Informing tough choices: developing tools to help heritage managers respond to the effects of coastal innundation on cultural heritage

Belsheim, Ariel Berit (2018) Informing tough choices: developing tools to help heritage managers respond to the effects of coastal innundation on cultural heritage. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Coastal archaeological resources are at considerable risk of impact from climate change, in particular, sea level inundation. Heritage managers across the country are tasked with protecting and managing these resources. This thesis investigates the impact of data resolution on a desk-based site vulnerability assessment. With 71% of surveyed cultural resources in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, actively eroding, identifying sites most at risk and prioritizing for management is integral. The goal of this thesis is to develop a vulnerability assessment tool for at-risk coastal sites and to provide heritage managers with practices and methods for selecting highly vulnerable sites for management response. Using a desk-based site vulnerability model, 81% of surveyed sites are expected to be at risk by 2025. This assessment illustrated the importance of accurate site location in desk-based modelling. Through an analysis of current practices, a method for utilizing the exposure of a site and a “value-based” approach is suggested. This method is then applied in Bonavista Bay to demonstrate how heritage managers may be able to prioritize vulnerable archaeological sites for management action.

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