As a history student, I find myself drawn to the stories that lie behind the things we see. Quite often, the world around us is filled with so many ‘whys’ that constitute the presentation of the things we see at present. This especially applies in the field of heritage conservation, where one encounters a kaleidoscope of artefacts, both tangible and intangible, that demonstrate the ‘whys’ of a people, and how they have become who they are.
In Session 10, we explored three presentations discussing the role of sustainability not only in conservation but equally in wider heritage environments.
Human induced climate change is already causing many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. The incessant burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of natural ecosystems has caused a rapid change in climatic conditions, with evidence of observed changes in extremes such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall, droughts and tropical cyclones. Sea level rise, together with more extreme storms is causing flooding and erosion damage to vulnerable coasts throughout the world.
Documentation is the process of gathering information and presenting it, so that users can both refer to it and infer knowledge about the objects and their changes over time. The importance of monitoring and documentation in the conservation of cultural heritage is universally recognised. One of the core activities of a conservation practitioner and custodians of cultural heritage, is to design an ever evolving monitoring and evaluation system for their collection.
