Sceilg Mhichíl was one of ten World Heritage Properties selected to be part of the first National Geographic-funded ‘Preserving Legacies’ Project, along with other famous sites such as Petra in Jordan, the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, and Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia.
The primary aim of the project is to educate and enable local communities to safeguard their own cultural heritage. The National Monuments Service (NMS) and Office of Public Works (OPW) were joint partners in this project and one of the key deliverables was the production of a Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) for Sceilg Mhichíl.
The assessment was undertaken throughout 2023/2024 and involved contributions from both technical and community experts. The report summarises both the process and results of a CVA of the Sceilg Mhichíl World Heritage Property. Drafted by Carrig Conservation for the NMS and the OPW, the report details the known and potential risks to Sceilg by climate change impact and puts forward actions to address mitigation and adaptation measures.
Comparison of the results between this CVA and a previous one undertaken ten years ago show that several of the impacts predicted back then have increased at the site, including rock fall, erosion, and access issues. It also suggests that management efforts to address impacts – in particular those around rock fall – have helped to reduce the risk and assist with its ongoing preservation. This highlights the importance of risk assessment as part of an iterative management process.
The NMS and the OPW, with colleagues in the National Parks and Wildlife Service, continue to work together to implement actions to address immediate threats, and look to the medium and long-term to ensure that Sceilg Mhichíl’s significant cultural and natural heritage is protected and preserved for the future. The publication of the CVA Report is an important first step in addressing climate change impact on our World Heritage Property.
The report was launched in Valentia Island, Co. Kerry on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at an event for the community that helped create it. The report can be found here.