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Experts in the conservation and restoration of mural paintings have published the València Declaration, an international charter aimed at improving the preservation and restoration of these cultural assets when exposed to extreme events such as wars, earthquakes, fires, or natural disasters like the DANA that devastated the province of Valencia on October 29. The declaration was presented during the EXCISS international conference at the Universitat Politècnica de València.

During the EXCISS conference, participants discussed the wide range of situations in which an extreme event can suddenly affect a mural painting. “We have also observed that the first response is not always the most appropriate, sometimes leading to highly damaging and often irreversible treatments,” stated the signatories of the València-EXCISS 2025 Declaration, which includes experts from the Universitat Politècnica de València, the University of Granada, and the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute.

Political Instability and Climate Change: A Threat

In the document, the signatories also warn of the risks associated with political instability and climate change, which “act as catalysts, significantly increasing the likelihood of disasters of various types and scales that can irreversibly affect our cultural heritage, particularly mural paintings as immovable assets.”

The València Declaration emphasizes that managing these situations “should be understood as a cycle with different phases of action: preventive measures before new, unexpected events occur (learning from past disasters); immediate actions during the event as part of an emergency response, coordinated with vital interventions; and post-event treatments aimed at restoring murals and addressing the damage in an ethical, effective, and sustainable manner.”

Conclusions from the DANA Session

During the conference, a special session focused on the DANA was held. Under "Noah’s Ark: RIADA VLC 2024," experts discussed cultural heritage management in such situations. “The DANA has shown us the limits of our environment, proving that everything changes and that this vulnerability must be acknowledged,” concluded the session organizers.

The València Declaration also highlights the significant progress made in recent years in risk management for cultural heritage and the innovative solutions developed thanks to direct experiences with disasters, technological advancements, and new interdisciplinary collaboration frameworks.

“However, there is still a long way to go in making these technological solutions universally accessible, ensuring they are sustainable and adaptable to diverse and changing contexts. Moreover, there remains a considerable need for awareness-raising and education among cultural heritage managers and the general public,” the signatories note.

Following the conference and the publication of the València Declaration, the EXCISS committee is now working on a guidance document that will serve as a framework for advancing the management of such unexpected events, which pose a serious threat to the conservation of mural paintings and cultural heritage as a whole.