Glossary

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects

IPCC (2023): Annex I: Glossary [Reisinger, A., D. Cammarano, A. Fischlin, J.S. Fuglestvedt, G. Hansen, Y. Jung, C. Ludden, V. Masson-Delmotte, R. Matthews, J.B.K Mintenbeck, D.J. Orendain, A. Pirani, E. Poloczanska, and J. Romero (eds.)]. In: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 119-130.

The array of strategies and measures that are available and appropriate for addressing adaptation needs. They include a wide range of actions that can be categorised as structural, institutional, or social.

IPCC (2014): Annex II: Glossary [Mach, K.J., S. Planton and C. von Stechow (eds.)]. In: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 117-130.

[Adaptation Strategies] include a mix of policies and measures with the overarching objective of reducing vulnerability. Depending on the circumstances, the strategy can be set at a national level, addressing adaptation across sectors, regions and vulnerable populations, or it can be more limited, focusing on just one or two sectors or regions.

IPCC (2014): Annex II: Glossary [Mach, K.J., S. Planton and C. von Stechow (eds.)]. In: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 117-130.

The ability of systems, institutions, humans and other organisms to adjust to potential damage, to take advantage of opportunities or to respond to consequences in advance, learning from the past and preparing ex-ante.

IPCC (2023): Glossary, in Möller, V., R., van Diemen, J.B.R., Matthews, C., Méndez, S., Semenov, J.S., Fuglestvedt and Reisinge, A. (Eds.), Climate Change 2022 – Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Cambridge University Press, pp. 2897–2930 & Turchi, A., Lumino, R., Gambardella, D. and Leone, M.F. (2023), “Coping Capacity, Adaptive Capacity, and Transformative Capacity Preliminary Characterization in a ‘Multi-Hazard’ Resilience Perspective: The Soccavo District Case Study (City of Naples, Italy)”,
Sustainability, Vol. 15 No. 14, p. 10877.

The “archaeological heritage” is that part of the material heritage in respect of which archaeological methods provide primary information. It comprises all vestiges of human existence and consists of places relating to all manifestations of human activity, abandoned structures, and remains of all kinds (including subterranean and underwater sites), together with all the portable cultural material associated with them.

International Committee for the Management of Archaeological Heritage (ICAHM) (1990): Charter for the Protection and Management of the Archaeological Heritage. ICOMOS. Online: http://www.icomos.org/charters/Engl.%20Archaeological%20Heritage%20Management.doc

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to a set of computational techniques that enable machines to analyze data, interpret images, process and generate text, and automate complex tasks. These techniques rely on algorithms that process large volumes of data to build models used to recognize patterns, make predictions, and support automated decisions. Within the RescueME tools, AI is used for sentiment analysis and text summarization through Large Language Models (LLMs), for prompt-based image editing using diffusion models, and for image segmentation of remote sensing imagery. 

Augmented Reality (AR) is an interactive technology included in the spectrum of eXtended Reality (XR). AR is really close to physical world, blending digital elements with it, enhancing the user’s perception and interaction with their environment. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), which immerses users in entirely digital scenarios, AR superimposes digital information—such as 3D models, animations, data layers, and multimedia content—onto the real-world context, creating hybrid experiences that respond to physical surroundings in real time keeping contact with the real world. This is made possible through different type of devices, which can be AR headsets, smart glasses or mobile devices equipped with cameras, sensors, and location services, which allow AR systems to recognize surfaces, objects, or spatial coordinates and align digital content accordingly. This makes AR easily accessible to a wide audience by involving also devices, like smartphones, that most users nowadays carry in their pockets. 

Authenticity only applies to cultural  properties and to the cultural aspects of ‘mixed’ properties. Authenticity can be seen as the link between attributes and Outstanding Universal Value. 

According to paragraph 82 of the Operational Guidelines, a World Heritage property ”[] may be understood to meet the conditions of authenticity if their cultural values (as recognized in the nomination criteria proposed) are truthfully and credibly expressed through a variety of attributes”. 

A set of general attributes which may be conveying or expressing the property’s Outstanding Universal Value is suggested, and includes: 

• form and design; 
• materials and substance; 
• use and function; 
• traditions, techniques and management systems; 
• location and setting; 
• language and other forms of intangible heritage; 
• spirit and feeling; and 
• other internal/external factors. 

UNESCO: Glossary Authenticity. Online: https://whc.unesco.org/en/glossary/187 

Adaptation in response to experienced climate and its effects, without planning explicitly or consciously focused on addressing climate change. Also referred to as spontaneous adaptation.

IPCC (2014): Annex II: Glossary [Mach, K.J., S. Planton and C. von Stechow (eds.)]. In: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 117-130.