Where the sea meets the land
Where the sea meets the land: Coastal heritage, community resilience and inclusion in a changing landscape (CoHeRe). (Prof Dr Anne Haour, PI), Research Project, CLARE programme, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) (2025-2026)
This project examines how heritage can play a meaningful role in building resilience to climate change, given its capacity to cohere communities through social responsibility. The West African coastal zone, the interface between ocean, lagoons and rivers, has a rich cultural and natural heritage, a result of complex interactions over centuries. It is home to fragile ecosystems, protected environments, endangered species, heritage sites and hidden archaeology of local and international significance. Our objective is to improve resilience to evolving climate and environmental hazards through increased engagement with, and management of, heritage. Heritage conservation teaches us that losses and damages cannot be entirely prevented, and that decisions about what to keep and what to let go are fundamental to maintaining values for future generations – even when what is valued is gone.
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