In recent years, the world’s cultural heritage has faced a radical transformation in its risk landscape. Climate change, geopolitical instability, the growth of tourism flows, digitalization, and new technological vulnerabilities are profoundly changing how museums, archives, libraries, and historical sites must think about their security.
The “Main Risk” No Longer Exists
Today, cultural assets are simultaneously exposed to multiple threats that influence each other. For this reason, more and more institutions are adopting an integrated management model: the multi-risk approach.
This article explores what multi-risk truly means, why it has become central to international policies, and how it can be practically applied to heritage protection.
What is the Multi-Risk Approach?
The term multi-risk approach refers to a methodology that simultaneously analyzes all types of risks that can affect a cultural asset, evaluating their interactions and combined effects.
It is not just about adding up different dangers, but about understanding how: – an earthquake can generate fires or secondary collapses – a flood can compromise electrical systems and security measures – a blackout can facilitate theft or damage.
The main risk groups include:
- Natural risks: earthquakes, floods, landslides, heatwaves, extreme weather events.
- Anthropogenic risks: arson or accidental fires, acts of vandalism, theft, armed conflicts.
- Technological and organizational risks: equipment failure, operational errors, cyber attacks, procedural deficiencies.
The multi-risk approach integrates these dimensions into a single framework for analysis and planning.
Why It Is Indispensable Today
Three factors make multi-risk a strategic priority today.
1. Climate Change
The increased frequency and intensity of extreme events expose heritage to increasingly complex scenarios: flash floods, thermal stress on historical buildings, and wildfires near archaeological sites.
2. Interconnection of Systems
Cultural buildings increasingly depend on technological infrastructure: power grids, computer systems, and environmental sensors. A single failure can generate ripple effects.
3. International and European Guidelines
Organizations such as UNESCO, ICOM, ICOMOS, and Blue Shield have been promoting integrated risk management strategies for years. The European Union, through programs like Horizon, Copernicus, and resilience plans, supports decision-making models based on multi-risk analysis.
The Concrete Example of Blue Shield Italy
In 2024, the National Blue Shield Committee, Scudo Blu Italia, was established—a network that brings together museums, archives, libraries, and protection institutions.
According to data released by the committee, over 100,000 Italian cultural sites are exposed to multiple risks: seismic, hydrogeological, volcanic, and climatic.
During the recent floods in Emilia-Romagna, specialized teams operated simultaneously on several fronts: securing structures, recovering archival materials, and the preventive protection of collections.
This case demonstrates how only a coordinated, multi-risk organization allows for rapid and effective interventions.
The Heritup & Academy Approach
At Heritup & Academy, multi-risk represents the heart of our methodology.
In our training courses and operational consulting:
- We jointly analyze natural, anthropogenic, and technological risks;
- We build integrated security and emergency plans;
- We use digital tools to collect and update technical data;
- We organize field exercises with realistic scenarios.
The goal is not just to respond to emergencies, but to build a true culture of prevention.
Training professionals capable of reading complexity is one of the main challenges for heritage protection today.
The multi-risk approach is not a methodological fad. It is a necessary response to a world that is more unstable, more interconnected, and more fragile.
Protecting cultural heritage today means designing resilience, integrating skills, and investing in training.
Heritup & Academy will continue to work in this direction, sharing tools, experiences, and knowledge.
Because heritage security is not just a technical matter. It is a cultural responsibility.
