ABSTRACT
Recent studies point out that the role of local communities in relation to disastrous events concerns much more than just providing first aid and that, on the contrary, the ability of a society to respond to disasters depends on local pre-disaster conditions and planning. The effects of the earthquakes in Haiti (2010), floods in Germany (2021), and volcanic eruptions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2021) illustrate cases where social vulnerability contributed in decisive ways to disasters. Such disasters are enhanced by vulnerability and result from interactions between a hazard (e.g., an earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, landslide, or flood) and the vulnerability of a particular community. In this context, the conservation and sustainable use of resources in our territorial ecosystems can mitigate damages created by disasters and pave the way to recovery and reconstruction. Such interventions may help prevent the impact of natural hazards on the intangible and tangible dimensions of cultural landscape heritage. Both dimensions have intrinsic values that must be protected and safeguarded against incessant and degenerative processes caused by continuing and unsustainable anthropic activities.
This chapter will present the theoretical framework of international conventions and agreements concerning relationships between disasters and cultural heritage, and discuss the evolution of risk perception as it relates to cultural heritage education by focusing on the role of international heritage professionals/agencies and on how approaches to risks perception regarding the management of cultural assets have evolved over time.
