Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Regional Government of Castilla y León (Spain)
The Regional Government of Castile-León (JCyL), through its Ministry of Culture & Tourism (MCT), has total competence regarding Cultural Heritage, specifically in the recognition & cataloguing of cultural values, as well protection, preservation and cooperation with other institutions. MCT has a long management tradition. Over the last 32 years, it has developed strategies beyond the classical models of preservation and protection looking for management models that successfully use heritage as a resource for development.
Through the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, in 2013 it was established a line of work for the protection of the cultural heritage from the consequences of disasters, creating the Unit for Risk Management and Emergencies in Cultural Heritage (UGRECYL) to work in different fields of the emergency: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. This Unit is actively engaged in two of the most present risks in the JCyL territory: forest fires and floods, by developing intense training and dissemination work and by promoting the integration and participation of civil protection, intervention teams – firefighters, civil guard and military emergency unit – and heritage technicians in the tasks related to the safeguarding of cultural heritage during emergencies, promoting these works through the geo-referenced databases of the cultural heritage of Castilla y León. This administration supports and participates in research projects related to this subject. It is currently preparing digital publications that serve as basic resources, such as the guide for fire prevention in cultural buildings; guide for handling and rescue of textiles affected by catastrophes or basic procedures to develop plans to safeguard cultural property.
At the community level, it is coordinating Safeguard Plans in some of the most important cathedrals such as Burgos and other world heritage sites.
Ministry of Culture & Tourism (MCT) – Regional Government of Castile-León (JCyL) Web site
