By Ayansola Eniola
Heritage is a living and dynamic concept, interwoven with people’s and places, an expression of cultural diversity and different modalities and enjoyment. It encompasses tangible objects such as monuments and historic buildings, movable and immovable sculptures, and also cultural landscapes in rural and urban contexts; national areas, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
It also consists of intangible attributes such as oral traditions and expressions, language, performing arts, social practices, cuisine, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and also traditional craftsmanship.
Heritage sites faced with lots of challenges especially the challenges of climate change which may include – Extreme heat, drought and lack of water, melting glaciers, volatile and extreme precipitation, cyclones, landslides, and rising sea levels, etc.
It may also include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and land exploitation due to mining activities.
In Nigerian contexts, heritage sites are not given enough consideration in planning for disaster risks, management, and protection, there is not enough integration into national policies and budgets. However, this has made heritage sites vulnerable to substantial damage and destruction in the context of disasters mostly caused by nature and human activities. Climate change is already resulting in the loss and damage of cultural heritage sites, this loss is not limited to historical heritage sites alone, it is also affecting communities and their cultural traditions.
However, there has been frequent reports of large scale disasters across heritage sites, these disasters have caused widespread damage to the heritage sites and the cities located. Heritage sites in it’s manifestations is essential for a city’s cultural identity, giving the exponential rate of urbanization, therefore, there is a need for a specialized approach to disaster risk management of heritage sites.
In light of the disaster challenges, there is a need to develop a disaster risk management strategies for heritage sites, this is of paramount importance within the overall planning and management. Laws and policies need to be formulated based on the specific characteristics of the heritage sites and nature of hazards within the sites and the community situated. These laws and principles should take into consideration the principles of risk management, response to historic, aesthetic and other values of the heritage and at the same time address greater urban development challenges. This planning will requires skilled professionals, administrators, and policy makers who can take into consideration various aspects of risk management plans in regards to heritage sites.