On Thursday, February 27, 2025, Green Art Incubator successfully organized an international conference as part of the Green Heritage Initiative project, titled Cultural Heritage & Climate Crisis: From Conservation to Action. The conference brought together international and local experts in the fields of cultural heritage preservation and ecology, who discussed challenges and solutions related to heritage conservation in the context of climate change across three thematic panels. More than 50 participants from Serbia, the region, and Europe attended the event.
The conference was opened by Dr. Cathy Daly, a distinguished expert in cultural heritage conservation and climate change. Dr. Daly is a lecturer and co-founder of the Master’s program in Heritage Conservation at the University of Lincoln (UK), and a senior researcher at Carrig Conservation Ltd in Ireland. Her research focuses on vulnerability assessment of cultural heritage, monitoring the impacts of climate change, and developing adaptation strategies.
In her keynote lecture, Dr. Daly shed light on the role of cultural heritage in sustainable development, with a particular emphasis on just transition. She presented key projects, including Ireland’s Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Built and Archaeological Heritage, as well as international initiatives such as the ICOMOS Climate Adaptation Toolkit and the UNESCO Climate Action Toolkit for World Heritage.
Through case studies from Serbia and across Europe, participants of the second panel were introduced to strategies and innovative approaches to preserving and revitalizing cultural heritage in the face of climate change.
Panelist Lola Kotova, a researcher at GERICS (Climate Service Center Germany), presented the KERES project – an initiative focused on protecting cultural heritage from extreme climate events and strengthening its resilience. Dobrivoje Lale Erić, head of international cooperation at the Center for the Promotion of Science Serbia, discussed the FASIH – Future Art and Science Industrial Heritage project, which applies an interdisciplinary approach to the preservation of industrial and cultural heritage.
Additionally, Đorđe Krivokapić, an expert in digital rights and public policy, associate professor at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, and co-founder of the SHARE Foundation, together with Kristina Pavlak, a visual artist who combines design, storytelling, and technology in developing innovative heritage-related projects, presented the Perast: Mobilising Competences initiative. This project aims to foster long-term development of Perast through sustainable heritage use, participatory planning, and capacity building. They also presented Perast Passport, a project that offers an innovative approach to storytelling about a place.
The third panel focused on integrating cultural heritage into climate and development policies. Dr. Ksenija Marković Božović, a researcher in cultural policy and management at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts and co-founder of the Green Art Incubator platform, presented the Green Book of Recommendations for Policymakers, followed by a discussion on the role of cultural heritage in climate and development strategies.
Panelists also included Dr. Jermina Stanojev, an international cultural policy analyst and senior advisor on green and international policies at the European Heritage Hub, and Vesna Marjanović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra Serbia and member of the Council of Europa Nostra. They emphasized the importance of protecting cultural heritage through both national and European policies. Throughout the discussion, the panelists highlighted the key strategic recommendations from the Green Book, stressing the need to include cultural heritage within broader climate and development frameworks.
The Green Book of Recommendations for Policymakers is available on our website (in Serbian), and the full conference recording can be viewed on the GAI YouTube channel.
