CULTURAL PRESERVATION
SNAPPING ANCIENT SITES TO SAVE THEM
SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
Photo: Johnny Briggs / Unsplash
Climate change is affecting the health of heritage sites everywhere. Historic Environment Scotland asks visitors to take photos of its ancient sites to watch for changes and damage. You can join this citizen scientist program or those like it in other destinations to help preserve historic attractions for generations to come.
What's
changing
Shifting weather patterns, rising sea levels, changes in biodiversity and increased visitor numbers are accelerating the erosion of historical sites worldwide. Organizations managing these sites face an urgent challenge: understanding the changing climate’s impact on monuments and mitigating further damage.
What's already
possible
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) manages more than 300 historic landmarks in Scotland. HES is implementing resilience plans for properties in their care, and citizen scientists are gathering data the organization needs to assess and respond to the health of cultural heritage sites.
Seizing
the opportunity
The “Monument Monitor” program, launched in 2018 as a university doctoral project in collaboration with the Institute of Sustainable Heritage at University College London, installs signs at participating monuments that invite visitors to take photos from a designated vantage point and submit them via email. These crowdsourced images provide a visual timeline of changes in vegetation, visitor impact, masonry deterioration and more. At Doune Castle, these photos are crucial for tracking erosion of the earthworks and shifts in vegetation. At Clava Cairns, the program helps HES manage the site's increased foot traffic due to its proximity to the location where the popular series Outlander was set. At Tealing Earth House, photos assist with tracking salt formations on stones and even the activities of a resident rabbit family.
Standout
tactic
The images submitted via the “Monument Monitor” program at Neolithic sites are helping HES better understand how lichen and moss might be natural options for protecting stones and ancient rock art from harsh weather.
How
it helps
Crowdsourced images are helping HES monitor more than 20 sites across Scotland and many sites now have 6 years of user-submitted data. In addition to providing valuable climate change data, they have alerted HES to instances of vandalism and littering. HES’ transparency about climate change, safety closures due to building deterioration and climate-focused interpretations at historic sites teach visitors how even subtle climate shifts can threaten cherished landmarks.
Diving
deeper
In addition to the 330 heritage sites managed by HES, Scotland is home to 8,000 monuments and 50,000 listed buildings, some of which depend on tourism revenue to be maintained. Even with tourists gathering helpful data, how can heritage sites reconcile the conflict of tourism being both a means to preserve a heritage site and a source of its destruction through carbon emissions and environmental degradation?
Increasing
impact
Integrating climate resilience topics into the design of visitor experiences could increase awareness and inspire action among travelers.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
