SVALBARD: HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT Cultural heritage and climate – risk assessment and adaptation planning

CONTENT INTRODUCTION ...... 3 BIOLOGICAL DECAY OF WOOD DUE TO ROT ...... 6 SOIL SUBSIDENCE AND EFFECTS ON FOUNDATIONS ...... 10 COASTAL EROSION ...... 14 HUMAN WEAR AND TEAR / TOURISM ...... 18

Illustration front page: Mine settlement Hiorthhamn with buildings on two “terraces”. The mine itself is situated far up in the mountainside Photo: Anne-Cathrine Flyen © NIKU.

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning 3

INTRODUCTION

Map showing Hiorthhamn at the north side of , opposite . Map: Norwegian Polar institute. This risk assessment and planning of risk reduction measures was developed as a part of the project Adapt Northern Heritage. For more information on the project, see the project web site https://adaptnorthernheritage.interreg-npa.eu/ One of the main results from the project is a guide for risk assessment and planning of risk reduction measures. This report is mainly based on this guide. The report is based on workshops held on site in 2018 and 2019 and has been written by Anne Cathrine Flyen, NIKU and Marte Boro, Riksantikvaren. The assessment took place in parallel to the development of the guide and important learnings from the work at Hiorthhamn were incorporated. As part of the assessment had been conducted in 2018, prior to finalisation of the project guide, some elements deviate from the final, published guide. Hiorthhamn covers a large area and encompasses multiple elements under threat of climate change which require adaptation. Due to challenges at the sites, with resources and prioritisation, the approach was taken to concentrate on and assess four well known, dominating hazards and impacts. The four site elements and their repsective impacts are:

1. Biological decay – cable car buck and sleepers 2. Soil subsidence and effects on building fundaments – Barack G 3. Coastal erosion – cable car central, smithy and locomotive 4. Human wear and tear - tourism

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning

Assessment details

Names and affiliations of assessors Attending the workshop in August 2018 From ANH: Anne Cathrine Flyen, NIKU, Marte Boro, Riksantikvaren, Norway Guðmundur Stefán Sigurðarson, Minjastofnun ĺslands, Iceland Hans Olav Stegarud, Sysselmannen at , Norway

Attending the workshop in August 2019 From ANH: Carsten Hermann, Historic Environment Scotland Marte Boro, Riksantikvaren, Norway Therese Sonehag, Riksantikvariatet, Sweden Anne-Cathrine Flyen, NIKU, Norway From the project CULTCOAST: Vibeke V. Martens, NIKU, Norway

The workshops were led by Anne-Cathrine Flyen and Marte Boro. Sysselmannen at Svalbard, the islands' governor, was one of the project's Associated Partners.

Version number of the assessment 1 - English

Date of completion of the August 2019 assessment

Assessment type X Standard level Comments on assessment process The risk assessment was carried out in 2018 based on ANH`s preliminary guidance. The guidelines have since been changed, partly based on input from the process in Hiorthhamn. The result from Hiorthhamn have only partly been updated in accordance with the revised guide.

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning 5

Cultural environment

HIORTHHAMN

Description of the Hiorthhamn is a former small settlement for mining of coal at Svalbard, historic place Norway. It was a small community, in use from 1917 to 1940. The mine was located high up in the mountain. The coal was transported from the mine mouth by aerial cableways down to the shore, where the black gold was transferred onto ships. The workers partly lived up by the mine and partly down by the coast. Today, several houses and remains of the cableway and railroads are left.

The site has a total of 14 buildings, including remains from other phases of operation such as cable cars, railways, tracks, etc. Some of the old houses are now used as cottages. The area also contains some newer cabins, which are not included in the listed area. The cultural environment extends from the sea and up to steeper terrain. The buildings are located on two levels, terraces, in the landscape with a steep slope in between.

The climate is changing rapidly in the area. More rain, less frozen ground, and more erosion, due to less ice in the fjords during the winter, is leading to increased degradation and more damages.

Cultural Heritage In Svalbard, all cultural monuments from before 1946 are automatically designation protected. Protection of cultural heritage in Svalbard is laid out in the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act. The overarching principle is that Svalbard’s cultural monuments shall be protected and looked after as a part of Svalbard’s cultural heritage and identity, and as a part of a comprehensive policy towards environmental management.

The cultural environment in Hiorthhamn is the second largest collection of protected objects on Svalbard. Only the old mining town of Ny-Ålesund, which today has been converted into a modern research village, contains more protected units. The facility in Hiorthhamn is very authentic and still contains many of all the small parts that make up a "living" cultural environment. The comparable coal mining towns that exist on Svalbard in terms of age, size, and design (Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund, and ) are not as well preserved and authentic as Hiorthhamn. The mining town is therefore unique and has a high conservation value as an example of an almost complete mining facility from the beginning of the 20th century.

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning

Degradation / damage type 1 BIOLOGICAL DECAY OF WOOD DUE TO ROT

Part of the cable car facility that carried the coal from the mine high up in the mountains and down to the loading facility at Adventfjorden. The tightening station to the left and, to the right, a pole that is attacked by rot and has, as a result, collapsed. Photo: Anne-Cathrine Flyen © NIKU

The railway track is partly preserved. In some parts only the sleepers are preserved. The above photo shows the wooden walkway which is partly laid on top of the sleepers. Photo: left Guðmundur Stefán Sigurðarson, Minjastofnun ĺslands, middle Anne-Cathrine Flyen, NIKU. Photo: Marte Boro © Riksantikvaren.

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning Information – the historic place and the chosen hazard

Hiorthhamn: Barack G, a cable car buck and railway track (sleepers) Degradation of wood due to rot Description

ID Place Description 1 Hiorthhamn, selected Wooden construction: cable car buck, sleepers, and Barack G wooden objects

Description chosen hazard to investigate

Degradation of wood due to rot is a major challenge at Hiorthhamn. It is especially the timber foundations, the cable car trusses and wood that lie directly on the ground (for example the wooden sleepers after the trolley track) that are exposed to rot. The rot’s degradation is driven by the increasing temperature and precipitation, and by the length of the period the active layer is thawed.

X Standard level: Summary of Risk Register - rote Risk rating 0-16 Description Risk rating Time horizon1 Time horizon 2 Today 2050 BARACK G has major damage, related to the foundation, the wooden 9 12 structures, and the exterior (panels, mouldings, windows etc). This Major risk Extreme risk assessment focusess on rot.

Damages to the foundations – see below.

CABLE CAR BUCK – timber constructions - foundation 12 16 Major rot damage due to moisture in the transition air / soil / frozen Extreme risk Fallen down soil.

REMAINS OF RAILWAY - sleepers 12 16 The rail track is dilapidated, but parts of the sleepers and rails are Extreme risk Lost preserved. The sleepers are partly damp and partly dry, with access to oxygen. Rot and wear and tear by people and snowmobiles work together and intensify the degradation. When trampled, the wood collapses faster than the natural decomposition dictates. Lack of understanding that it has cultural value.

Highest-ranked acceptable risks

Description Risk rating

Time horizon1 Time horizon 2 Today 2050 We have basically chosen hazards that today represent great risk, other hazards are not assessed. Therefore, there are no acceptable risks here. Summary of increasing risks

Damage from rot presents great challenges and will increase in the future, so that the objects are lost over time. How quickly this happens is difficult to estimate, but the current situation indicates large losses in the future. Summary of decreasing risks Not applicable Effect of occurrence of impacts on key cultural heritage values Key values Current rating Revised rating / Comments No action taken before 2050 Barack G 3 Outstanding 1-2 Minor to Can now be repaired but will, as Major time goes on, demand huge number of resources and large- scale loss of original materials. Cable car buck 3 Outstanding 2 Major Assuming only residues in the soil surface are left. This means that the cable car can be seen up close, not from a distance as a visually important element in the cultural environment. Structure and authentic material will be gone Sleepers 2 Major 0 Lost Conclusions The Barack G will continue to degrade, and the main construction will be lost by 2050 if not secured / repaired. The cable car bucks are exposed structures, and with increased climate impact (increased temperatures and more moisture), the decomposition will lead to collapse. This will result in a significant loss of cultural-historical values, especially when it comes to experience value. They are very important cultural-historical elements that help to mark the site's mining history. The sleepers and the rails are to a greater extent broken down (the rails are largely gone) and they can be said to be somewhat less important from a cultural-historical point of view.

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Summary of Adaptation Measures Register

Increased biological growth - rot Consequence assessed Consequence 1

ID Measure Adaptation measure Adaptation type Location Potential effect on cultural ID (short title) where significance including measure mitigation example would be installed 1 DOCUMENTATION + MANAGE UNCERTAINTY Positive MANAGEMENT Indirectly: PROTECT, PLAN STRENGTHEN and REACT TO (applies to the DAMAGE entire cultural Manage better - indirectly by environment and all increasing knowledge of the types of major cultural environment, challenges) dissemination to users / the public, establishing a management plan / action plan based on more thorough knowledge 2 Cable car buck: STRENGTHEN – REACT TO Cable Negative, but the STRENGTHEN THE DAMAGE car buck alternative is worse CONSTRUCTION Either through additional Additional support reinforcement or by replacing original damaged material with fresh wood of equivalent/same type. Possibility of changing the technical solution at the air / ground transition. 3 Barack G – see Summary of adaptation measure register - soil subsidence

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning

Degradation / damage type 2 SOIL SUBSIDENCE AND EFFECTS ON FOUNDATIONS

Barrack G: The building has damages from foundation failure and secondary damages on the wooden part, and from a lack of repair/maintenance. Some of the windows are broken, main structures are damaged. Photo to the right shows one of the foundations (pile) that has been pushed over, probably by a combination of soil subsidence and gravity, and a temporary foundation. Photo (left): To the right Anne-Cathrine Flyen © NIKU.

A building in the area with huge damages due to soil subsidence. Photo: Marte Boro © Riksantikvaren.

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning 11

Information – the historic place and the chosen hazard

Hiorthhamn: Barack G Soil subsidence and effects on building fundaments Description ID Place Description 1 Barack G – the fundaments Timber log building, inside panelled, standing on wooden foundations. Description chosen hazard to investigate

The mining town is located on the mountainside and at the foot of Hiorthhfjellet. Recent years' changes in air temperature and precipitation, as well as an extended period of the active layer being thawed throughout the year, have led to an increase in soil subsidence problems. The buildings at the foot of the mountains on both levels /terraces are exposed, and several of them have had problems with the foundations. In this context, Barack G at the upper terrace, has also skews, damage to the main structures and exterior.

Pile foundations that have worked well, due to the permafrost, are now being pushed on, so that they are inclined and no longer hold the buildings in place as before. This has led to damage to the wooden structure. This, together with a lack of repair and maintenance, has meant that the building's exterior has major deficiencies, so that moisture penetrates the buildings fabric.

X Standard level: Summary of Risk Register – soil subsidence Risk rating 0-16 Description Risk rating Time horizon1 Time horizon1 BARACK G – fundaments The buildings are affected by former roof in bad conditions and failure of the foundations.

Soil subsidence has led to the foundation failure, which in turn has led to slips, skews, and fractions in the buildings structure. The foundations have been replaced by temporary “package foundations”. These packages have taken over the functions of the piles. Now some of these have started to slip. They were intended to be temporary, however, they have been there for 18 years.

Permanent foundation solutions should be installed, and the rest of the building should be repaired.

2 levels of consequence are assessed, with differing degrees of severity:

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning

1 - Huge additional damage 9 12 . Rating score impact likelihood: Today: 3 Likely to Major risk Extreme risk occur, 2050: 4 Very likely to occur . Severity rating: 3 Major . Risk: Today 3 x 3 = 9; 2050: 4 x 3 = 12 2 - Total collapse 8 12 16 . Rating score impact likelihood: Today: 2-3 Un-/Likely Major Extreme Extreme risk to occur, 2050: 4 Very likely to occur risk risk . Severity rating: 4 Catastrophic . Risk: Today 2/3 x 4 = 8-12; 2050: 4 x 4 = 16 Highest-ranked acceptable risks

Description Risk rating Time horizon1 Time horizon1 Today Today We have chosen hazards that today represent great risk, other hazards not assessed. Therefore, there are no acceptable risks here. Summary of increasing risks There is now a major risk for additional damages, and this is unacceptable. In 2050 the risk is extreme. The likelihood of total collapse now is assessed as unlikely to likely. Because the consequences are so huge, the risk is assessed as major to extreme. In 2050 the risk is assessed as extreme. Summary of decreasing risks Not applicable.

Effect of occurrence of impacts on key cultural heritage values Key values Current rating Revised rating Comments No action taken before 2050 Barack G – additional damages 3 Outstanding 1-2 – Minor to Can be repaired but Major will demand huge number of resources and large-scale loss of original materials. Barack G – total collapse 3 Outstanding 1 – Minor Ruin Conclusions The buildings at Hiorthhamn tell an important story. Loss of some of the buildings will reduce the cultural value for the entire environment. Today’s condition leads to continuous degradation which will eventually lead to collapse. When this will happen is uncertain, but repair and maintenance will delay this for a long time.

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Summary of Adaptation Measures Register Soil subsidence and effects on building Consequence assessed Consequence 2 fundaments ID

Measure Adaptation measure (short Adaptation type Location Potential effect on ID title) where cultural significance measure including mitigation would be example installed 1 DOCUMENTATION + MANAGE UNCERTAINTY Barack G Positive - MANAGEMENT PLAN Indirectly: PROTECT, indirectly (applies to the entire STRENGTHEN and REACT cultural environment and TO DAMAGE all types of major Plan for securing the challenges) building, establishing sustainable foundations and repair of the exterior should be included as an important part of this plan. 2 SECURING AND REPAIR . Immediate measures to Barack G Positive make the building withstand wind and rain . Establish sustainable foundations . Improve the constructions and the climate shell . Measures at the slope behind the building (for example insulation of the slope, to keep the permafrost, so that the soil masses remain steadily frozen)

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning

Degradation / damage type 3 COASTAL EROSION

Parts of the mining town of Hiorthhamn seen from the beach. In the background you can see the cable car station and the smithy, in the foreground parts of the locomotive, machine parts and remains of wooden carriages. The photo to the left is from 2011, to the right from 2018. Today all the wooden remains at the beach are gone and most of the metal remains (parts of machines and locomotive) are buried in the sand. Photo: left Anne-Cathrine Flyen © NIKU, right Marte Boro © Riksantikvaren

The photo to the left shows that the distance to the coastline from the smithy and the cable care station is longer than seen at the illustration to the right from 2019. The situation autumn 2020 marked in red. Illustration: NIKU

Information – the historic place and the chosen hazard

Hiorthhamn: Cultural landscape, cable car station, smithy, locomotive, and railway Coastal erosion Description ID Place Description 1 Hiorthhamn, shore area. Cable car station – a big wooden construction with concrete foundations. Smithy – a small wooden building Remains of railway and locomotive with wagons. The cable car carried coal down from the mine to ships. The coal was taken from the station out onto a pier (now lost) for on- board loading.

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Description chosen hazard to investigate

The lower parts of the site, which are located right on the shoreline, are highly exposed to coastal processes. In recent years, the beach brink between the remains of the locomotive and towards the Cable Car Station has been exposed to severe coastal erosion. Aerial photos from 2009 and NIKU's measurements from 2019 and 2020 show that large parts of the beach bank have collapsed. Today, there are only 2 meters from the cable car station and the smithy to the water edge. Both high tide and wave activity severely erode the loose masses at the shoreline and wash them out. Up on the beach, just next to the remains of the locomotive (which is down by the beach), the railway is exposed. Elsewhere, the beach grows. This applies in the area from the remains of the locomotive and westwards. The locomotive itself is now partially buried in the sand and lighter parts of carriages made of wood have been washed away.

X Standard level: Summary of Risk Register – coastal erosion Risk rating 0-16 Description Risk rating Time horizon1 Time horizon1 Cultural landscape 8-12 12 The parts of the site towards the sea are strongly exposed to coastal processes, especially erosion.

Cable car station 12-16 LOST Is today (2020) only 2 m (ca) from the erosion edge, and this distance has decreased considerably the last years. The foundations will, in short time, be undermined and then the building will collapse.

Smithy 12-16 LOST Is today (2020) only 2 m (ca) from the erosion edge, and this distance has decreased considerably the last years. The foundations, will in short time, be undermined and then the buildings will collapse.

Locomotive 12 BURRIED/ The locomotive is partly buried in sand. Several wagons and the LOST sleepers, earlier (few years ago – see pictures p.14) situated on the beach by the locomotive, have been washed away and are already lost.

Railway 8-12 12-16 The railway is undermined, due to coastal erosion and disappears more and more each year.

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning

Summary of increasing risks

Increasing risk, due to coastal processes, especially coastal erosion. The reason for this is climate change, less ice on the fjord and therefore more waves all year around. Summary of decreasing risks No risk reduction.

Effect of occurrence of impacts on key cultural heritage values Key values Current Revised Comments rating rating No action taken before 2050 The site, as a hole, shows how the 4 3 The value of the entire site will be mining town is organised and how reduced if the objects along the important the shipment of coal was, shore are lost. and consequently, how important the location by the sea was. The cable car station, the most 4 0 If the cable car stations foundations visible and iconic object at are undermined, the whole Hiorthhamn. It shows how the coal construction will collapse. was transported down from the Gradually, parts will be washed mine and carried out across the pier away of the sea. Then this iconic for on-board loading. building and the main value as symbol of the mining town will be Many of the cable car poles have lost. fallen and several are in a bad state, probably falling soon. Therefore, the station is the most important, and gradually, the only link between the mining town and the mine up in the mountain. Other built elements, primarily the 3 0 If the buildings and other elements smithy and the locomotive are undermined, due to erosion, The railway went from the workshop and washed away or buried in the further up on the site, down to the sand, the value will be partly or totally lost. shore and towards the pier. The railway and the locomotive show the important transport system at the site. Conclusions Today, it is an extreme risk for erosion to undermine the cable car station and the smithy. They will then collapse.

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Summary of Adaptation Measures Register

Consequence assessed Coastal erosion Consequence 3 ID Measure Adaptation Adaptation type Location where Potential effect on ID measure (short measure would be cultural significance title) installed including mitigation example 4 IMMEDIATE Immediate action, to At the shore Positive ACTION protect the cable car station and the smithy during the winter – get time to plan more permanent action 1 DOCUMENTATION MANAGE Positive + MANAGEMENT UNCERTAINTY PLAN (applies to Indirectly: PROTECT, the entire cultural STRENGTHEN and environment and REACT TO DAMAGE all types of major See description over. challenges) Manage better - establishing a management plan / action plan based on more thorough knowledge

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning

Degradation / damage type 4 HUMAN WEAR AND TEAR / TOURISM

Wooden footpath that facilitates access during very wet periods, connecting the shore and the buildings further up in the mining town. The wooden path is laid on top of the old and listed sleepers from the small trolley track that ran between the cable car station / quay and the workshop buildings. Photo: Anne-Cathrine Flyen © NIKU

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Information – the historic place and the chosen hazard

Hiorthhamn and human wear and tear / tourism

Description

Place Description

Hiorthhamn – whole site The area by the shore, where people are landing, is particularly exposed, due to people walking around. A challenge is also, that it is not easy to understand what has cultural value and what has not (lack of interpretation).

Description chosen hazard to investigate

Both cottage owners and visitors use Hiorthhamn diligently, and we see several signs of wear and tear due to use. In winter, Hiorthhamn is a popular destination, and cabin owners, who go out to their cabins on Revneset, drive through the mining town. Snowmobiling has left clear marks on the ground and is especially visible down at the coastline. In the summer, especially in the period just after the snow melts, the ground is often very wet between the fjord and the buildings up in the mining town. To facilitate access to the cabins in Hiorthhamn, the cabin owners have laid out a wooden path, which in places rests on the remains of the wooden sleepers from the old train tracks. This causes significant wear and degradation for the sleepers. Day visitors, especially canoeists, often go ashore in the area where the beach bank is particularly loose and vulnerable to degradation. This leads to further degradation and speeds up the coastal processes. This is not directly climate-related, but increased climate pressures increase vulnerability. Together with more tourist visiting, it highlights a need for protecting the site against wear and tear from human intervention. In the following, this hazard is not assessed in the same way as the other hazards when it comes to assessing risk and loss of cultural values. We have, however, assessed possible measures to decrease the consequences.

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning

Summary of Adaptation Measures Register

Consequence assessed Human wear and tear /tourism Consequence 4 ID Measure Adaptation measure Adaptation type Location where Potential effect on ID (short title) measure would be cultural significance installed including mitigation example 1 DOCUMENTATION + MANAGE Information Indirectly Positive MANAGEMENT UNCERTAINTY online, increased PLAN (applies to the Indirectly: PROTECT, knowledge among entire cultural STRENGTHEN and guides etc, but environment and all REACT TO DAMAGE also signs types of major See description over. (especially where challenges) people come This challenge is well ashore) and known at many sites on facilitation at the Svalbard, but site. Hiorthhamn is particularly exposed, due to being so near to Longyearbyen. A plan for measures to limit the wear and tear should be made.

Hiorthhamn CLIMATE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – Risk assessment and adaptation planning