Managing The Marine Cultural Heritage

Recent decades have witnessed an expansion of archaeological activity under water and in the coastal zone. There has also been a realisation of the threats to this material from human and natural action. This period of relatively rapid change has increased pressure on governments, heritage groups and agencies, coastal-zone managers, and sea users to formulate approaches to managing the maritime cultural heritage. This volume presents a range of international initiatives that include examples of management responses to regional, national, and international situations. It also discusses the principal challenges facing maritime archaeology, which have relevance not just in the UK but across the globe.

This vital book is a collection on the various ways archaeologists and resource managers have devised to make available and interpret submerged cultural resources for the public, such as underwater archaeological preserves, shipwreck trails, and land-based interpretive media and literature. This volume is an invaluable resource to underwater archaeologists, cultural and heritage resource managers, museum and heritage educators and those studying these professions.

Documenting Maritime Heritage at Risk addresses the risks posed to coastal piers and quays due to climate change, the urgent need for documentation and attendant questions regarding long-term conservation, and the role communities could have in this endeavour. Case studies from communities, researchers, and national agencies offer insights into the documentation and analysis of coastal heritage, guidance on survey methodologies, and the potential of digital tools. Communities living along the coast, who are deeply attached to their heritage, are facing these threats very directly – and often with a sense of having little agency in the discussions or decisions being taken. Yet, as the book demonstrates, they could have a central role to play as first-hand observers of the impact of climate change on their heritage. The collection offers an overview of the invaluable role of different participants, working collectively in the documentation and management of endangered maritime heritage. Documenting Maritime Heritage at Risk provides a vital resource for researchers and students engaged in the study of maritime heritage. It will also be of great interest to practitioners, such as local heritage or conservation officers and marine engineers who bear the primary responsibility for recording and maintaining maritime heritage.

Underwater Cultural Heritage investigates cases of underwater cultural heritage, exploring ethical issues that have never been studied before. A vast cultural heritage lies beneath the sea, including the archaeological remains of more than three million vessels, as well as historic monuments and whole cities. In addition, climate change, population growth and current events around the world mean that new underwater cultural heritage is being created faster than ever before. It is, therefore, essential that the ethical issues related to the management of such heritage are considered now, especially as decisions made now will bestow the heritage with a value and will establish legal frameworks that could be used either to protect or harm underwater heritage in the future. Considering a range of challenges related to underwater cultural heritage - including preservation, management, use, sustainability, valuation, politics, identity, human rights, and intangible heritage - the book presents case studies that both illustrate the key ethical issues and also offer possible solutions to help navigate such challenges. The book will also explore the various legislative instruments protecting underwater cultural heritage and emphasise the importance of revising and updating legal frameworks, whilst also taking into account ethical concerns that may expose cultural heritage to more serious menaces. Underwater Cultural Heritage draws on case studies from around the globe and, as such, should be of great interest to academics, researchers and students working in heritage studies, archaeology, history, politics and sustainability. It should also be appealing to heritage practitioners and policymakers who want to learn more about the issues surrounding not only management of underwater cultural heritage but management of cultural heritage in general.

This 41th volume of the ASLU series examines perspectives on maritime and underwater cultural heritage (MUCH) in southern Africa and proposes new management approaches to advance protection and public engagement. By redefining the maritime historical narratives in countries that have predominantly interpreted their maritime past through colonial shipwrecks, it is possible to create an environment in which stakeholders become active participants in heritage management. The application of a broad maritime cultural landscape perspective that blurs the lines between the natural and cultural, tangible and intangible, and local and global binaries that are often applied to MUCH, results in a community-driven, relevant approach to heritage management. Appropriate management strategies are supported by balancing western based heritage values with alternative approaches to heritage conservation. Case studies illustrate the evolution and efficacy of this approach