Cultural Heritage and Climate Action: the DUNAS Project

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The climate crisis is a social issue, and social sciences are needed to understand and address it. Archaeology has recognized that it stands in an unparalleled position to contribute to the climate conversation because 1) it has thousands of years of recorded climate change coupled with human response, 2) it can help to understand the nuances of risk in the present and identify traditional solutions and outcomes of response, and 3) it can inspire and support climate action. However, climate change also poses a threat to the preservation of the archaeological record. This presentation shares the DUNAS project (Descendants United for Nature, Adaptation and Sustainability) in Puerto Rico as an example of a co-produced endeavor that combines archaeology, ecosystem restoration, and climate change research to inspire action and to mitigate climate impacts. The goals of DUNAS are to restore natural ecosystems impacted by Hurricane Maria, to protect cultural heritage and to support resilient communities. Cultural heritage can help move the conversation and raise ambition to mitigate climate change because losing heritage is losing ourselves. We are facing climate change now, not in the future. Cultural heritage and archaeological sites can contribute to identifying solutions now, in preparation for the future.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33510