At the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference (ECCA) — the EU’s flagship event on climate adaptation science and policy — the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage (JPI CH) brought together researchers, practitioners, and policy experts to explore how cultural heritage can drive climate resilience in both coastal and mountain areas.
The session — “Cultural Heritage and Climate Resilience: Innovative Strategies for Coastal and Mountain Areas” — kicked off with an interactive quiz asking: What does heritage have to do with climate change? This light-hearted opener led into a brief introduction of JPI CH’s mission to bridge science, policy, and practice through transnational collaboration.
The core of the session featured presentations from four key actors: CULTIVATE, a project funded by JPI CH, and RESCUEME, a Horizon Europe project offered research-driven insights into how cultural heritage and local knowledge support climate adaptation; while the other two practical case studies, Cinque Terre National Park and Alpe Pedroria/Alpe Madrera, highlighted on-the-ground experiences of heritage-based resilience, land stewardship, and community engagement.
The session concluded by zooming out to the broader European landscape, with reflections on how JPI CH, the ARCHE project, and the upcoming European Partnership on Resilient Cultural Heritage are helping to embed cultural heritage in EU climate adaptation policy.
Audience engagement was strong — with over 40 attendees, and many staying for continued dialogue despite the lunch break, the session showed clear interest in advancing this cross-cutting topic.
A video interview with JPI CH recorded at ECCA further explores this perspective.