Recognizing and Measuring Cultural and Natural Heritage for Climate Resilience

With UNESCO’s active contribution, cultural and natural heritage have been increasingly recognized as a key dimension of climate adaptation and resilience. This momentum was reinforced at COP30 with the adoption of global indicators to guide action and investment to protect heritage and reinforce local and traditional knowledge, and is being further advanced through people-centred approaches such as the Davos Baukultur Alliance.

From Dialogue to Policy on Cultural and Natural Heritage

Within the framework of the UAE–Belém Work Programme established at COP28 under the UNFCCC to develop global indicators for measuring progress in climate adaptation, UNESCO actively contributed to the development of indicators aimed at safeguarding cultural and natural heritage. This led to the inclusion of eight heritage-related indicators among the 100 submitted to UNFCCC Parties for decision at COP30 in November 2025. Following expert review, Parties adopted 59 indicators, including five related to heritage.

• Percentage of at-risk cultural and natural heritage sites and elements with adaptation measures implemented to enhance resilience to climate-related hazards under different warming scenarios, guided by traditional, local or Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and practices — disaggregated, as appropriate, by tangible and intangible heritage elements.
• Proportion of cultural heritage protected from climate impacts through digitization measures for preservation and recovery, or by storing movable heritage in climate-resilient facilities.
• Percentage of cultural heritage sites and elements with adaptation measures and emergency preparedness plans in place for climate change-related hazards under different warming scenarios.
• Level of establishment of institutional arrangements for regular training on climate change adaptation that incorporates guidance from traditional, local and Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, where applicable.
• Percentage of climate adaptation measures focused on cultural heritage that maintain sustained engagement with Indigenous Peoples and/or local communities.

Representing nearly 10% of all indicators adopted, these indicators highlight the growing recognition of cultural and natural heritage within adaptation frameworks and climate action. They reflect a holistic approach that goes beyond infrastructure and environmental risk, covering tangible, intangible, and movable heritage, measuring engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and emphasizing the importance of drawing on traditional, local, and Indigenous knowledge in adaptation processes and solutions. For the first time, they provide a clear framework for action and investment in climate adaptation for and with heritage, strengthening both the resilience of heritage and the communities that depend on it.

© UNESCO / M'Zab Valley

By generating measurable data on vulnerability, preparedness, community engagement and the use of traditional and local knowledge, they offer governments, donors and financial institutions a structured way to identify needs, target resources and scale up action. These indicators also build on UNESCO’s previous work in collaboration with the UNFCCC on non-economic losses (NELS) resulting from climate change impacts Non-Economic Losses featuring Loss of Territory and Habitability, Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity, and Cultural Heritage, as well as the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators framework and methodology.

Importantly, these heritage-related indicators align with and support existing UNESCO Policies and instruments including the Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage adopted in 2023, the Guidance Note on climate action for living heritage, and the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, by offering measurable criteria through which States Parties can monitor and report on adaptation efforts for both tangible and intangible cultural heritage as well as natural heritage.

Baukultur: Connecting Global Policy to Practice

Building on policy discussions, UNESCO collaborates with the Davos Baukultur Alliance to put the heritage-related indicators adopted at COP30 into practice through urban case studies. High-quality Baukultur, defined as well-designed cities and settlements that foster social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and a strong sense of place, guides these initiatives. The Davos Baukultur Alliance, a global coalition of public, private, and civil-society partners with UNESCO as a knowledge partner, provides practical frameworks aligned with the UNESCO 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, helping countries integrate cultural heritage, local knowledge, and long-term community resilience into adaptation measures and turn global commitments into locally meaningful results.

© UNESCO

The connection between global policy and local practice was highlighted at COP30 during the panel “Unlocking the Power of Cultural Heritage in Climate Action,” convened by the Davos Baukultur Alliance and the World Economic Forum. Discussions emphasized how heritage, traditional knowledge, and community-led approaches strengthen resilience, and how climate policies are most effective when grounded in local identity. As countries plan to implement the COP30 indicators, the upcoming Davos meeting in January 2026 will offer an opportunity to further embed heritage-informed approaches into adaptation planning and investment strategies, with UNESCO supporting countries in guiding action, targeting resources, and strengthening community-based resilience.