Decolonize research to save heritage threatened by climate change

Date:
February 14, 2022
Source:
University of East Anglia
Summary:
Climate change threatens to destroy invaluable heritage sites and
traditions in marginalized countries -- but empowering local people
is key to adaptation. Locally led research and more equitable
research funding are needed to address the true potential loss
and damage to heritage from climate change, researchers argue.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Climate change threatens to destroy invaluable heritage sites and
traditions in marginalised countries -- but empowering local people is
key to adaptation.


========================================================================== That's according to new research from the University of East Anglia
(UEA), the University of Cape Town (UCT) and partner institutions in 11 countries. They contributed to the study, 'Decolonising climate change
heritage research', which is published today in Nature Climate Change.

Traditional ways of life in Amazonia and the Pacific Island States,
ancient Roman coastal cities such as Tipasa in Algeria, the iconic earthen architecture of Mali -- including the masonic craftmanship passed down
through generations to maintain it -- all face the threat of loss and
damage from climate change because heritage research and funding haven't historically been prioritised in these areas.

Locally led research and more equitable research funding are needed
to address the true potential loss and damage to heritage from climate
change, said lead researcher Prof Joanne Clarke, of UEA's School of Art,
Media and American Studies.

Prof Clarke said: "Climate change poses a threat to heritage globally,
but it is particularly acute in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)
where vulnerability to climate change is generally high, with climate
hazards such as sea-level rise, flooding and wildfires.

"These physical risks are compounded by land-use change leading to loss of livelihoods and local and Indigenous knowledge, as well as migration. This knowledge is crucial for safeguarding other forms of heritage, such as traditional buildings and building methods." As heritage includes all
the inherited traditions, monuments, objects, places and culture, as
well as contemporary activities, knowledge, meanings and behaviours that
are drawn from them, it is vital that research and knowledge generation
becomes more inclusive, equitable and diverse.



========================================================================== Climate change is an increasing focus of heritage research across Europe
and North America, including identification of site-specific adaptation
options for heritage preservation.

In contrast, climate change research in LMICs is limited by systemic
gaps in access to funding and its associated knowledge generation,
which act to reinforce historical colonial structures deeply embedded
in heritage management.

The researchers said decolonial approaches are not yet widely established
in climate change-heritage scholarship and practice, and decolonial
efforts can begin to address systemic inequities, recognise the breadth
of heritage, and strengthen adaptation action globally.

Dr Nicholas Simpson, of the University of Cape Town, also led on the
research.

He said: "Euro-American centricity, dispossession, racism, and ongoing
power imbalances have perpetuated a narrow view, mirroring colonial
legacies that continue to shape priorities for climate research questions, funding, and outputs globally.

"We need to commit to actively undoing those systems and ways of thinking through transformations to agenda-setting, funding, training, access to
data and governance." Climate adaptation funding for many vulnerable
LMICs is heavily dependent on international aid organisations that are
commonly located in high-income countries (HIC). This inevitably leads
to an unequal balance in the types of heritage earmarked for research
or development, with a bias toward heritage valued by those living in
HICs while commonly side-lining pre-colonial heritage.



========================================================================== Moreover, belief systems or other forms of intangible heritage
historically haven't been deemed as valuable to Western researchers and
funders as places or things, such as temples or statues.

Research agendas and funding, along with the policy agendas to which they
are linked, need to be decentred from the HICs. Priorities for research
and practice should be informed by Indigenous and local communities and
should integrate their values, preferences and judgements with climate
change risk and vulnerability assessments, the study suggests.

Specific efforts also will be required to train scholars to accommodate multiple knowledges and world views in the formulation of research
questions and the co-creation of solutions. Collaborating with and
mentoring scholars from LMICs will create the next generation of climate
change heritage scholars, while aiming to make research findings and
data more accessible to them.

Prof Clarke said: "It is critical to overcome geographic, intersectional,
and distributional blind spots associated with colonial research
legacies. Failure to actively transform in these ways will further
entrench these long-standing inequities, as well as exacerbate
inequalities in heritage-relevant responses to climate change.

"Climate change heritage research needs to recognise a broad
range of potential impacts on host communities' intangible
cultural heritage for holistic protection of sites. Contextually
appropriate adaptation, including the needs for a just transition
when heritage-dependent livelihoods are disrupted by climate
change and heritage policies, must also be considered." special
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in this free online course from New Scientist -- Sign_up_now_>>> ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_East_Anglia. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Nicholas P. Simpson, Joanne Clarke, Scott Allan Orr, Georgina
Cundill,
Ben Orlove, Sandra Fatorić, Salma Sabour, Nadia Khalaf,
Marcy Rockman, Patricia Pinho, Shobha S. Maharaj, Poonam
V. Mascarenhas, Nick Shepherd, Pindai M. Sithole, Grace Wambui
Ngaruiya, Debra C. Roberts, Christopher H. Trisos. Decolonizing
climate change-heritage research.

Nature Climate Change, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01279-8 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220214111827.htm

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