Wales must do more to protect heritage sites including its prized castles from the impacts of climate change, according to a new report.
The nation has more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world, and yet they’re at serious and constant risk due to climate change, finds the report by Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Dr Lana St Leger, in collaboration with the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Derek Walker.
Culture And Climate Risk, launched at the National Eisteddfod, uses flood mapping and viewpoints of both locals and experts who contributed since the project launched in August 2023 at the National Eisteddfod.
While limited data is available on the extent of the risk, the report finds extreme weather, rising sea levels, wind and coastal erosion are some of the results likely to have the most devastating impacts on our tangible heritage assets, such as Ogmore Castle in Bridgend, where the commissioner and Dr St Leger met local school children to hear about the benefits of culture on their lives.
Some buildings could be damaged or disappear, and others could have their visual appearance altered, or become unsafe or inaccessible.
Dr St Leger’s analysis reveals Wales has more than 30,000 mapped cultural sites, and highlights that 4% of these are touching or within the Sea Flood Zone, including The Smallest House in Great Britain, in Conwy, and 12% are touching or within the River Flood Zone, including the National Lido of Wales in Pontypridd, and Wrexham’s Holt Bridge and the remains of Holt Castle.
Cultural venue Clwb y Bont in Pontypridd was devastated by Storm Dennis in 2020 and more recently the severe floods of January 2023 saw the club in around two inches of water. The January 2023 flooding also blocked two access roads to St Fagans Museum in Cardiff.
Recommendations and findings in the report, which also warns of the loss of intangible heritage such as stories and the Welsh language, have been produced by Dr St Leger.
Findings include:
- Displacement of language communities due to climate change may impact on the extent to which Welsh will be heard and used, affecting Welsh Government’s target of reaching a million Welsh speakers by 2050.
- Risks to Welsh speaking communities and educational infrastructure including an increased risk to Welsh-focused schools, as a result of extreme weather and rising sea levels.
- A loss of wildlife species and traditional agricultural practices could mean a loss to Welsh terminology and practices.
While the new school curriculum in Wales places a large emphasis on ‘cynefin’ the connection between culture and climate change is omitted in any flooding guidance. Budget cuts have been announced to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, and to CADW, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, as well as to other national cultural institutions including Amgueddfa Cymru, Arts Council of Wales and the National Library of Wales.
Welsh Government has acknowledged the problem in its Draft Culture Priorities (formerly Culture Strategy) published for consultation in July 2024 and the publication of a national Climate Resilience Strategy in autumn 2024 will offer a further opportunity to ensure action is taken to mitigate the impact of climate change on culture and heritage.
Dr St Leger recommends Welsh Government supports public bodies to protect, preserve and promote culture assets at potential risk of climate change and calls for a new Welsh Government taskforce to help maximise the benefits of a heritage sector which contributed £1.72 billion to the Welsh economy in 2018-19.
All public bodies are required under the Well-being of Future Generations Act to create well-being plans on how they’ll work together to improve the cultural, economic, social and environmental well-being, but analysis by the commissioner shows many are not fully and effectively embedding the legislation’s goal of a Wales with a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language.
While references to ‘language’ and ‘Welsh’ in 2023 well-being plans have risen, direct references to ‘culture’ and ‘heritage’ have decreased.
Public sector organisations, the report finds, should develop action plans to promote and preserve local culture and heritage assets. Local authorities (and others with heritage assets on their land such as National Park Authorities) need to take urgent action and will need resourcing to do so.
The report identifies as good examples of climate adaptation action within the cultural sector the work of CADW and partners to capture and preserve information about historic sites at threat from coastal erosion, for example at Dinas Dinlle coastal hillfort in Gwynedd, and ST Patricks Chapel at Whitesands Bay, Pembrokeshire.
Wales is the only country in the world with a Well-being of Future Generations Act, which means the Government and public services must improve the lives of people not yet born as they tackle today's issues.
Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, said:
“This important report shows the impacts of climate change pose significant threats to our precious heritage and cultural assets, celebrated by communities and tourists who visit from all over the world.
“I’m urging Welsh Government and public bodies including local authorities and national parks to use the Well-being of Future Generations Act to protect our national treasures and save our cultural future so that tomorrow’s children can run around castles, rather than just reading about them in story books or watching them in videos.
“This is a difficult time, with tough financial constraints and competing priorities and I urge everyone in Wales to work together to give culture the credence it deserves and realise its potential for solving societal issues and improving all of our lives”.
Dr Lana St Leger said:
“We are at risk of losing our cultural heritage because of climate change.
“Although we have world leading law which legislates for the protection of our future generations, not enough is being done to protect culture and heritage for our future generations to be able to touch, feel and see.
“This research highlights the importance of community voice needing to be at the heart of this and we also need to place culture at the heart of our political decisions in relation to climate change.”
