The Horizon Europe funded project will equip communities in Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain to protect their common heritage from climate change.

15 March, 2023, Bilbao, Spain

To protect shared cultural heritage and landscapes in Europe from climate change and other hazards, ICLEI Europe is partnering in the newly launched project RescueME. The Horizon Europe funded project will leverage data-driven and community-led approaches to boost collective heritage resilience in coastal communities across Europe.

The protection of cultural heritage and landscapes is a key part of achieving a sustainable future, shares RescueME coordinator Aitziber Egusquiza Ortega, Senior Researcher, TECNALIA Research & Innovation: “In line with both the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change and the Historic Urban Landscapes Recommendation from UNESCO, RescueME proposes a call for action to protect our common heritage, broadening the scope of what is considered cultural heritage, triggering action and mobilising resources through the quantification of the impact of climate change in our coastal cultural landscapes at European level.”

Resilience landscape laboratories (R-Labscapes) have been established in European coastal communities, where they will co-create, and test, cutting-edge RescueME approaches: Psiloritis in Creta (Greece); Neuwerk in Hamburg (Germany); Portovenere, Cinque Terre & the Islands (Italy); València (Spain); and Zadar (Croatia).

RescueME will equip these communities with supporting tools to protect cultural heritage and landscapes. An Actionable Resilient Historic Landscape (RHL) Framework will guide communities carrying out a just transition on how to safeguard shared heritage. At the same time, RescueME partners will develop a Decision Support System, a “One-Stop Shop” for digital tools, and a meta-repository of resilience solutions and culture-focused strategies.

Climate change poses a significant threat to communities across Europe, meaning shared cultural heritage and landscapes are vulnerable. Preserving cultural heritage and landscapes is a critical part of climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, and needs to be addressed alongside other challenges facing heritage assets, like pollution and over-tourism.

About RescueME

RescueME is a Horizon Europe project focused on a landscape approach to resilience, aiming to protect cultural heritage and landscapes. RescueME mobilises resources, engages stakeholders, facilitates decision-making, and enhances the implementation of co-created and just resilience solutions to protect our common heritage.

Follow the project on Twitter & LinkedIn and visit the Website for more information.

About ICLEI Europe

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125 countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. ICLEI Europe provides members in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and West Asia with a voice on European and international stages, a platform to connect with peers, and tools to drive positive environmental, economic and social change. ICLEI Europe works closely with an extended network of local and regional governments and partners on a broad range of topics.

Press contact:
Valeria Eirin
Senior Officer - Communications and Member Relations

Email: valeria.eirin@iclei.org

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under grant agreement No. 101094978