- Loss and Damage Research Observatory
- admin@lossanddamageobservatory.org
- Loss and Damage Research Observatory
You have an important role to play in contributing to the online museum of cultural heritage, which is being built to document and share the cultural practices, knowledge, and identities of communities facing the growing threat of climate-related Loss and Damage. Your participation can help ensure that cultural heritage is not lost but preserved, valued, and amplified.
Look around your community and identify cultural practices, traditional knowledge, sacred sites, crafts, festivals, and oral stories that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. These might include seasonal farming knowledge, rituals tied to natural cycles, or even materials and techniques used in traditional housing.You can document directly from your community. This firsthand documentation will bear witness to lived experiences of climate impacts, while also capturing cultural events, traditional practices, sacred landscapes, and artifacts that are under threat. Your contributions will ensure that your community’s voice is heard, not just as a story of loss, but also one of resilience and identity.
Work with elders, knowledge holders, and cultural leaders in your community to digitally record oral histories, indigenous languages, seasonal rituals, agricultural practices, and healing traditions. These elements hold deep ecological and cultural wisdom, and your help in preserving them will also support efforts to identify strategies for protecting this knowledge for future generations.
Use the submission form here to share your entries. You can use a mobile phone to record interviews with elders, take photographs of cultural artifacts, or film local rituals and practices. You don’t need fancy equipment — what matters most is the authenticity of what you share. Try to include details such as the location, people involved, and how climate change is impacting these traditions.
Encourage youth, elders, and others in your area to participate. When more voices are included, the museum becomes a richer, more inclusive space. You can also use your contributions to raise awareness about climate justice and the importance of preserving cultural identity in the face of environmental change.
Most importantly, this is your story to tell. Share what your cultural heritage means to you and your community, how climate change is affecting it, and why it matters. Your personal voice — your language, your lens, your values — is at the heart of this museum. Through your contribution, you transform individual and collective memory into a robust archive of cultural heritage facing the threat of loss and damage due to climate disasters.
By participating, you help create a living museum that documents what may be lost,as well as what can be saved, revived, and passed on.
The customs, traditions, languages, knowledge systems, artifacts, and ways of life are passed down through generations within a community. It includes everything a community values and passes on — from places and objects to stories, skills, and ways of life. It consists of both tangible elements (e.g., tools, clothing, buildings) and intangible elements (e.g., oral histories, songs, rituals).
These are physical, material objects or places that have cultural, historical, or spiritual significance.
Landscapes and Geological Features: Natural areas, such as mountains, rivers, and rock formations, are often considered sacred or culturally significant.
Biodiversity: Native species of plants, animals, and ecosystems tied to cultural identity and traditional practices.
Monuments: Statues, memorials, or markers commemorating historical or spiritual events or figures.
Archaeological Sites: Locations containing historical remains, structures, or artifacts from earlier civilizations.
Places of Worship: Temples, churches, mosques, shrines, or sacred groves used for religious or spiritual practices.
Buildings: Traditional homes, community halls, or heritage structures with architectural or historical value.
Artifacts (Arts & Crafts): Handmade objects such as pottery, textiles, tools, and artworks that reflect the community’s creativity and identity.
These are non-physical traditions, expressions, and knowledge that have been passed down through generations.
Oral Traditions: Stories, proverbs, folktales, and histories spoken and shared within the community.
Traditional & Cultural Practices: Rites of passage, customs, and everyday habits rooted in cultural norms and values.
Traditional Knowledge: Long-standing environmental, agricultural, medicinal, or spiritual knowledge unique to a community.
Artisanal Skills: Specialized craft techniques like weaving, pottery, blacksmithing, or boat-making.
Culinary Heritage: Traditional food practices, recipes, and ingredients linked to culture and identity.
Festivals & Rituals: Celebrations, ceremonies, or seasonal events that express cultural beliefs and unity.
Languages: Indigenous and local languages or dialects that carry unique worldviews and knowledge systems.
Music and Literature: Songs, chants, poetry, and storytelling traditions that express emotion, history, and cultural pride.
The Online Museum is a global digital platform that documents and preserves cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, that is at risk due to climate change-induced disasters. It captures photographs, stories, videos, and audio recordings submitted by communities, researchers, and individuals from around the world.
While economic losses are often documented, non-economic losses, such as the disappearance of traditions, languages, sacred sites, and artisanal skills, are more difficult to quantify and are often overlooked. This museum ensures those losses are recognised, remembered, and respected.
Anyone! Community members, researchers, students, cultural leaders, and storytellers are welcome to contribute. If you are aware of cultural practices, traditions, or heritages that are threatened by climate change, your voice matters.
You can submit:
- Photos or videos of cultural practices, crafts, rituals, or landscapes
- Audio interviews or oral stories from community elders
- Descriptions of traditions, festivals, or traditional knowledge systems
- Explanations of how climate change is affecting this heritage
It’s simple:
1. Register with your email.
2. Verify your account.
3. Use your phone or camera to record the heritage you wish to share.
4. Fill in the submission form with details and descriptions.
4. Upload your entry (photos, videos, or voice clips).
Your entry will be reviewed before it goes live on the museum.
We accept entries under both Tangible and Intangible heritage categories. These include:
Tangible: Traditional buildings, crafts, tools, sacred sites, landscapes, and biodiversity
Intangible: Languages, oral stories, rituals, music, festivals, food practices, and artisanal skills
Absolutely. You don’t need professional equipment. A mobile phone is sufficient for recording stories, taking photos, or shooting videos. The authenticity and context of your submission matter more than technical quality.
Your approved contribution will be:
- Displayed on the Online Museum website
- Mapped and tagged on the Loss and Damage Observatory
- Made available for researchers, educators, and future generations
Proper credit will always be given, and your story will help raise awareness about the cultural impact of climate change.
You can browse:
- By region or country
- By category (e.g., traditional crafts, oral traditions, places of worship)
- By type of heritage (Tangible or Intangible)
Each exhibit features photos, videos, descriptions, and the climate threats it faces.
The museum includes both slow-onset (such as drought, sea-level rise, and salinity) and rapid-onset (such as cyclones, floods, and forest fires) events that threaten cultural heritage.
Yes. The museum team reviews all submissions for accuracy, completeness, and relevance. In some cases, we may request additional information to present your exhibit better.
Yes. While the primary interface is in English, you're encouraged to use your native language when sharing oral histories, naming festivals, or explaining rituals. This helps preserve linguistic diversity.
No. Contributing to the Online Museum is completely free. This is a collective effort to preserve our cultural heritage for future generations.
Feel free to write to us at admin@lossanddamageobservatory.org. We are happy to support you in submitting your entry or resolving any issues.
Once you register and log in, you can access your contributor profile at: https://staging.lossanddamageobservatory.org/profile-contributor
In your profile, you can:
- View and edit your submitted entries
- Track the status of each submission (e.g., under review, approved, published)
- Upload new exhibits or make edits to existing ones
- Update your personal and contact information
Yes, contributors are welcome to submit multiple exhibits. Each exhibit should highlight a different aspect of cultural heritage or a different impact of climate change.
You can request an edit if your exhibit is still under review. If it has already been approved and published, please contact the admin team at admin@lossanddamageobservatory.org to request changes.
This feature allows you to save your progress without submitting your entry. It’s helpful if you’re still collecting materials or need more time to complete the submission form.
Once you log back into your contributor profile, click on the draft to resume editing and complete your submission.
No, you can save multiple drafts. Each one will remain in your profile until you choose to delete or submit it.
When you click ‘Final Submit’, your exhibit is officially sent for review. You will no longer be able to edit the submission unless requested by the review team.
Once submitted, edits are restricted. If you need to make changes, please contact the admin team at admin@lossanddamageobservatory.org with your request.
Please email the admin team immediately with the title of your submission. They can return it to draft mode if it hasn't been reviewed yet.
Currently, saved drafts do not auto-delete. However, it's recommended to complete and submit your entries promptly to ensure their relevance and review.
Yes. As long as you log in with the same registered email, your saved drafts will be accessible from any device.
After submission, your exhibit is reviewed by the editorial team. They may approve it directly or contact you for additional information. Once approved, it will appear in the Online Museum’s exhibit listings.
The review process typically takes 5–7 working days. However, it may vary depending on the number of submissions being processed.
Yes, you will receive an email notification once your exhibit is approved and published.
Absolutely. Once your exhibit is live, it will have a unique link that you can share with your community, friends, or on social media.
Yes. All your approved exhibits will be listed under your contributor profile page. This page can serve as a portfolio of your documentation work.
If you experience any problems with logging in, uploading files, or editing your submission, please reach out to admin@lossanddamageobservatory.org for assistance.
Help Preserve Our Cultural Heritage in the Face of Climate Change!
We invite you to be part of an online museum that protects and celebrates the cultural heritage of your community, particularly those at risk of being lost due to climate change.Your contribution can become part of a global online museum that values non-economic loss and damage from climate impacts.
Sign-up: Create your account by signing up for the registration form with your email.
Get authorized: Get your registration authorised by verifying your email, and access the submission form.
Document: Use your phone, camera, or voice recorder to document the cultural heritage you would like to submit.
Describe: Add a short explanation of what it is, why it matters, and how it’s being affected, and furnish the online submission form.
Submit: Upload your entry through the submission form
We will verify your entry and approve it, or we may seek additional information if required to make your submission complete.