Session Description
The Pacific presents unique challenges and opportunities for cultural heritage impact assessment. Heritage is often embedded within living communities, cultural landscapes, coastal environments, customary practices, and community identity rather than being limited to discrete archaeological sites or monuments. As infrastructure, climate adaptation, renewable energy, tourism, and urban development investments continue to expand across the Pacific, practitioners have been required to adapt traditional cultural heritage assessment approaches to local realities.
Embracing the conference theme of "Ka mua, ka muri: Looking back for the future of impact assessment", this session will also explore what has been learned from cultural heritage assessment in practice in the Pacific over the last decade. Drawing on project case studies, regional initiatives, and practitioner experience, the session will examine how heritage issues have been identified, assessed, managed, and monitored in real development contexts.
The discussion will focus on practical questions facing impact assessment professionals: How do we assess living heritage? How can cultural heritage considerations be integrated early into project planning? How do we address cumulative and climate-related impacts on cultural heritage? What lessons from Pacific practice have broader relevance for impact assessment globally?
Through presentations, reflections and discussion, the session will identify key principles for strengthening cultural heritage impact assessment in an era of rapid environmental and social change, contributing to a road map for future practice.
Session Summary
The session would explore how Pacific practitioners have approached cultural heritage impact assessment in real projects and what lessons have emerged for the future of impact assessment.
Session Chair
Sophie Butler
Full Circle Heritage
Australia
Session Co-chair
Flavia Scardamaglia
Heritagescape
Australia