The integrity of monuments, historical centers and archaeological landscapes is nowadays increasingly threatened by the climatic change, the extreme meteorological phenomena and the natural hazards.
The Cultural Heritage monuments are exceptionally vulnerable to these threads while any loss or deterioration of these outstanding assets would negatively impact local and national communities, due to their cultural importance as a source of information on the past and a symbol of identity, as well as for their socio-economic value
Based on this observation, the European Commission made the call "SEC DRS11-2015: Disaster Resilience & Climate Change topic 3: Mitigating the impacts of climate change and natural hazards on cultural heritage sites, structures and artefacts" answered by HERACLES.
The main goal is to answer on a specific new challenge: Europe's cultural heritage is being lost at an alarming rate, not only due to natural decay and human impacts but frequently also as a result of environmental changes, climatic conditions or natural hazards.
Following the call of the European Commission, HERACLES project is aim to develop eco-innovative solutions to help mitigate the effects of climate change and natural hazards on cultural heritage sites, structures and artefacts taking into account the values they hold for people and respecting their historic and cultural integrity. Effective adaptation strategies, systems and technologies are needed for better risk management of vulnerable heritage materials and for mitigating damage to cultural heritage assests.
Proposals may include case studies and address and research gaps or barriers needed to respond to this challenge, including aspects relating to innovative environmental assessment methodologies, integrated monitoring technologies and systems, improved non-invasive and non-destructive methods of surveying and diagnosis including wide area surveillance, cost-effective conservation and restoration techniques, risk management, disaster prevention and quick damage assessment when catastrophes occur.
