Watermills as Cultural-Natural Ecosystems: Tangible and Intangible Heritage for Sustainable Water and Energy Management in a Changing Climate

Authors

  • Maria Carmela Grano
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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2025.2.11

Published

2026-01-12

Issue

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

Section

methodologies and case studies

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Carmela Grano

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Watermills as Cultural-Natural Ecosystems: Tangible and Intangible Heritage for Sustainable Water and Energy Management in a Changing Climate. (2026). Blue Papers, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2025.2.11

Keywords:

UNESCO World Heritage, climate adaptation, regenerative development, clean energy, landscape management

Abstract

Watermills are not remnants of obsolete technologies but dynamic socio-ecological systems in which hydrology, craftsman ship, landscape processes and community knowledge have coevolved for centuries. Although mills appear in many UNESCO World Heritage and Intangible Heritage inscriptions, their ecological functions and climate-adaptation potential remain largely underrecognized. This article demonstrates how historic mill infrastructures – by regulating flow, managing sediment, supporting biodiversity and generating low-impact energy – embody long-standing forms of water governance that anticipate today’s nature-based solutions. Drawing on recent evidence, the article shows that active or revived milling practices strengthen landscape resilience, whereas abandoned mills deteriorate rapidly under climate stress, amplifying environmental risks.

Author Biography

  • Maria Carmela Grano

    Maria Carmela Grano has a PhD in Heritage Sciences at Sapienza University in Roma. As a research fellow at the CNR–ISPC (Institute of Heritage Science, National Research Council of Italy), she works for the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS), supporting its secretariat and contributing to the coordination of international heritage research. Alongside her institutional role, she independently carries out research on historical watermills, focusing on their hydrogeological settings, ancient technologies and cultural landscapes. Her studies aim to support heritage and energy communities through preventive conservation and scientific analysis. She bridges research, policy and practice to foster the sustainable management and valorization of cultural and natural assets.

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