The UNESCO Chair on the Prevention and Sustainable Management of Geo-Hydrological Hazards, established in 2016 at the University of Florence, represents the first UNESCO Chair in Italy dedicated to applied research in the field of geo-hydrological hazards threatening the human life, property, cultural heritage and the natural and built environment.
The UNESCO Chair on Prevention and Sustainable Management of Geo-Hydrological Hazard in collaboration with Ispra (the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), the University of Roma La Sapienza (Department of Chemical, Environmental and Material Engineering) and of Milano Bicocca (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences) was appointed by the Royal Commission of AlUla (RCU) and AfalUla (French Agency for AlUla development) to perform a landslide hazard assessment analysis and highlight the major problems for cultural heritage conservation and a safe touristic fruition. The field mission was carried out in december 2021, and involved the sites of AlUla Old Town, Dadan (including the famous "Tomb of the Lions"), and Hegra (the second most important Nabatean rock cut city after Petra, enrolled in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2017).