The increasing number of extreme water-related climate events is affecting our ways of life, and destroying the cultural heritage that has taken thousands of years to be established. May 20th, SD-WISHEES will be hosting a workshop on “Extreme water events and indigenous peoples: how ancestral knowledge can support climate adaptation measures” at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali. The event will take place on the Water 4 All Pavilion (Room: PC15) from 15-16.30h. This 90 -minute event, in the sidelines of the World Water Forum, is designed to bring together experts from indigenous communities and areas affected by flood or drought erosion, to give the floor to this relatively new Nexus for Water-Climate and Cultural Heritage.

Our cultural heritage, whether it is the way we live, the buildings that we live in, or the natural landscape that we share our time with, is in danger of being eroded or washed away. SD-WISHEES is a consortium of researchers, water governance and cultural heritage experts that is collaborating with a Research Funding Organisations in Europe and beyond to understand some of the innovation pathways for climate adaptation, and the barriers to entry for new investment in this area.

Outline of the Event:

This event will be moderated by Amanda Loeffen, CEO, Human Right 2 Water and advisor on human rights, SD-WISHEES.

The event will have a cultural performance to highlight indigenous values through art, music and dance. There will be presentations by Jessica Amadio (Coordination Team at SD-WISHEES, CNR), Eddy Moors (Rector at IHE Delft Institute for Water) who will talk about how hydroclimatic events can effect cultural heritage and how ancestral knowledge can support climate mitigation and adaptation, Tekaherha Logan Lazore (Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Canada) covering erosion affecting islands in Ontario and Quebec, and Prem Singh Tharu (Regional Programme Officer, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) Nepal) describing how their cultural heritage has been affected by climate change. Looking at innovation pathways, the following presentations from Jordi Morato (Coordinator at UNESCO Chair on Sustainability, Barcelona, Spain) and Ali Rhouma (Project Partner at SD-WISHEES, PRIMA, Spain) will present technical solutions to adaptation designed around ancestral knowledge. The event will close with a discussion with the audience to understand some of the challenges and barriers to attracting investment into these types of projects.

RSVP to the event: here