TY - JOUR
T1 - Local and Indigenous management of climate change risks to archaeological sites
AU - Carmichael, Bethune
AU - Wilson, Greg
AU - Namarnyilk, Ivan
AU - Nadji, Sean
AU - Brockwell, Sally
AU - Webb, Bob
AU - Hunter, Fred
AU - Bird, Deanne
PY - 2018/2/1
Y1 - 2018/2/1
N2 - Hundreds of thousands of significant archaeological and cultural heritage sites (cultural sites) along the coasts of every continent are threatened by sea level rise, and many will be destroyed. This wealth of artefacts and monuments testifies to human history, cosmology and identity. While cultural sites are especially important to local and Indigenous communities, a stall in coordinated global action means adaptation at a local scale is often unsupported. In response, this paper produces a practical climate change risk analysis methodology designed for independent, community-scale management of cultural sites. It builds on existing methods that prioritise sites most at risk from climate impacts, proposing a field survey that integrates an assessment of the relative cultural value of sites with assessment of exposure and sensitivity to climate impacts. The field survey also stands as a monitoring program and complements an assessment of organisational adaptive capacity. The preliminary field survey was tested by Indigenous land managers in remote northern Australia at midden and rock art sites threatened by sea level rise, extreme flood events and a range of non-climactic hazards. A participatory action research methodology—incorporating planning workshops, semi-structured interviews and participant observations—gave rise to significant modifications to the preliminary field survey as well as management prioritisation of 120 sites. The field survey is anticipated to have global application, particularly among marginalised and remote Indigenous communities. Well-planned and informed participation, with community control, monitoring and well-informed actions, will contribute significantly to coordinated global and regional adaptation strategies.
AB - Hundreds of thousands of significant archaeological and cultural heritage sites (cultural sites) along the coasts of every continent are threatened by sea level rise, and many will be destroyed. This wealth of artefacts and monuments testifies to human history, cosmology and identity. While cultural sites are especially important to local and Indigenous communities, a stall in coordinated global action means adaptation at a local scale is often unsupported. In response, this paper produces a practical climate change risk analysis methodology designed for independent, community-scale management of cultural sites. It builds on existing methods that prioritise sites most at risk from climate impacts, proposing a field survey that integrates an assessment of the relative cultural value of sites with assessment of exposure and sensitivity to climate impacts. The field survey also stands as a monitoring program and complements an assessment of organisational adaptive capacity. The preliminary field survey was tested by Indigenous land managers in remote northern Australia at midden and rock art sites threatened by sea level rise, extreme flood events and a range of non-climactic hazards. A participatory action research methodology—incorporating planning workshops, semi-structured interviews and participant observations—gave rise to significant modifications to the preliminary field survey as well as management prioritisation of 120 sites. The field survey is anticipated to have global application, particularly among marginalised and remote Indigenous communities. Well-planned and informed participation, with community control, monitoring and well-informed actions, will contribute significantly to coordinated global and regional adaptation strategies.
KW - Adaptation
KW - Archaeology
KW - Climate change
KW - Community planning
KW - Cultural heritage
KW - Indigenous
KW - Local planning
KW - Risk assessment
KW - Site prioritisation
KW - Vulnerability assessment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85011298731&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11027-016-9734-8
DO - 10.1007/s11027-016-9734-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85011298731
VL - 23
SP - 231
EP - 255
JO - Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
JF - Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
SN - 1381-2386
IS - 2
ER -