When talking about future scenarios for cultural heritage, in a world where technology, climate change, and global socio-political shifts are constantly evolving, it’s clear the sector faces new challenges and opportunities to be aware of. CHARTER Alliance’s new report, “Dynamics and Future Scenarios for the Cultural Heritage Sector“, offers a comprehensive look at these changes, identifying future scenarios and the critical skill sets needed for the sector to thrive.

Cultural heritage is deeply connected to broader issues such as the climate and biodiversity crisis, energy and material shortages, demographic shifts, digital transformation, and geopolitical changes. These factors create challenges like economic uncertainty and environmental volatility.

In order to delve into this analysis, CHARTER has resourced to qualitative data, collected through collaborative workshops, interviews, booklets and case collections from regional and national stakeholders, and quantitative data, been collected from European agencies, research outputs, and also through project surveys within the consortium partners and among stakeholders. CHARTER has included six regions to embed the place-based perspective involving about 300 cultural heritage stakeholder representatives and almost 500 participants in the Basque Country (Spain), the Sibiu County (Romania), the Free Hanseatic State of Bremen (Germany), the Alentejo Region (Portugal), the Tuscany Region (Italy) and the Västra Götaland Region (Sweden).

The report outlines the key challenges and opportunities facing the sector, focusing on climate change, the circular economy, digital technologies, and geopolitical dynamics. It also highlights the need for upskilling and reskilling, aligning heritage strategies with international sustainability efforts, including the Paris Agreement (SDGs). UNESCO’s Mondiacult Declaration (2022) and the 2024 UN Pact for the Future emphasize the role of culture as a common societal good, calling for a dedicated goal for heritage in global sustainability efforts.

Future scenarios for heritage

In September 2023, a Think Tank workshop held in Berlin became a pivotal moment for exploring the future skills requirements of the cultural heritage sector. Experts gathered to assess emerging global trends across four critical areas: geostrategic dynamics, climate change and the green transition, the circular economy, and digital transformation. The discussions focused on how these trends would impact the sector and the education and training necessary to address these challenges.

GEOSTRATEGIC DYNAMICS

Geostrategic dynamics in cultural heritage refer to how heritage—both tangible and intangible, encompassing historical, artistic, religious, or symbolic assets—interacts with global power relations and the interests of various actors. Heritage often carries contested or instrumentalised values. While it can foster identity, pride, and cohesion within communities, it can also become a target for destruction, looting, or exploitation. At the same time, heritage can serve as a tool for dialogue, cooperation, diplomacy, and a catalyst for economic and social development.

As a result, geostrategic dynamics highlight both the challenges and opportunities in preserving, protecting, and promoting cultural heritage in an increasingly complex and shifting global landscape. This scenario concentrates four priority areas to be considered: Natural disaster risk management in cultural heritage; Cultural heritage and armed conflict; Cultural heritage and terrorism and vandalism; Illicit trafficking of heritage property.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Research shows that human activity is a major driver of climate change, and its impact on cultural heritage is increasingly evident. Reports from the European Environment Agency and the European Commission highlight how extreme weather events, like rising sea levels and heatwaves, are damaging cultural heritage sites. This damage can lead to the loss of historical sites and jobs tied to their preservation, as well as significant economic impacts, particularly in tourism. For example, health risks from extreme heat require CH sites to be closed to visitors, with far-reaching economic consequences for the tourism industry.

In the face of climate change, the world and life itself are becoming a cultural heritage that urgently needs to be protected and preserved. As climate change worsens, balancing the protection of heritage with economic and environmental priorities becomes more difficult, raising concerns about how to fund and sustain preservation efforts in the future.

This future scenario for cultural heritage requires that climate literacy is improved among all heritage professionals; exposure and vulnerability assessment’s methods and understanding to be further developed; inclusivity, diversity, and collaboration should inform mitigation of loss and damage; and capacity development and upskilling are needed to incorporate climate change planning into work programmes and climate change policies.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

The European Commission defines a circular economy as one where products, materials, and resources are used for as long as possible, with minimal waste. This approach not only reduces environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions but also boosts innovation and competitiveness for European businesses. The EU supports this transition through initiatives like the Circular Economy Action Plan and the European Green Deal. The circular economy also plays a key role in global efforts, helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Cultural heritage and the circular economy share the goal of preserving resources, though for different reasons: reducing waste and safeguarding heritage. The cultural heritage sector can support the circular economy by preserving and reusing historic buildings, artifacts, and practices. Key actions like maintenance, repair, and restoration help reduce waste, especially through adaptive reuse of buildings. Additionally, cultural heritage can inspire sustainable and innovative solutions by reviving traditional crafts and techniques that respect both the environment and local cultures.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Digitalisation and new technologies are changing how we access, experience, and preserve cultural heritage. They allow for new ways to express, communicate, and safeguard heritage, while also making it easier to study and document. The EU supports this digital shift with policies like the Digital Agenda and the EU AI Act, along with initiatives such as the Europeana platform, which provides access to millions of digital cultural items. The EU also funds and coordinates projects like the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage to promote digital preservation and access.

Digital technologies like AI and immersive experiences are transforming how we experience and share cultural heritage. As society becomes increasingly digital, future audiences will expect cultural heritage to be accessible in digital forms. To stay relevant, cultural heritage organisations must embrace digital transformation and use these technologies strategically to connect and engage with their audiences.

How to respond to these scenarios? How jobs will be affected? What skills will be needed to better face them? Access the full report to get a comprehensive view on what each future scenario entails! Read here.

Illustrations presented are exclusively developed for the report by Annalena Sandgren, Formligen / UGOT 2024.