Cartagena Columbia in the evening, one of Preserving Legacies Heritage Sites
Schelig Migil in Ireland historical heritage site in the Preserving Legacies project
Aerial view of ocean and sand
Levuka Fiji historical Preserving Legacies heritage site
Carvings in sand stone at Petra from a Preserving Legacies visit in 2023
Coluns carved in sandstone at Petra, historic preserving legacies site
Temple monuments in South East Asia, Angkor Watt
An aerial view of ocean preserving legacies site
Woven textiles from Morrocco

Safeguarding Humanity’s Heritage

We are on a mission to safeguard the world’s tapestry of cultural places and practices from the impacts of climate change. By supporting local change makers with training, tools, and connections to equitably adapt what their communities cherish most, we’re redefining resilience to build a more just and thriving future.

Create a Future for Your Past

Join the movement of site custodians, scientists, storytellers, and community organizers working together to preserve their heritage from the impacts of climate change.

32

Sites

35

Countries

74

Custodians

473

Changemakers

Climate Change is Here, Take Action Now

No matter where you are on your climate adaptation journey, we have a home for you!

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Climate Custodian Cohort Program

A 3-year program that guides an annual cohort of 10 heritage places on a climate adaptation journey, from education to action.

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Community of Action

A platform for virtual learning, insights sharing, and relationship building to support anyone looking to take action to safeguard their site.

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Climate Heritage Resource Collection

A curated collection of resources, insights, and tools to enhance your climate heritage adaptation journey and elevate your work.

“I am excited to use my training to protect the area's cultural heritage and gain new experiences. Despite frequent droughts and severe winters, we are confident in preserving our nomadic farming, cultural heritage and historical monuments,"

Erdenesuvd Bayaraa
Climate Custodian, Kherlen River Basin

“Preserving Legacies has been a wonderful space for the exchange of experiences from different countries that has allowed us to implement new methodologies to understand, from the local context, the impact of climate change on the cultural heritage of Cartagena de Indias Colombia.”

Carlos del Cairo
Climate Custodian, Fortified Landscape of Cartagena de Indias

"Preserving Legacies has been a wonderful experience which has equipped us to respond to climate change at the Mosque City of Bagerhat. It has been amazing to meet so many incredible people from around the world dedicated to responding to climate change and I look forward to continuing our journey together."

Khandoker Mahfuz ud Darain
Climate Custodian, Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat

"With the increasing negative impacts of climate change, projects like Preserving Legacies support communities around the world to protect their cultural heritage in a proactive, sustainable, locally-led way, which is ultimately what leads to success in heritage preservation in the long run."

Ian Miller
Chief Science and Innovation Officer, National Geographic Society

Our Approach to Building Resilience

From education to action, our values-driven, community-led process ensures that climate adaptation solutions are sustainable, equitable, and effective.

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Learn

Enhance capacity through climate literacy training and understanding of plural knowledge system approaches.

Assesss

Develop climate risk assessments rooted in localized climate data and community values.

Act

Prototype a locally-led climate adaptation solution for testing, monitoring, and scaling.

Make a Difference in Climate Policy

We can reach further when we work together. That’s why Preserving Legacies is building a Community of Practice at the nexus of climate change and cultural heritage – and we want you to join. In 2024, we are welcoming cultural practitioners, professionals, researchers, advocates, local leaders, and those passionate about climate change and cultural heritage to help us shape global climate change adaptation policy for heritage.

Our partners

The climate crisis is too big to go at it alone and we are honored to work with partners who share our vision.