Kulturbaserte løsninger: hvordan lokale og tradisjonelle skjøtselspraksiser bidrar til bærekraftig klimatilpasning i arealer under press

Culture-based solutions (CbS) can improve or provide alternatives to existing frameworks for nature-based solutions (NbS). Where NbS primarily focuses on local engineering measures for climate adaptation, society and culture are commonly framed as co-benefits rather than co-creators of the solutions. CbS as a concept was launched by UNESCO in 2016 as a framework of cultural knowledge and practices developed over centuries that provide solutions to climate-related challenges through building techniques, cultural landscapes and practices, and ways of organizing society. Culture-based solutions are thus at the intersection of culture and nature, and can help create sustainable climate adaptation at a landscape and societal level, and reach the root causes of climate vulnerability. During this four-year study (2025-2028), the researchers will assess how local, traditional, and indigenous landcare practices can address the root causes of climate vulnerabilities. By exploring four case studies across Norway – urban agriculture (Oslo), coastal heathland (Nordhordland), mountain farming (Valdres) and foraging (Salten) – this collaboration will investigate how cultural heritage can – in the face of modern rural and urban practices – promote sustainable climate adaptation. Local museums, volunteers, landowners, school students, and others will be invited to participate. The project is organized around two Culture Workshops (KulturVerkSted) that will be held at each place at the start and end of the project. The workshops will use art-based research methods in a participatory asset mapping exercise that identifies actions and processes that contribute to sustainable climate adaptation. The maps will be bound and exhibited in the final round of workshops, and afterwards at the local library. Throughout the project, participant observation, walking interviews, and semi-structured interviews will generate insight into how actors are involved in caring for the landscape and shaping landscape form and function. In this way, the project will map how the practices influence the landscape to shape, e.g. species diversity, water runoff, and temperature. The project will also investigate how the practices might contribute to other areas such as democracy, exclusion, and health. The aim is for researchers to engage actively and practically to learn practices and acquire knowledge in and about the landscape, and about the connections between humans and Earth systems. Through this approach, the researchers want to create academic dialogue and practical political insight into the role of culture in holistic management of the landscape for the sustainable adaptation of areas under pressure.