Title : Salt in the wound: Rock art degradation and climate change in the Australasian Monsoon Domain
Abstract:
To date research, planning, mitigation strategies, and adaptation policies regarding the effects of climate change on cultural heritage have focused on primary impacts like inundation from sea level rise. Drawing on work in Island Southeast Asia and Northern Australia, I will discuss multiscalar, secondary impacts and the unique challenges faced managing accelerating rock art degradation in the most climatically dynamic region on Earth – the Australasian Monsoon Domain. Using salt weathering/haloclasty as an example, I will discuss the mechanisms of art loss at panel, site, and regional scales. I will illustrate the complex issues faced, highlighting social justice inequities for communities with cultural responsibilities for their heritage. I argue that while interagency cooperation and strategic planning are vital for local governance, even the best interventions will have limited outcomes without serious, urgent reduction in global carbon emissions to net zero as soon as possible.
