SVALBARD: HIORTHHAMN HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT Cultural Heritage and Climate – Risk Assessment and Adaptation Planning
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SVALBARD: HIORTHHAMN 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 Adventfjorden, opposite Longyearbyen. 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, Norway Marte Boro, Riksantikvaren, Norway Guðmundur Stefán Sigurðarson, Minjastofnun ĺslands, Iceland Hans Olav Stegarud, Sysselmannen at Svalbard, 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, Grumant and Advent City) 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