Earlier this summer I spent the week building a replica Iron Age roundhouse, using experimental archaeology to experience methods & tools, working with an incredible bunch of people. All so generous with their time & knowledge. It was hot work, but I learnt so much #archaeology #carpentersfellowship
![Flyer for Session 22: Persisting through Loss: Archaeological Perspectives on Climate Adaptation and Biodiversity. The text reads:
As climate change and biodiversity loss accelerate, cultural heritage is experiencing unprecedented risks. However, from ‘soils to songs’, the archaeological record and living heritage also demonstrate remarkable human resilience—strategies of ‘persistence’—that have allowed communities, ecologies and landscapes to adapt over millennia. This session aims to highlight how archaeological and heritage expertise can contribute to transformative climate action and sustainable development.
Acknowledging the entanglement of environmental, social and economic domains, this session invites contributions that move discussions beyond simply documenting risk and damage and might include, but are not limited to:
• Archaeology of Adaptation: Reflexions on how past societies managed and adapted to rapid environmental changes and what these strategies offer contemporary climate adaptation.
• Heritage as a Sustainer of Biodiversity: Case studies illustrating how archaeological sites and traditional land management techniques protect and encourage biodiversity.
• Navigating Loss and Damage: Innovative approaches to documenting, interpreting, and communicating climate driven loss and damage within the historic environment.
• Local and Indigenous Knowledge: Integrating traditional knowledge systems with science-based climate policy to build local resilience.
• A Just Transition: Consideration of contemporary tensions around land ownership models, climate policies, and the historic environment.
• More-than-Human: How might the past inform a shift in attitudes and behaviours from human-centric to more-than-human planning and design practices?
Note: this is intended to be a standard paper session but the organisers are happy to support creative interventions. Submit paper proposals to: clb593[@]york.ac.uk](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6uljsjklkfrswhox4cx7lhqv/bafkreihknpzgngjq67bbbbafwhbnokcv4tpak64g5atv634446ed2emuui)
