Attachments
Foreword
Climate induced and other natural hazards pose a significant threat to culture and heritage globally. In Africa and the southern regions of Africa in particular, studies suggest that culture and heritage are increasingly exposed to threats from coastal inundation and erosion and destruction from tropical cyclones. These threats also result in disruptions in the transmission of heritage and loss of biodiversity at the numerous natural heritage sites in the region. The countries in Southern Africa boast some of the world’s richest and most diverse cultural and natural heritage as well as vibrant cultural and creative industries.
These cultural and heritage assets contribute to a variety of options for sustainable socio-economic development for the sub-region, including through tourism. At its best, tourism drives economic development and brings needed financial and social benefits, but, as it has been demonstrated, when disaster occurs, countries suffer from loss of lives and livelihoods, decreased visitor numbers, and severe impacts to culture and heritage. Recent tropical cyclones in the region have demonstrated this. At one end of the spectrum, while countries are aware of these threats, the actions to safeguard this culture and heritage are lacking. At the other end is the increasingly emerging role that culture and heritage play as a source of resilience in managing and responding to disaster risks and adapting to the changing climate. This latter role remains unexplored in the regions of Southern Africa and very little evidence has been generated to support its place.
This report is a timely one as it supports the development of evidence-based actions for the integration of culture and heritage into disaster risk management and climate action mechanisms. It also contributes to the burgeoning international discourse in this area. In this important assessment, the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in collaboration with national partners in these countries place a spotlight on these possible intersections, in addition to identifying gaps and opportunities for further integration or synergies. Such an approach guides an informed perspective on the nexus between culture and heritage and these mechanisms in Southern Africa, to establish a coherent narrative on the key themes and trends that have emerged and synergies moving forward. This will allow the identification of opportunities and the development of evidence-based programming and policy development and linkages as well as identify areas requiring further research and development.
National partners, particularly those in the culture and heritage sector, recognize that this relationship between culture and heritage and the environment are multi-dimensional and complex, such that a deeper understanding of their dynamics is needed. In fact, the integration of culture and heritage in these mechanisms provides greater possibilities for community involvement and the use of locally based knowledge, promoting a bottom-up approach to managing disaster risk and adapting to the changing climate, thereby creating sustainability in these mechanisms and ensuring that the communities that are most affected by these hazards, contribute to the solutions being developed and implemented.