Mo.Na Project - 2nd Steering Committee Meeting and International Workshop

The Institute of Cultural Monuments “Gani Strazimiri”, Tirana, Albania, organized on 5-7 November 2019 the 2nd Steering Committee meeting and international Workshop on “The changing interaction in the balance between the human factor, cultural heritage and environment in accordance to the climate change – the case of Butrint”, in the framework of the project Mo.Na: “Monuments In Nature: A Creative Co-Existence”, project co-funded by the European Union and National Funds of the participating countries under the Program IPA Interreg Balkan Mediterranean.

The 2nd Steering Committee meeting was organized on November 5th 2019, in Butrint World Heritage Site, in the premises of the Butrint Museum, located in the Acropolis hill, with the participation of representatives from all project partner institutions from Albania, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria and relevant stakeholder institutions and experts. The Meeting was preceded by a site visit in Butrint World Heritage property showing main features and selected case study archaeological remains.

The International Workshop on “The changing interaction in the balance between the human factor, cultural heritage and environment in accordance to the climate change – the case of Butrint”, was organized during 6-7 November, 2019 at the Tirana International Hotel.  

The main purpose of the international Workshop was to contribute to the better understanding of properties where natural, cultural values and human factor interact with each other as well as on management issues affecting them in the light of climate change. The need to improve exchange and cooperation between all relevant stakeholders, including particularly heritage professionals other disciplines and community was very clear.
 
The international Workshop was a stimulating mix of contributions from a wide range of disciplines and experts, including national and regional governmental and scientific institutions in Albania, academics and heritage professionals from Albania and international institutions that are partners within the framework of Mo.Na project who presented national case studies from Albania, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria. These provided deep insights into the general context of understanding and managing the cultural and natural heritage, their interaction in the light of climate change and taking into account the human factor. Presentations also highlighted the need for case-specific solutions.

The presentations covered disciplines in the conservation of mosaics, archaeology, cultural heritage, environment, biodiversity, hydrogeology etc., and topics in 5 selected sessions namely:

Conservation of cultural heritage and archaeology in Butrint,
Monuments in nature – Nature-Culture linkages,
Climate change and Cultural Heritage,
Human Factor in cultural and natural heritage,
Challenges for maintenance of archaeological remains