Regent’s Tutorial Fellow in Geography, Dr Katrin Wilhelm, is a member of the Academy of Conservation and Care for Environment (ACCE). Last year, this initiative launched – a transdisciplinary capacity-building programme aimed at empowering the next generation by enhancing their agency in the integrated management of cultural heritage and the natural environment. Using high-profile heritage sites as ‘living labs’, ACCE fosters cross-cultural collaboration, knowledge exchange, and promotes inclusive, decolonising approaches to natural and cultural heritage education.

The inaugural ACCE took place over two weeks in October 2024 at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast cultural landscape, bringing together young professionals from twelve countries – Chile, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, India, Italy, Jordan, the Philippines, Tanzania, Tunisia, the UK, and the US – co-developing practical tools and frameworks to become active contributors and innovators in heritage and environmental sustainability.

ACCE operates as the applied arm of SXNCH – Sites at the Intersection of Natural and Cultural Heritage, an umbrella project of the School of Geography, based at the University of Oxford. SXNCH explores innovative digital engagement methods for managing complex, mixed heritage sites by Synchronising Knowledge, Diversifying Participation, and Building Resilience.

The first report from the ACCE – ACCE 2024 – The Academy of Conservation and Care for the Environment Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast – was recently published and can be accessed for free online here: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4721e49f-ce71-4152-8ade-f4886e9a1350.

Earlier this year, the ACCE was awarded the prestigious ‘Star of Discovery’ at the 2025 Global Awards for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases. The award ceremony took place on 8 July 2025 at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee, UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. This recognition supports ACCE’s ongoing mission to cultivate a new generation of empowered heritage leaders committed to equitable, sustainable futures.

You can read more about ACCE and the prize in this post from The School of Geography.