Mapping of Sea-Level Rise Impacts on the Cultural Heritage of the Apulian Gulf of Manfredonia and Ionian Coast

One of the most severe consequences of climate change concerns the progressive sea-level rise. Nevertheless, the potential impact on the cultural heritage, especially the Apulian one, is nowadays widely underestimated due to the slow progress of the phenomenon. The studies that map the assets at risk due to sea-level rise are more sporadic and, in any case, present only at the interna-tional level. Knowing imminent risks and predicting future scenarios is essential to conserving and protecting our heritage effectively. In order to evaluate which cultural assets and archaeological landscapes in Apulia will be subjected to marine flooding or submersion by 2050 and 2100, the following research reviews and synthesizes the scientific literature regarding the coastal dynamics in Apulia, focussing on two of the most threatened Apulian coasts, namely the Gulf of Manfredonia and the Ionian arc between Ginosa and Taranto. A GIS mapping of the vulnerable coastal assets has been produced by super-imposing the available marine flooding projections for Apulia with the institutional heritage census databases. Various data sources were employed, including flood maps created by the Earth Sciences Department of the University of Bari Aldo Moro and territorial information systems about regional and national cultural assets and archaeological landscapes, such as ‘CartApulia’, ‘Vincoli in Rete’, and ‘Carta del Rischio’. The study’s results consti-tute a preliminary step towards defining a methodological standard applicable in other contexts to acquire a broader assessment of endangered Italian heritage, which is necessary for communal risk management planning. Finally, publishing the obtained maps could contribute to effective risk communication, increasing the communities’ awareness of climate change impacts, not only on the environment but also on the cultural heritage.