The Interreg project INACO is presented in the Autumn 2025 issue of the renowned EU Research Magazine. The article, titled “Tools to Protect Cultural Heritage”, explores how the project is developing innovative strategies to better protecting vulnerable cultural and natural heritage sites in European river basin regions from the impacts of climate change.
EU Research is a widely respected European science magazine that makes socially relevant research projects accessible to a broad audience. The editorial team sees itself as a bridge between science, business, and society. With a strong commitment to clarity and quality, the magazine presents complex topics in a way that resonates beyond the academic world. The Autumn 2025 issue focuses, among other themes, on the protection of heritage in times of increasing extreme weather events.
INACO stands for INnovative strategies for the Adoption of risk management plans to enhance the resilience of sensitive Cultural and natural heritage Objectives against climate hazards in river basin districts. The project develops digital tools such as a Web-GIS platform and mobile apps for self-assessment of site vulnerability. It promotes the training of local „Heritage Risk Manager“ and tests tailored adaptation plans at eight pilot sites – including the Neusiedler See region, the Po Delta, and the coastal area around Dubrovnik. These sites illustrate the close interconnection between natural and cultural heritage – and their growing vulnerability to extreme weather.
„Extreme weather events can cause structural damage to buildings, and even when a flood recedes there may be secondary damage to the masonry, as the absorbed water can increase biodeterioration and salt crystallisation on building materials“
Alessandra Bonazza, Project Leader INACO
A particularly striking example is the Wachau region, which was severely affected by the devastating floods of 2002. Rich in historic architecture and cultural landscapes, the Wachau exemplifies the challenges INACO seeks to address. „The impact was felt across central Europe, for example the city of Prague and the surrounding municipalities saw very high water levels. The Wachau Valley in Austria was also badly affected.”, Bonazza explains in the article.
A key aspect of INACO is community engagement: „We have organised local events, roundtables and workshops to ask local citizens about
their needs, and to identify which areas they consider to be particularly vulnerable and which sites need protection“, Bonazza explains.
The article makes one thing clear: protecting cultural and natural heritage is not just a technical challenge – it is a societal responsibility. INACO demonstrates how European cooperation, local participation, and digital innovation can work hand in hand to raise awareness of climate threats and establish concrete protection measures across Europe.
INACO
The project develops transnational strategies, integrated web-based solutions and risk management plans to improve the resilience of Central European regions to the impacts of climate change on cultural and natural heritage in river basins.
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