tHREATS TO HERITAGE
The Blue Shield believes that even though damage to cultural property in conflict and natural disasters cannot be completely prevented, it can be limited. Proper preparations in peacetime, or acting in certain ways during and after conflict or emergencies, can mitigate some of the risks, limiting the damage. All of these preparations and activities, however, involve understanding the risks that heritage faces.
Based on current research, the Blue Shield has identified key threats to heritage in conflict and disaster. These are combination of types of damage, and motivations: it is only by understanding the combination that we can think about how to stop them. They primarily relate to tangible cultural heritage, like buildings, museum and library collections and archives, but it is important to also remember that the cultural rights of people are also affected by a conflict or a major environmental disaster.
Based on current research, the Blue Shield has identified key threats to heritage in conflict and disaster. These are combination of types of damage, and motivations: it is only by understanding the combination that we can think about how to stop them. They primarily relate to tangible cultural heritage, like buildings, museum and library collections and archives, but it is important to also remember that the cultural rights of people are also affected by a conflict or a major environmental disaster.
- Lack of Military Awareness
- Lack of planning
- Collateral and accidental damage
- Specific (or Deliberate) targeting and damage
- Deliberate reuse of sites
- Looting and pillage
- Enforced neglect
- Development
LACK OF MILITARY AWARENSSA considerable amount of heritage has been damaged and destroyed by fighting simply because the armed forces were not aware of it, or of its importance.
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lack of planningIf cultural property protection is not identified as an issue either before an armed conflict, or when prioritising activity following an environmental disaster, no resources will be allocated to it. No preparations will be made for its protection (such as practicing emergency evacuation in museums), and no military unit will be allocated any responsibility for it.
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Collateral and accidental damageIt has been suggested frequently that most cultural property is destroyed during conflict through collateral damage (the unintentional or incidental damage, affecting facilities, equipment or personnel that are not justifiable military objectives) or accidental damage (the unintentional or incidental damage affecting facilities, equipment, or personnel).
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Specific (or deliberate) targeting and damageCultural property can also be damaged by deliberate targeting, which falls into two types. Put (very) simply, a site may be deliberately targeted if it has become a military objective – for example, in 2016, ARA news reported “The terror group [ISIS] has a plan to avoid the US-led coalitions airstrikes and “the best way is to hide weapons and media centers inside the mosques”.
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Deliberate reuse of sites
Some sites are damaged by their deliberate use and reuse. Although, at first glance, this may seem to be an issue of awareness, in many cases, those occupying sites are only too aware of their historic importance.
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Looting and pillageLooting is often regarded as an unfortunate side-effect of armed conflict and environmental disaster, but it can cause extensive damage in its own right. History is littered with examples of victorious armies removing the cultural property of the enemy they have just defeated as the ‘spoils of war’, which is known today as pillage (that is, looting by armies, rather than looting by civilians).
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enforced neglectAnother threat, which is often forgotten, is the consequences of neglect. During conflict and following environmental disaster, staff may not be able to access archives, historic buildings, libraries, museums, or sites, disrupting essential routine maintenance. Historic documents, books, objects, buildings, and sites need constant maintenance and without such care can rapidly deteriorate.
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DevelopmentHeritage is also often lost or damaged in conflict as a consequence of development (both buildings and agricultural expansion). It’s important to note that the loss of heritage from illegal development is a common problem in peacetime.
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