UNESCO water museums meet for water heritage education
23/10/2024
The city of Porto hosted the 5th International Conference of UNESCO’s Water Museums Global Network (WAMU-NET), which brought together national and international experts to debate the themes of water, heritage, education and sustainability. The meeting was also an opportunity to present the Porto Water City platform.
Under the theme ‘Cities of Water’, around 100 participants looked at education for water sustainability and studied ways to create a balance between community- and nature-centred solutions through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In this analysis exercise, the participants talked about the central role of water museums in increasing people’s connection to the water cultural heritage, in order to enhance water resources. The guest speakers also contributed to clarifying issues such as hydraulic heritage mapping and the reorganisation of cities’ visible and invisible heritage.
Ruben Fernandes, executive director of Águas e Energia do Porto, underlined the role of water in the development of the city of Porto, and stressed the need to continue investing in nature-based solutions. ‘Water plays a crucial role in the city’s development, which goes beyond the fact that it is an essential commodity for human life, guaranteed through the water supply system. This role is also manifested in the leisure activities associated with it, in promoting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services for the city, and in leveraging economic activities. All this contributes to a better quality of life through environments that promote leisure and social interaction’, he said.
The Executive Director of Águas e Energia do Porto believes this clearly shows ‘the rare opportunity to manage the urban water cycle in an integrated way, working daily to ensure its sustainability in figures . As such, it is an honour to manage this resource from the moment it enters people’s homes until it reaches the natural water environment’.
Águas e Energia do Porto invests in water heritage education
The Porto Water City, an online repository of the city’s water heritage, was presented during the conference.
The platform, which was developed by Águas e Energia do Porto, takes an educational approach to the community and is available in Portuguese and English. With free access, this digital museum is the result of the research and preservation of Porto’s memory and identity, through heritage recording, including archival heritage.
The municipal company’s intention is to establish Heritage Education in Porto, towards environmental sustainability through heritage and culture, in coordination with the school, academic and artistic communities, and public organisations, working with the Water Pavilion, the city’s Environmental Education Centre.
WAMU-NET launches water education platform
Another highlight of the event was the launch of a new educational tool based on innovative digital technologies, ‘AQUAPLAY’, which allows children to learn about the challenges of water by painting drawings.
In addition to this platform, the collaborative creation of another tool, the ‘Water Cloud: Resources for Inclusive Sustainable Futures’, dedicated exclusively to education for water sustainability, was debated. Also as part of the network’s projects, the progress of the reconstruction of Morocco’s traditional hydraulic mill in Azzdan, destroyed by the 2023 earthquake, was presented.
The 5th International Conference of UNESCO’s Water Museums Global Network, organised by Águas e Energia do Porto, had the SMAS de Sintra as its official partner and was attended by other leading organisations, such as the Water Museum, managed by EPAL.
The next edition will be held at the International Water Memorial (MINA), which is being built in the city of Brasilia. The UNESCO Water Museums Global Network has more than 100 museums from 40 different countries that contribute to better water, biodiversity and wetlands management every day.