RISK ASSESSMENT AND SUSTAINABLE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN CHANGING ENVIRONMENT (ProteCHt2save)

Disasters and catastrophes pose risks not only to the conservation of cultural heritage assets with its cultural, historic and artistic values, but also to the safety of visitors, staff and local communities. Additionally, they cause undoubtedly negative consequences for the local economies.

The ProteCHt2save project contributed to an improvement of capacities of the public and private sectors to mitigate the impacts of climate change and natural hazards on cultural heritage sites, structures and artefacts. The project focused primarily on the development of feasible and tailored solutions for building resilience of cultural heritage to floods and events of heavy rain. It helped regional and local authorities to prepare measures and evacuation plans in case of emergencies. 

ProteCHt2save outputs and results aimed at improving protection, management and sustainable use of the cultural heritage, as well as its valorization in a changing environment.

• A Web GIS tool for risk mapping has been first of all developed in support of policy and decision makers for the development of measures and strategies of preparedness with short and long term perspective aiming at the protection of Cultural Heritage in Central Europe exposed to extreme events linked to climate change (particularly heavy rains, flood and fire due to drought periods)
• A rate of vulnerability has been determined for each of the pilot site in the target regions and integrated in the Web GIS tool for the risk assessment.
• A decision support tool for the analysis of the criticalities determining the vulnerability of cultural heritage has been produced.
• A manual in support of policy and decision makers of good and bad practices for the management of cultural heritage at risk. 
• Manual for cultural heritage managers
• VideoGame for Cultural Heritage Rescue Team