Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy

The Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy sets out a vision and broad approach for managing impacts to and learning from cultural resources under modern climate change.

Cultural resources are our record of the human experience. Collectively, these archeological sites, cultural landscapes, ethnographic resources, museum collections, and historic buildings and structures connect one generation to the next. The National Park Service is charged with conserving cultural resources so that they may be enjoyed by future generations. Climate change is adding challenges to this role, and will continue to affect cultural resources in diverse ways. At the same time, through the tangible and intangible qualities they hold, cultural resources are also part of the solution to climate change.

The Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy connects major directions for action from the NPS Climate Change Response Strategy [PDF] and the NPS Director’s Policy Memo Climate Change and Stewardship of Cultural Resourcesto create four overarching Goals for cultural resources and climate change:

• Goal 1 - Connect Impacts and Information: Set the broad scope of cultural resources and climate change response by connecting the concepts of impacts and information with the four pillars of climate change response: science, adaptation, mitigation, and communication
• Goal 2 - Understand the Scope: Coordinate science, management, and communication to identify and improve understanding of the effects of climate change on cultural resources
• Goal 3 - Integrate Practice: Incorporate climate change into ongoing cultural resources research, planning, and stewardship
• Goal 4 - Learn and Share: Collaborate with partners to grow and use the body of knowledge and practice for cultural resources and climate change