Webinar: Bridging Assets and Actions: The Cultural and Natural Heritage Ecosystem

Title: Bridging Assets and Actions: The Cultural and Natural Heritage Ecosystem
Subtitle: From Classification to Conservation – How Documentation Turns Heritage into Actionable Assets
Duration: 60-75 minutes
Target Audience: Heritage professionals, policymakers, educators, planners, conservators, community stewards

Part 1: The Foundation – Understanding Heritage as a Living Ecosystem

(15 minutes)

Slide 1: Welcome & Framing the Challenge

Visual: Split image – UNESCO logo beside burning Notre-Dame spire
Key Points:

• Heritage exists in a continuum: from systematic classification to emergency response
• Today’s question: How do we turn cultural assets into actionable preservation?
• Core thesis: Documentation is the critical bridge between identifying value and preserving it

Slide 2: The UNESCO Framework: Our Shared Language

Visual: UNESCO 2025 FCS diagram highlighting Cultural/Natural Heritage sectors
Key Points:

• Why classification matters: Enables measurement, funding, and policy alignment
• The three pillars of heritage ecosystems:
  1. Assets (buildings, landscapes, knowledge)
  2. Activities (crafts, conservation, education – mapped to ISIC/CPC codes)
  3. Actors (artisans, conservators, communities – mapped to ISCO codes)
• Quote: “We aren’t just looking at old buildings; we’re looking at the goods, services, and occupations that keep our cultural and natural legacies alive.”

Slide 3: The Safeguarding Paradox

Visual: Infographic showing multi-process cycle: Documentation → Preservation → Transmission → Repeat
Key Points:

• Preservation is not a single act but an ongoing system
• Three critical challenges:
  1. Digital obsolescence: Formats change, data decays
  2. Knowledge erosion: Displacement, aging practitioners, interrupted transmission
  3. Resource asymmetry: Notre-Dame’s $1B vs. Ukrainian churches’ urgent triage
• Reality check: Most heritage documentation happens after disaster strikes

Part 2: The Tools – Documentation in Action

(20 minutes)

Slide 4: Digital Documentation: The New Frontier

Visual: Comparative table: Traditional vs. Digital Documentation
Traditional: Hand measurements, photographs, drawings
Digital: Laser scanning, photogrammetry, drone mapping, digital twins
Hybrid: The winning approach

Key Insights:

• Notre-Dame revelation: The 2010 laser scan (created for academic study) became the single most valuable tool for post-fire restoration
• Ukrainian imperative: Document NOW, before more is lost forever
• Accessibility revolution: From €100,000 laser scanners to smartphone photogrammetry

Slide 5: Case Study A – Notre-Dame: The Planned Resurrection

Visual: Timeline graphic: 2010 scan → 2019 fire → 2024 reopening
Key Points:

• The asset: World Heritage icon, Gothic masterpiece (ISIC 9122/9130)
• The crisis: Accidental fire during restoration
• The documentation advantage:
  • Pre-existing laser scans enabled precise shoring of damaged structures
  • 19th-century drawings guided authentic timber reconstruction
  • Digital ecosystem (CNRS) consolidated all data types
• The human element: Traditional craftspeople using both ancient techniques and 3D models
• Critical debate: Restoration (faithful return) vs. Reconstruction (creative reinterpretation)

Slide 6: Case Study B – Ukraine: Heritage Triage in Conflict

Visual: Map of Ukraine with 1,200+ damaged heritage sites highlighted
Key Points:

• The assets: From wooden churches (cultural knowledge) to modernist theaters (contemporary heritage)
• The crisis: Deliberate targeting and collateral damage
• The documentation response:
  • Emergency scanning of sites before they’re completely lost
  • Drones (with military permits) documenting inaccessible areas
  • Creating “digital backups” for future reconstruction
• The stark reality: “We are losing our cultural heritage. Some of it we will be able to scan; the rest will be lost forever.” – Vasyl Karpiv
• Philosophical question: In conflict, is documentation itself an act of resistance?

Slide 7: Video Interlude – Two Worlds of Documentation

Play two contrasting clips back-to-back:

1. “Heritage Documentation as a Preservation Tool” (Historic Hawaii) – Systematic, planned
2. “Digital Documentation for Restoration” (Ukrainian webinar) – Urgent, crisis-driven

Discussion prompt: How do our documentation priorities change when time is a luxury versus when time is running out?

Part 3: The Decisions – Ethics, Memory, and Values

(15 minutes)

Slide 8: The Ethics of Memory: Erase or Preserve Trauma?

Visual: Side-by-side images: Reims Cathedral (shell damage preserved) vs. Notre-Dame (fire damage erased)
Key Questions:

• Should restoration erase scars or preserve them as historical testimony?
• When does “authentic” reconstruction become historical fiction?
• Ukrainian dilemma: Post-war, will cities memorialize destruction or rebuild to forget?

Framework for Decision-Making:

1. Document first – Create the record before deciding
2. Community consultation – Whose memory counts?
3. Multi-layered approach – Physical restoration with digital preservation of damage

Slide 9: The Human Ecosystem: Beyond the Technology

Visual: Photo montage: Carpenters hand-hewing Notre-Dame timbers, Ukrainian restorers scanning frescoes
Key Points:

• Technology is only a tool – It requires skilled interpreters
• Intangible heritage in action: The knowledge in craftspeople’s hands (aligned with ISCO codes)
• The Notre-Dame rooster: Newly gilded, containing a scroll with all workers’ names – symbolic fusion of craft, memory, and renewal
• Governance challenges: Who owns the data? Who decides its use? (The Notre-Dame data custodian problem)

Slide 10: Classification Meets Crisis: The UNESCO Framework in Real Time

Visual: Dynamic diagram showing how Ukrainian documentation efforts feed into international classifications
Process:

1. Field documentation (laser scanning, photography)
2. Data categorization (mapping to ISIC/CPC codes for craft, construction, conservation)
3. Economic valuation (enabling funding, insurance, policy)
4. Knowledge transmission (training next generation via digital models)

Powerful example: A scanned Ukrainian wooden church becomes:

• ISIC 1629 (wood product manufacturing)
• CPC 38997 (craft goods)
• ISCO 7316 (craftsperson occupation)
• Educational resource for post-war training programs

Part 4: From Theory to Action – Your Role

(10 minutes)

Slide 11: The Action Framework: Four Pathways

Visual: Four icons representing different stakeholder groups

1. For Policymakers & Planners:
   • Integrate pre-disaster documentation into heritage regulations
   • Align funding with UNESCO/OECD classifications
   • Support digital archive creation as critical infrastructure
2. For Heritage Professionals:
   • Document BEFORE crisis – your academic scan might save a monument
   • Master hybrid approaches (digital + traditional)
   • Contribute to open-access heritage data ecosystems
3. For Educators & Researchers:
   • Train the next generation in both technology and ethics
   • Develop “crisis documentation” protocols
   • Bridge academic research and practical conservation
4. For Community Stewards:
   • Advocate for documentation of your heritage
   • Participate in digital memory projects
   • Preserve intangible knowledge alongside physical assets

Slide 12: Resources & Next Steps

Visual: Collage of resource logos (UNESCO, ICOMOS, CyArk, etc.)

Immediate Actions:

• Explore: UNESCO FCS Part II classification tables for your sector
• Connect: Join digital heritage networks (e.g., Ukrainian “training for trainers” program)
• Document: Start with what you have – smartphone photogrammetry is free
• Plan: Develop a “digital will” for your heritage assets

Recommended Pathways:

• Deep-dive option: Analyze the “Cultural Knowledge” sector through Ukrainian craft traditions
• Policy option: Draft documentation requirements for heritage funding
• Community option: Create a story map using existing scans and local knowledge

Slide 13: Closing Thought – Documentation as an Ethic

Visual: Time-lapse of Notre-Dame scaffolding coming down, revealing restored spire
Final quote: “The fire did not claim any human lives, but it claimed a piece of our collective memory. What we document today becomes the foundation for what we remember tomorrow – and what we rebuild the day after.”

Call to action: Begin your documentation journey today – whether systematically or urgently – because heritage saved in data can be heritage saved in reality.

Q&A Preparation – Critical Questions from the Transcript

1. How do we balance high-tech documentation with traditional craft knowledge?
2. Who should own and control heritage data – institutions, communities, or international bodies?
3. In post-conflict settings, how do we decide between memorializing damage or erasing it?
4. What’s the minimum viable documentation for heritage at immediate risk?
5. How can UNESCO classifications help prioritize what gets documented first?

Presenter Notes – Key Transitions

• After Part 1: “Now that we understand what we’re trying to preserve, let’s look at how we actually do it – starting with the digital tools changing everything.”
• After Case Studies: “These two examples show opposite ends of the documentation spectrum. But both raise difficult questions about memory, authenticity, and values.”
• Before Conclusion: “Documentation isn’t just technical – it’s ethical, political, and deeply human. And it’s something each of us can contribute to.”

Updated Video Resources

Primary: Use clips from both recommended videos to show the documentation spectrum:

• Systematic documentation (Hawaii) – for stable contexts
• Crisis documentation (Ukraine) – for emergency response
• Post-disaster restoration (Notre-Dame) – for recovery phases

Alternative: Create a montage showing the same documentation techniques applied in completely different contexts (peaceful survey vs. conflict zone).

This updated presentation weaves together the theoretical framework with urgent real-world applications, creating a compelling narrative about why documentation matters – not just as a technical exercise, but as a fundamental act of preservation, memory, and resilience.