The Roman Maritime Villa in Ruins.: A remote climate vulnerability index assessment using a GIS-based risk assessment model.

This thesis aims to assess the risks of the consequences of climate change for the preservation of the archaeological remains of Roman maritime villas (ca. 200 BC-500 AD) on the coast of South-Latium, Italy and the surrounding cultural landscape. This will be done using the relatively new methodology “Cultural Vulnerability Index”(CVI) tool for heritage which is a valuesbased, rapid risk-assessment methodology developed for cultural and natural world-heritage (Day et al., 2019, p. 5). The CVI assessment first evaluates which key values are relevant forthe heritage, and after, how these values will be affected by different climate hazards. After which, the adaptive capacity of the community is taken into account, to better assess, what the impact on the community will be. The final outcome is a three point scale judgement of the vulnerability of the heritage values to the relevant climate hazards. The main advantages of the CVI methodology is that it balancesscience and practice into...Show moreThis thesis aims to assess the risks of the consequences of climate change for the preservation of the archaeological remains of Roman maritime villas (ca. 200 BC-500 AD) on the coast of South-Latium, Italy and the surrounding cultural landscape. This will be done using the relatively new methodology “Cultural Vulnerability Index”(CVI) tool for heritage which is a valuesbased, rapid risk-assessment methodology developed for cultural and natural world-heritage (Day et al., 2019, p. 5). The CVI assessment first evaluates which key values are relevant forthe heritage, and after, how these values will be affected by different climate hazards. After which, the adaptive capacity of the community is taken into account, to better assess, what the impact on the community will be. The final outcome is a three point scale judgement of the vulnerability of the heritage values to the relevant climate hazards. The main advantages of the CVI methodology is that it balancesscience and practice into one structured and rapid methodology. The methodology is adjusted to fit the current study which assesses non-world heritage sites. Moreover, the current study is performed fully remotely using a spatial, GIS-based risk-assessment model as input for the CVI assessment. The model operates for different climate hazards, on different scales, for a rapid assessment. Because of its layered character, it can be easily adjusted to fit additional climate hazards or wider scales and other research areas. The model is constructed using only open data and open software. The risk-assessment model shows that even in a low-impact future climate scenarios, different climate hazards pose a serious threat to the Roman maritime villas. The CVI assessment shows that the key values of the heritage are highly vulnerable for climate hazards that are relevant for the study area. This study has shown that the CVI methodology can also be applied to non-world heritage sites. It has also shown that the CVI assessment can be carried out remotely, using a riskassessment model. The risk-assessment model can be complementary to the CVI-assessment as it provides better insight into the future course of climate hazards A limitation of the remote CVI assessment is that it affords a less detailed picture of the current state of the heritage. Finally, this study’s result reflect positively on the developments within the open science movement, proving that open data and open software can fruitfully be employed for heritage management.Show less

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The Roman Maritime Villa in Ruins. A remote climate vulnerability index assessment using a GIS-based risk assessment model.