Assessing the impact of human activity on cultural heritage in Svalbard: a remote sensing study of London

Abstract

In this study, we focus on the impact of tourism on Svalbard’s cultural heritage within the context of natural and anthropogenic-induced formation processes. Established in northwest Svalbard, the cultural environment of London features the remnants of a marble mining settlement. This research covers the period from 1990 to 2014 and uses high-resolution remote sensing images in combination with ground-based surveys to: identify and map wear on vegetation caused by recent human activity, and analyse and assess changes in the state of the cultural environment. The number of visitors to London has risen from a few dozen in the mid-1990s to 1200–1300 annually. Our results show a gradual and ongoing deterioration of the vegetation cover. Worn and patchy vegetation is especially apparent along access trails to and in the vicinity of the most popular cultural heritage features. London as a cultural environment is changing, and our study has shown that visitors during the last 25 years have played a part in that transformation.