Addressing risks for cultural heritage in risk assessments - Is there any?

Abstract

When talking about disaster risks, both on a global and national level, cultural heritage is usually not taken into account. Nevertheless, heritage sites are increasingly affected by events such as floods, mudslides, fire, earthquakes and other hazards including civil unrest in some parts of the world. From the cultural heritage side, the number of World Heritage properties that have developed a proper disaster risk reduction plan is surprisingly low. One of the reasons is that heritage managers still have limited access to disaster risk management strategies or practical implementation experience. Policy-makers, both in the cultural and civil protection field, tend to concentrate their attention and resources on what they perceive as the „real“ priorities and the vulnerability of heritage properties to disasters is normally recognized after a catastrophic event has taken place when it is often too late. This urgency of taking adequate measures towards the preservation and protection of cultural heritage from natural and man-made hazards is recognized by the European Union Civil Protection and other international and national organizations and institutions that deal with civil protection and/or protecting cultural heritage. Due to the vulnerability of cultural heritage to increasing climate-related disasters on one side and the perceived contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable development on the other, more and more projects are developing, manuals are being published and research into the sustainable management of the world's cultural heritage is also increasing.

And what about Croatia? Civil protection by its legal definition is a system that, among other things, serves to protect and save cultural property in major accidents and disasters and to eliminate the consequences of terrorism and war destruction. This definition is built into its basic law - the Civil Protection System Act. It is pure logic that protecting and saving cultural property in major accidents and disasters should be planned, developed and worked on. Disaster Risk Management Strategy for the Republic of Croatia until 2030 did not involve the Ministry of Culture in its creation but it does recognize that one of the major threats in policy making is insufficient inter-ministerial cooperation. The Strategy addresses the need to strengthen response capacities in the field of cultural heritage protection at all risks as well as the need for education and raising awareness on protecting cultural heritage. It is commendable but we should not forget that ground documents for any further planning in the field of civil protection are Disaster Risk Assessment for the territory of the Republic of Croatia and major accident risk assessments for the areas of local and regional self-government units (counties, cities and municipalities).

This article aims to explore risk assessments from the point of some of the most valuable and visible heritage – the cathedrals. Cathedrals not only have a priceless material value as an object by itself, but they also have associated art collections. They are largely visited by tourists and last but not least as a living culture they have a major role in community life and social cohesion. Therefore, cathedrals embody immovable, movable and from the aspect of religious practices also significant intangible value. The survey encompassed three representative cathedrals in different areas, exposed to different risks and three corresponding major accident risk assessments. Both analysing the major accident risk assessments made by local self-government units as well as their own self-assessment done by cathedral managers, the aim was to prove the lack of addressing risks for cultural heritage in relevant risk assessments. For the purpose of this survey the questionnaire that was used, or better be said – introduced, is the Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment better known by its acronym ‘VCA’. This particular VCA for cultural heritage is drafted by The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and it encompasses movable, immovable, and intangible heritage.