Intangible heritage as a driver for a climate-resilient future
Based on the heritage practices we researched in the Water & Land project, and with commentary by Ignace Schops and Gertjan de Boer, this documentary shows the many connections between heritage and climate, as well as the challenges associated with them.
In a time of accelerated climate change and biodiversity loss, this documentary looks to the past for answers. “Water & Land. Intangible heritage as a driver for a climate-resilient future” shows how centuries-old agricultural techniques, crafts and historical systems – such as watermeadows, hedge laying and water mills – offer surprisingly relevant solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.
With images of case studies from Belgium and the Netherlands, we follow heritage bearers, farmers, volunteers and researchers who link heritage to climate adaptation and mitigation. From water storage in watermeadows and watermill landscapes to the composting of nature cuttings, and from bee research to strengthening biodiversity with laid hedges: the central question is always how nature and culture can reinforce each other.
Ignace Schops (director of Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland, chair of Bond Beter Leefmilieu) and Gertjan de Boer (programme leader for Water & Climate at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, chair of Platform Klimaat & Erfgoed) highlight the importance of an integrated approach, in which old techniques and local knowledge are key to a climate-resilient future. The documentary shows that our heritage is not static, but a living practice with great ecological, cultural and social value.
This documentary was created as part of the project "Water & Land. Intangible Heritage and Sustainable Development," a collaboration between the Centre for Agrarian History and the Dutch Centre for Intangible Heritage.
