2014/10/16 by Helen R. P. Phillips · 3 citations
Arts and Humanities · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Conservation Techniques and Studies #Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation #Building materials and conservation
paper · doi:10.1179/1756750514z.00000000062
openalex publication_date 2014/10/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
In 2006, a requirement came into effect for World Heritage Site management plans to include an assessment of the possible impact of climate change on the heritage site, and to include mitigation strategies as appropriate. This paper focuses on progress in the UK towards developing and implementing climate-change adaptation policies within these plans. Research undertaken to examine this complex area of work has identified key challenges faced by site managers when including and subsequently implementing climate-change policies. Information was collected through a questionnaire survey of all UK World Heritage Sites, reviews of relevant documents, and in-depth interviews with a wide range of professionals. The study found that plans are gradually being updated to include climate-change considerations, however, this is not always straightforward and plan implementation is proving challenging. Concerns about data reliability and the contested nature of scientific data on climate change are widespread, and there is a perceived lack of the necessary information to make fully informed decisions. Resource constraints, a need for more specialist skills and guidance, and differing levels of interest and motivation in the issue are other challenges.