Safeguarding Rural Culture and Heritage - Interreg IVB proposal for 9th Call

ERA21 Ltd has been commissioned by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (Wales - UK) to develop an Interreg IVB proposal for the North West European Programme for its 9th Call that closes on the 7th October 2011. 

The project, called SeaRCH - Safeguarding Rural Culture and Heritage aims to "develop transferable mechanisms, during the project period to safeguard rural cultural & heritage assets from being lost, left to decay or destroyed.  This will be done by partners  from 5 countries, working together, to create a greater understanding  of the physical, economic, social and symbolic values of these assets, contributing to future conservation policy & leaving a legacy for future generations."

The whole European territory possesses a wide range of cultural assets and landscapes which are increasingly threatened with destruction and decay due to many and different factors, both natural and human.  Protection, preservation, conservation, management and enhancement of heritage and landscapes at national level often remains incomplete even if local and regional authorities are generally strongly involved in the development of these assets.  Good management of cultural & heritage resources are the best way to combine preservation and conservation with economic promotion.