Cultural Heritage and Disaster

Cultural heritage is the legacy we inherit from the past, experience in the present, and pass on to the future, revealing the achievements, aspirations, and hardships of a community. Cultural heritage can include tangible objects such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, books, artworks, photographs and artefacts; intangible cultural heritage includes folklore, traditions, language, and knowledge, and natural heritage including culturally significant landscapes, and biodiversity. Cultural heritage is regarded as a major component of quality of life and plays a crucial role in societal and individual well-being. Loss or deterioration of cultural heritage can have severe economic and psychological repercussions, especially for individuals who lose personal mementos. The reaction to the loss of cultural heritage, for communities or individuals, is significant because it serves as a reminder of what people truly value and the role it plays in our sense of place and self, as well as our sense of safety and resiliency.

In addition, the galleries, library, archives, and museum sector (GLAM) frequently engage in activities that contribute to risk reduction, such as art therapy sessions for communities following a disaster, advice on the restoration of smoke- or water-damaged personal mementoes and collating research materials on disasters to aid in policy development.

This session will consider the role that cultural heritage plays in disaster cycles, the increasing recognition traditional practices are gaining in providing knowledge and expertise in risk reduction, such as environmental management and building techniques, and the function that memorials and commemorations have in remembering and reflecting on disasters.