Prepared in Mind and Resources: Addressing Heritage at Risk at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Intersection Between Natural and Cultural Heritage and the Pressing Threats to Both", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) owns and manages over 1.2 million acres, of which 176,000 acres are coastal. Within the SCDNR, the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program staff are tasked with protecting some of the state’s most valuable natural and cultural resources in perpetuity under the South Carolina Heritage Trust Act of 1976. When the Act was signed into law nearly 50 years ago, development was the primary threat to heritage. Today, threats to heritage are increasing with the addition of climate-related impacts. While landscapes owned by the SCDNR have been historically divided for the management of natural or cultural heritage, a new transdisciplinary management approach must be examined as climate-related impacts to these coastal landscapes increase. Inclusive conversations, strategic long-term planning, and new transdisciplinary initiatives across and beyond the SCDNR are essential in managing, preserving, and protecting tangible and intangible heritage for current and future generations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Intersection Between Natural and Cultural Heritage and the Pressing Threats to Both   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow