Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes: Communication

The study and stewardship of cultural landscapes spans the fields of history, horticulture, ecology, biology, and geography. Cultural landscapes help reveal how physical changes in the landscape connect to the stories of how people have interacted with their environment over time.

Understanding the impacts and implications of climate change for places and people is central to landscape preservation, as the NPS documents and analyzes changes over time while taking actions to maintain the historic character of a landscape.

Increasing the understanding of climate change in the NPS workforce at all levels promotes information sharing, fosters stewardship, and enables park managers to make informed decisions about how cultural landscapes are managed.

Communicating these efforts with visitors, neighbors, and partners brings relevance and immediacy to the impact of climate change on cultural resources, and it demonstrates best practices and solutions for action. By incorporating cultural landscapes into physical and digital interpretive materials, visitors can see the potential impacts of climate change, and the solutions and models offered by landscape preservation practices, and the power of traditional practices in maintaining healthy, balanced ecosystems.

By making these efforts and examples more visible, the effects of climate change response in cultural landscape preservation can extend far beyond park boundaries.

Resources and Examples

Castillo de San Marcos

NPS staff illustrate the treat of sea level rise to the oldest fort in the continental United States.

Duration:

3 minutes, 50 seconds

Have you ever felt stronger as part of a group? The history of the Castillo de San Marcos shows us that there's strength in numbers -- a lesson to remember as we face the challenge posed by climate change.