Water as Living Heritage: From Traditional Knowledge to Community Action for Climate Resilience and Wellbeing

AquaViva tackles critical water issues at the intersection of climate adaptation, heritage, and social justice by fostering bottom-up solutions, building capacities, and advancing innovative policy frameworks. Its objectives are to:1.Reframe water as both a living heritage and a foundation for climate-resilient futures;2.Empower communities to drive climate adaptation policies;3.Protect cultural practices, traditional knowledge infrastructures and narratives at risk of being lost; and4.Co-develop innovative methodologies to enhance resilience and inform governance.Thirteen academic and non-academic partners from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean will combine expertise across the disciplines to develop and test a groundbreaking, novel methodology integrating four tools:a) the Value Case Approach;b) arts-based co-creation;c) deliberative participatory methods; andd) the recovery of Indigenous and traditional knowledges.Partners will work with universities, cultural practitioners, grassroots organisations, and policymakers. Across six comparative case studies supported by 200 secondments, they will deliver outcomes including training workshops and a methodological toolkit; creative summer schools, cultural festivals, urban walks, storytelling videos, a film, an exhibition, and a game to engage broad publics; international conferences and a special issue to consolidate scientific impact; and policy workshops and briefs to inform governance.AquaViva is highly relevant to the MSCA Staff Exchanges work programme. It combines researcher mobility with skills development and knowledge transfer, fostering sustainable partnerships between academic and non-academic actors. By advancing innovative, participatory approaches, AquaViva contributes to the EU’s priorities on climate resilience, inclusive governance, and cultural heritage, while equipping researchers and stakeholders with transferable skills to address complex socio-environmental challenges.