Speaker: Dana Salpina, CMCC

Moderator: Veronica Casartelli, CMCC

Cultural landscapes are dynamic socio-ecological systems currently facing a complex array of threats. These include non-climatic risk drivers such as urbanisation, land-use change, and tourism, alongside climate-exacerbated hazards including altered temperature regimes, shifting hydrological cycles, and increased extreme event frequency. Despite their recognised value, cultural heritage and cultural landscapes remain insufficiently integrated into climate change research and policy frameworks. They are often constrained by a persistent “policy positioning gap,” whereby they lack operational targets and dedicated, integrated funding mechanisms within international adaptation and sustainability agendas.

This talk presents a comprehensive approach to bridging these gaps by moving beyond the “heritage at risk” paradigm toward proactive resilience. Central to this effort is a systematic review of 55 innovative economic, financial, and business strategies identified across 44 countries. These strategies, ranging from public-private partnerships and crowdfunding to economic policy instruments like eco-taxes and payments for environmental services, demonstrate how diverse funding models can support long-term landscape protection.

The talk also highlights CMCC’s interdisciplinary contribution to this field, integrating heritage studies, environmental economics, and participatory co-creation approaches to support science-based adaptation and safeguard the continuity of cultural landscapes under changing environmental conditions.