INnovative strategies for the Adoption of risk management plans to enhance the resilience of sensitive Cultural and natural heritage Objectives against climate hazards in river basin districts

INACO is a project funded by the EU under the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme and led by the Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences - National Research Council (IT). The project partnership consists of a core of partner organisations and associated institutions from eight different Central European countries (IT, AT, CZ, HU, DE, PL, SK and HR) with extensive expertise in assessing the risks and vulnerability of cultural and natural heritage sites to the impacts of climate change.

Climate change leads to extreme events such as heavy rainfall, landslides, floods, storms, heat waves and droughts with forest fires, which threaten the physical preservation of cultural and natural property in Central Europe. The impacts vary between ecosystems, and river basins also face challenges that depend on the ecological and geomorphological context. These include transitional rivers, lake shores and inland catchments.

INACO aims to strengthen the resilience of these areas by developing common adaptation strategies. In addition, new WebGIS-based solutions for cultural heritage sites and tools for self-assessment of vulnerability will be developed. Finally, specially trained risk managers will be established in selected pilot regions.

Climate change has been shown to increase the intensity and frequency of hydro-meteorological events. Recent flood events in Europe and in the INACO member countries illustrate the relevance of the project.
Floods, inundations and mudslides pose a serious threat to historic buildings, archives and collections. Cultural landscapes, such as the INACO pilot sites, located close to rivers and water areas, are also particularly affected. The impact of these climatic changes varies from ecosystem to ecosystem, depending on the specific ecological and geomorphological conditions in the affected river basins.

The report "Strengthening Cultural Heritage Resilience for Climate Change" (2022) by the EU Expert Group on the Open Method of Coordination of Member States shows that only a few Central European countries include cultural heritage in their climate policies and take concrete measures to protect cultural heritage from the effects of climate change. There is a lack of knowledge about the extent of damage to cultural and natural heritage caused by climate-related hazards and a lack of a standardised methodology for assessing this damage. There is an urgent need for action to better protect cultural heritage from the effects of climate change.

To address these issues, the EU has over the years adopted directives, strategies and plans to address the geological, water and environmental risks associated with the effects of climate change. However, in most cases there is still a lack of integration of specific measures to protect cultural and natural sites and their implementation in plans at national and regional level.

INACO aims to increase the resilience of cultural and natural heritage sites in river basins to the risks of climate change, while raising awareness of the challenges of climate change.
This will be done by:

• the development of a common transnational strategy to fill gaps in the EU water directives, national climate change adaptation strategies and risk management plans for the protection of cultural and natural heritage sites at risk
•  the design and implementation of integrated WebGIS-based solutions
• the development of tailor-made interactive tools, including mobile web applications, as a solution for self-assessment of the vulnerability of natural and cultural heritage sites for stakeholders and citizens
• the introduction or strengthening of the role of a risk manager in the relevant public institutions, responsible for coordinating and updating risk management plans for the protection of sensitive cultural and natural targets, based on the use of the developed tools

The INACO tools will be tested in their geomorphological and ecological context at a total of eight sites in Central Europe. The aim is to bridge the gap between theoretical analysis and practical application, and to direct research towards concrete solutions that meet the needs of stakeholders and solve existing challenges in the field.

The pilot sites include:

• nature reserves, historic villages and landscapes in the transition area between sea and river in the Po Delta (Italy) and in Dubrovnik (Croatia)
• nature reserves, historic buildings and archaeological sites on the shores of Lake Neusiedl (Austria) and in the town of Fonyód (Hungary)
• monumental complexes, historical parks and gardens in inland river areas in the Wiesenttal and Rednitz Valleys (Germany), the Jelenia Gorà Valley (Poland), the Košice region (Slovakia) and the Central Bohemian Vltava Valley (Czech Republic)

 By bringing together experts from different countries and disciplines, INACO will develop innovative solutions to current challenges and preserve our cultural heritage for future generations.