Blue Papers

The Ilulissat Icefjord: Local Stewardship and Global Responsibility in a Changing Climate

Bo Albrechtsen — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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 assistance programs, studied these impacts using advanced monitoring techniques and community involvement, setting an example for adaptive management strategies that align with the UN 2030 Agenda. This article highlights how climate change is affecting both cultural heritage and contemporary life at the Ilulissat Icefjord, and emphasizes the importance of combining scientific research, responsible site management and local community engagement to safeguard this UNESCO World Heritage property. Through adaptive management, integration of local knowledge and strong collaboration across sectors, the Ilulissat Icefjord can remain both a globally significant natural site and a resilient, living Arctic community in a changing climate.

An Integrated Water System: The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces

Tianchen Dai, Carola Hein — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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 article examines this traditional approach to water management to offer insights regarding the challenges involved in conserving and (re)creating holistic water systems. In the context of climate change, safeguarding this cultural landscape against flooding, drought and socioeconomic pressures is of critical importance.

Resilience Value and Recovery: The Symbiotic Relationship between Classical Gardens of Suzhou and the Historic Urban Water System

Yapeng Ou, Zhen Cai, Qingzhou Wu — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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 urban planners, ecologists and cultural heritage agencies working to improve the flood and ecological resilience of gardens and ancient cities. This article surveys relevant scholarship and draws on field visits and interviews. It focuses on the resilience value of the symbiotic relationship that developed between the gardens and the urban water system and reviews key policies and practices since the 1950s. It summarizes efforts that have helped revive the symbiotic relationship and proposes strategies to further promote the recovery of this relationship by drawing on its embedded resilience value to enhance the resilience of both the gardens and the city of Suzhou.

Learning from the Subak World Heritage Property: The Importance of Co-Creation for Water Management and Climate Adaptation

Diana Rahman — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Cultural Landscape of Bali Province, a UNESCO World Heritage property in Indonesia, features ancient rice terraces and the subak irrigation system, reflecting a millennium-old harmony between humans, nature and the spiritual world. The subak landscape faces increasing challenges that threaten its sustainability. Alongside the pressure of rapidly expanding tourism, the subak system is increasingly vulnerable to water scarcity and shifting weather patterns due to climate change. This article examines the role of co-creation and local knowledge, advocating for the incorporation of community-led practices in the management of World Heritage properties. Co-creation can improve the effectiveness of management plans, align conservation goals with local communities’ adaptive practices and enhance the resilience of the subak system. The article underscores the critical need for World Heritage management plans to integrate climate adaptation strategies rooted in local knowledge, ensuring a more responsive and sustainable approach to preserving the heritage landscape.

The Water Management System of Augsburg: UNESCO World Heritage Property, Global Practice Example and Role Model

Christian Schaller — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The buildings and infrastructure of the UNESCO World Heritage property, the Water Management System of Augsburg, document the use of water resources over the course of 800 years. The system embodies sustainability and is recognised for its innovative solutions. The foundation for its management is the 2019 management plan, developed for the site’s UNESCO nomination. Building upon this foundation, the City of Augsburg implemented its Klimawandelanpassungskonzept (Climate Adaptation Plan) in 2022. This subsequent program focuses on urban resilience and sustainable development, linking directly to the World Heritage property by identifying “water” as a key action field. Current responses to climate challenges, closely connected to the Augsburg World Heritage property, include three EU projects: Licca Liber, LIFE, and Contempo2, which aim to restore the Lech River and surrounding floodplain habitats.

The Water Spaces of St. Petersburg and its World Heritage: Climate Change and Other Threats

Sergey Gorbatenko — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

St. Petersburg and its surrounding areas have been shaped by their relationship with water. Following the example of Amsterdam, city founder Peter the Great sought to supplement the Neva River Delta with numerous canals. He also aimed to make the new Russian capital the country’s primary port and trade center by shifting it toward the open sea, which led to the establishment of the port city of Kronstadt on Kotlin Island. Today, the historic center of St. Petersburg, including the Neva water spaces and the Kronstadt forts and harbors on this islands, is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, comprising 116 individual cultural heritage sites. However, with the intensifying impacts of climate change, the property is at risk of flooding. Specialists’ calculations have made it possible to make accurate predictions and propose measures to protect the city from such threats. The outcomes were incorporated into St. Petersburg’s Regional Climate Change Adaptation Plan; however, the document pays little attention to safeguarding cultural heritage. At the same time, rapid urbanization poses just as serious a threat as climate change to St. Petersburg and its surrounding areas, and for many years has brought harm to the “Historic Centre of St. Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.”

Water Management in World Heritage Properties in Times of Climate Change

Sara Ahmed — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Water remembers. It is humans who forget.
Elif Shafak, There are Rivers in the Sky

Water, Climate and World Heritage: Navigating Threat and Opportunity

Zuzanna Sliwinska, Tino Mager, Carola Hein — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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 economic losses exceeding USD 3.6 trillion.