tHREATS TO HERITAGE in crisis
The Blue Shield believes that even though damage to cultural property in conflict and natural disasters cannot be completely prevented, it can be limited. Proper preparations in peacetime, or acting in certain ways during and after conflict or emergencies, can mitigate some of the risks, limiting the damage. All of these preparations and activities, however, involve understanding the risks that heritage faces.
Based on current research, the Blue Shield has identified key threats to heritage in conflict - but many are equally applicable to disaster. These are combinations of types of damage, and motivations: it is only by understanding these combinations that we can think about how to stop them. They primarily relate to tangible cultural heritage, such as buildings, museum and library collections and archives, but it is important to remember that the cultural rights of people are also affected by a conflict or disaster.
Based on current research, the Blue Shield has identified key threats to heritage in conflict - but many are equally applicable to disaster. These are combinations of types of damage, and motivations: it is only by understanding these combinations that we can think about how to stop them. They primarily relate to tangible cultural heritage, such as buildings, museum and library collections and archives, but it is important to remember that the cultural rights of people are also affected by a conflict or disaster.
The Basrah regional museum in Iraq is a clear example of lack of military awareness and lack of planning.
It was heavily looted and badly damaged during the Coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003. UK soldiers present at the time made no attempt to protect it, and heritage protection had not been factored into mission planning in any way. As an apology, the British Army later contributed to its reconstruction as part of Operation Heritage.
© PersianDutchNetwork, December 2016, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It was heavily looted and badly damaged during the Coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003. UK soldiers present at the time made no attempt to protect it, and heritage protection had not been factored into mission planning in any way. As an apology, the British Army later contributed to its reconstruction as part of Operation Heritage.
© PersianDutchNetwork, December 2016, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Natural" Disasters
"Natural" disasters such as flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis, or droughts not only affect Earth’s biodiversity and landscapes, but also have a large impact on people and their heritage. These catastrophic events are global processes, which act on the environment and on heritage, and as a consequence, on the identity of the people. Such disasters have economic, political and identity implications.
Lack of Planning
If cultural property protection is not identified as an issue either before an armed conflict, or when prioritising activity following an environmental disaster, no resources will be allocated to it. No preparations will be made for its protection (such as practicing emergency evacuation in museums), no military unit will be allocated any responsibility for it, and emergency services will not be prepared.
ENFORCED NEGLECT
Another threat, which is often forgotten, is the consequences of neglect. During conflict and following environmental disaster, staff may not be able to access archives, historic buildings, libraries, museums, or sites, disrupting essential routine maintenance. Historic documents, books, objects, buildings, and sites need constant maintenance and without such care can rapidly deteriorate.
Development
Heritage is lost or damaged in crisis as a consequence of development (both buildings and agricultural expansion). When law enforcement cannot act, people may take the opportunity to develop into what used to be protected areas. The loss of heritage from illegal development is also a problem in peacetime, but is exacerbated when there is no law.
Deliberate reuse of sites
Some sites are damaged by their deliberate use and reuse. Although, at first glance, this may seem to be an issue of awareness, in many cases, those occupying sites are only too aware of their historic importance. Military forces may reuse sites due to their strategic importance, and those in crisis may be desperate for shelter.
looting and pillage
Looting is often regarded as an unfortunate side-effect of armed conflict and environmental disaster, but it can cause significant damage in its own right. History is full of examples of victorious armies removing the cultural property of the enemy they have just defeated as the ‘spoils of war’ ("pillage") and many modern conflicts are characterised by extensive digging into archaeological sites to look for objects that can be sold (sometimes to buy food and heating, or to fund the fighting).
lack of awareness
A considerable amount of heritage has been damaged and destroyed by fighting simply because the armed forces were not aware of it, or of its importance. This issue extends into disaster response, where first responders clear away the remains of heritage sites that could have been saved, as they were unaware of them.
COLLATERAL AND ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE
It has been suggested frequently that most cultural property is destroyed during conflict through collateral damage (the unintentional or incidental damage, affecting facilities, equipment or personnel that are not justifiable military objectives) or accidental damage (the unintentional or incidental damage affecting facilities, equipment, or personnel).
SPECIFIC (OR DELIBERATE) TARGETING AND DAMAGE
Cultural property can also be damaged by deliberate targeting, which falls into two types. Put (very) simply, a site may be deliberately targeted if it has become a military objective (its nature, location, purpose or use makes an effective contribution to military action); or it may be deliberately targeted as an act of vandalism (for example, the terrorist group ISIS destroyed sites like Palmyra with no military reason for doing it.)
The destruction of the Temple of Bel at the World Heritage site Palmyra by the terrorist group ISIS is a famous example of unnecessary deliberate destruction. They specifically targeted the site in 2016 and blew up several famous monuments.
Temple of Bel, at the World Heritage site Palmyra, 1995
Frank Kidner (Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University), CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
Temple of Bel, at the World Heritage site Palmyra, after destruction by the terrorist group ISIS in 2016.
Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
The Seven Risks to Cultural Property in Armed Conflict were created by Professor Peter Stone following his experiences in Iraq. You can read more about them in this open-access publication
Stone, P. (2019) The Seven Risks to Cultural Property in Armed Conflict. British Army Review Special Edition Culture in Conflict, 102-113. |