmsd-04-2020-0053 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Cathy Daly ◽

Caroline Engel Purcell ◽

Jacqui Donnelly ◽

Clara Chan ◽

Michael MacDonagh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Action Plan ◽

Public Consultation ◽

Adaptation Planning ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Storm Damage ◽

Content Type ◽

Climate Action

PurposeIreland's Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 established the requirement for a National Adaptation Framework (NAF) composed of nine sectoral plans, of which Built and Archaeological Heritage is one. All the plans were written according to the six-step process outlined in Sectoral Planning Guidelines for Climate Change Adaptation produced by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE, 2018) which is also the government department charged with coordinating the NAF. This article will summarise the application of the methodology to heritage resources in Ireland, the issues encountered and the results achieved.Design/methodology/approachThe plan was informed by existing research and incorporated expert, stakeholder and public consultation throughout the process. It also closely considered published plans from other sectors in order to aid consistency within the NAF and to ensure cross-cutting issues were highlighted.FindingsOf the many potential impacts of climate change, those identified as priorities for adaptation planning in Ireland were flooding (inland and coastal), storm damage, coastal erosion, soil movement (landslip or erosion), changing burial preservation conditions, pests and mould, wildfires and maladaptation. Goals, objectives and an action plan were developed commensurate with the five-year term of the plan, but also initiating a long-term strategic vision. A monitoring strategy was developed to monitor progress, identify problems and inform improvements to the adaptation plan as part of an iterative process.Originality/valueMuch work is being done on the topic of climate change and cultural heritage, yet at the time of writing Ireland is believed to be the only country to have adopted a national adaptation plan for cultural heritage.

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Institutional and Conceptual Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal Cultural Heritage

Coastal Management ◽

10.1080/08920753.2019.1564952 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 169-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alanna Casey ◽

Austin Becker

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Climate Change Adaptation

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The gap of cultural heritage protection with climate change adaptation in the context of spatial planning. The case of Greece

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/899/1/012022 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 899 (1) ◽

pp. 012022

Author(s):

E Asprogerakas ◽

A Gourgiotis ◽

P Pantazis ◽

A Samarina ◽

P Konsoula ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Integrated Design ◽

Archaeological Sites ◽

Cultural Resources ◽

Integrated Design Approach

Abstract The case of cultural resources, and in particular of archaeological sites, is one of the key elements of the anthropogenic environment that is affected by climate change and needs protection. At the same time, it is a field of analysis allowing the understanding of the interactions and interconnections of natural and socio-economic systems in time and in different spatial scales, thus providing useful information on the phenomenon of climate change and on how to respond and adapt to it [1]. However, the related scientific research, policies and actions are still limited, as only in the last decade [2] there has been an (albeit ever-increasing) interest in this field. The main objective of this paper is to codify protection policies and to identify a typology of actions for major archaeological sites with tourist interest in Greece, in order to identify a framework for spatial planning to meet the challenges of reducing the effects of climate change such as: the adoption of an integrated design approach to the protection of cultural heritage rather than a traditional conservation approach; linking the cultural heritage with the natural environment; Bridging existing gaps and redefining cultural heritage in dynamic and spatial terms for both climate change adaptation and also emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction.

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