Deterioration and loss of our historic environment due to intensification of natural erosive processes, exacerbated by climate change, outpaces available resources for preservation, and will accelerate over the coming century. Faced with unstoppable challenges, a ‘do-nothing’ approach is often regarded as the only option. However, the intersection of climate change impacts with irreplaceable heritage creates opportunities to explore fundamental questions about value, preservation, and the role of heritage in society. How should we assign significance to threatened assets? How should we identify priorities? Who should be involved in decision making? What is to be expected of communities, resource managers and researchers?

During an intensive fieldtrip and series of workshops, researchers, practitioners and community stakeholders will address these issues through the lens of threatened coastal heritage and vulnerable carved stone monuments, building upon the existing scholarship and expertise of team members. We will learn from each other and consider alternative futures using international and community experience.

The outcomes will assist in Historic Environment Scotland’s decision making processes, feed into sector-wide change via Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy and will be of wider societal relevance, giving insights into how we manage change and foster greater understanding of climate change impacts in Scotland by 2030.