Erik de Maaker and Radhika Gupta have received a Seed Grant to initiate research on how heritage has been and can be mobilised to address climate change governance in Himalayan Asia. This project will address a significant knowledge gap on the potentials and pitfalls of climate governance, with an initial focus on two locations in the western and eastern Himalayas: Ladakh and Sikkim.
Climate adaptation strategies frequently include the sourcing of heritage, encompassing landscapes, built environments 4 and cultural practices. However, effective climate change governance requires taking into account the stakes of local communities as well as the power dynamics that shape heritage initiatives. So far, most research on the links between climate change and heritage has taken place in Europe and other OESO countries of the 'global north.'
