Protecting Cultural Heritage Sites from Climate Change Using Innovative Interventions

Climate change is increasing the likelihood that cultural heritage sites will face compound stressors, where heat, heavy rainfall, and seismic activity interact with local geology to accelerate decay and trigger sudden failures. This abstract presents Choirokoitia, a UNESCO World Heritage Neolithic settlement in Cyprus, as a pilot for protecting heritage on unstable terrain through innovative, heritage-compatible interventions that connect monitoring, modelling, decision support, and on-site action. 

The TRIQUETRA approach focused on integrating multi-source observation with targeted physical measures. Satellite InSAR products from the European Ground Motion Service, repeated UAV photogrammetry and point cloud change detection, and on-site environmental sensing are integrated into digital modeling to identify deformation hotspots and link hazard dynamics to climatic triggers.   A local seismic response analysis refines regional hazard estimates and highlights zones of amplified shaking that can be prioritised for preventive conservation and long-term monitoring.  Risk outputs are translated into management decisions through the TRIQUETRA decision-support workflow, which includes risk-severity indicators and a mitigation-selection module that ranks measures by effectiveness, feasibility, and compatibility with heritage values.  

Protection is implemented through low-impact, site-specific interventions that directly reduce rockfall and shallow landslide risk while preserving authenticity and visitor access. These include selective removal of progressively unstable blocks; mechanical stabilisation of retainable fractured rock using bolts or anchors; local surface support where small fragments may detach; crack treatment to reduce water infiltration; and drainage improvements to lower pore pressure and rainfall-driven triggering.  Engagement is treated as part of the intervention strategy. A visitor-focused AR application with permanent markers and QR access supports risk communication and enables crowdsourced photo reporting that feeds back into the site model to flag potential climate-related damage.  Together, these innovations demonstrate how digital tools can enable timely, proportionate interventions to protect cultural heritage amid escalating climate and hazard pressures. The Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, in collaboration with the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence, through the EXCELSIOR Project, will continue to monitor the site during and after the proposed mitigation actions.

The author acknowledges the TRIQUETRA project, “Toolbox for assessing and mitigating Climate Change risks and natural hazards threatening cultural heritage” funded from the EU HE research and innovation programme under GA No. 101094818 and the EXCELSIOR project: ERATOSTHENES: Excellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment H2020 Widespread Teaming project (www.excelsior2020.eu). The 'EXCELSIOR' project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 857510, from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Directorate General for the European Programmes, Coordination and Development and the Cyprus University of Technology. The author would like to thank the Cyprus Department of Antiquities for their invaluable support throughout the Triquetra Project.