Norway - Could today's conservation requirements be the nail in the coffin for Svalbard's cultural heritage?
The warming in Arctic regions is happening three times faster than the global average. This has major consequences for the unique cultural monuments at Svalbard.
The old cable car station and forge in the mining town of Hiorthhamn are among the cultural monuments that are in danger of being lost. They are weathering due to rapid coastal erosion, caused by accelerating climate change.
“Temporary security measures from 2021 show that the management practices in this case adapted in the face of the climatic challenges,” Ingalill Johansen Seljelv says.
She has taken her master's degree in cultural heritage management at NTNU, in collaboration with the research project PCCH-Arctic (Polar Climate and Cultural Heritage – Preservation and Restoration Management). Here, the researchers investigate issues concerning the conservation and restoration of cultural monuments in the Arctic in light of climate change.
Through fieldwork, observation, and analysis of documents, Seljelv has investigated how the owners of the cultural monuments and the management have handled conservation work in Longyearbyen and its surroundings in 2003–2022.
The forge was saved
Seljelv says that immediate measures at the forge were carried out a few days after permission had been granted. There was only a minimal delay due to a lack of personnel.
The proceedings were short, probably as a result of good and close cooperation early in the application process.
Temporary erosion protection at the cable car station was also carried out a few days after permission had been granted. In this case, the processing time was unusually short.
“This illustrates how the administration is able to handle an acute danger caused by climate change,” she says.
Management practice characterised by special conditions
The proceedings for measures on the cable car trestles, show how management practices on Svalbard over time have been characterised by several different conditions.
Owners must consider special factors when carrying out measures here. This involves aspects like financing, the decision's validity and terms, season, and logistics.
The mining company Store Norske was the custodian of the cultural heritage in the period examined. Responsibility now lies with the building conservation centre at Svalbard Museum on behalf of the state at the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries.
The measures have also, in many cases, been dependent on funding from Svalbard's environmental protection fund. The fund has two allocation rounds a year. The award is valid for three years. This gives time limits for carrying out measures. There are also restrictions on the season in which the measures can be carried out.
“If unforeseen events occur, you must wait until the next season. The validity of the permit decision sets the timeframe for the entire execution. If measures are not carried out before the decision becomes invalid, you can apply for an extended deadline if there are special reasons. If this is not the case, the permit will lapse. Then you must start the application process over again,” Seljelv explains.
The restrictions are ineffective and expensive. They can often worsen the condition of cultural monuments.
How should the practice be adapted?
Many of the documents that Ingalill Johansen Seljelv has examined, express a strong desire that the work on restoration must be made more efficient.
“Not only in terms of time use and finances, but also for climate reasons. Management practices on Svalbard should therefore be adapted considering climate change,” she says.
Such adaptation does not have to conflict with the regulations. On the contrary, it can be interpreted as being in line with both legislation, parliamentary reports, and the National Archives' climate strategy.
“I also believe that the wording in the decision on the preservation of the cable car facility can actually be used to allow new methods of maintenance and repair. It has previously conflicted with traditional management practices,” Seljelv says.
It may become necessary to use non-antiquarian methods
Climate change has had a major impact on the cable car facility and its management. Store Norske's first application for measures from 2013 was submitted after investigations showed that the condition had suddenly worsened. Probably because of a changed climate.
In the years after this, climate change continued to negatively affect the cable car trestles. Several applications for measures have mentioned changes in climate as a particularly important reason why they should be restored.
