View Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): Water Management in World Heritage Properties at a Time of Climate Change
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025)
Water Management in World Heritage Properties at a Time of Climate Change
Published: 2025-10-30

preface

editorial

  • Water, Climate and World Heritage: Navigating Threat and Opportunity
    Zuzanna Sliwinska, Tino Mager, Carola Hein

    The frequency and intensity of weather extremes are rising globally due to anthropogenic climate change, the degradation of ecosystems’ integrity, and the breach of six out of nine planetary boundaries over the last decades (Richardson et al. 2023). Water is central to understanding these changes and a critical focus for adaptation. According to the World Meteorological Organization (2021; cited in UNESCO 2025a), water-related hazards such as droughts, storms and floods have caused over 90 per cent of the world’s major disasters since 1970, and have led to more than 2 million deaths and...

methodologies and case studies

  • Fig. 1 This green plain within the Ilulissat UNESCO property holds 4,000 years of Inuit history. Now, erosion is accelerating as the permafrost beneath it melts (Source: Bo Albrechtsen, 2025).
    The Ilulissat Icefjord: Local Stewardship and Global Responsibility in a Changing Climate
    Bo Albrechtsen

    The Sermermiut archaeological site at the Ilulissat Icefjord contains cultural remnants from three Inuit cultures spanning nearly 4000 years. This unique site is now under threat from climate change and oceanic forces. The permafrost layer, which has long supported the site, including the cultural-historical ruins located on it, is thawing, causing destabilization of the ground and severe erosion of the slopes. A fieldwork initiative conducted in the summer of 2024 by collaborative teams from Greenland’s cultural and heritage institutions, in partnership with international technical...

  • An Integrated Water System: The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces
    Tianchen Dai, Carola Hein

    The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2013, integrates traditional farming, irrigation, water management and the Hani people’s spiritual relationship with nature. It embodies traditional ecosystemic practices and provides a model for sustainable development aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The terraces exemplify a comprehensive water management system (SDG 6), grounded in resilient communities (SDG 11), efficient traditional farming (SDG 12) and climate-resilient water management (SDG 13). This...

  • Resilience Value and Recovery: The Symbiotic Relationship between Classical Gardens of Suzhou and the Historic Urban Water System
    Yapeng Ou, Zhen Cai, Qingzhou Wu

    The World Heritage property Classical Gardens of Suzhou (CGS) comprises water-focused cultural landscapes closely integrated with the historic urban water system (HUWS) of the ancient city of Suzhou in China. Historically, the gardens and the water system developed together, influencing and complementing one another in a symbiotic relationship. In response to the combined pressures of climate change and rapid urbanization, the resilience value – that is, the inherent capacity to adapt to and withstand environmental stresses – embedded in this relationship offers critical insights for...

Announcements

Call for papers: Special Issue on Brazil Post-COP30

2025-09-23

Water as Heritage: Co-creating Water-Based Design Strategies for Brazil Post-COP30

We are pleased to invite contributions to the Blue Papers: Water and Heritage in Sustainable Development for a special issue on Brazil and COP30 in Belém do Pará. With the Amazon as a biocultural landmark, this issue seeks reflections on water, culture, and heritage as drivers of sustainable development and climate justice.

To submit your contribution, please follow the section "Submissions."

For inquiries regarding the suitability of contribution topics, please contact the editor-in-chief, Prof. Dr. Ing. Carola Hein ([email protected]), or the guest editors for this issue, Mila Avellar Montezuma ([email protected]) and Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin ([email protected]).

Read more about Call for papers: Special Issue on Brazil Post-COP30