The management of the underwater cultural heritage

The underwater cultural heritage (UCH) includes all the material evidence of human activities carried on in the marine environment, particularly as evidenced on the sea floor. The evolution of the UCH is outlined, taking due account of its origins in the world's traditional societies, and of the process of industrialisation of maritime activities over the past half-millennium. This evolution has occurred in a series of stages, grouped in this paper into the traditional society, the modern age of sail, and the period of steam, iron and steel. The traditional society is regarded as the initial pre-industrial phase of development in all geographical regions. Both the succeeding phases cover the processes of industrialisation of maritime activities over the past half-millennium, respectively before and after the transition from sail to steam power in the 19th century. Approximately half-century stages of technological and economic development characterise both these periods. The surveying of the UCH is discussed first in terms of physical surveying, with particular reference to wreck sites. This has been improved by advances in underwater working, including sonar, seabed mapping, diving and the use of underwater vehicles. It is argued that the valuation of wrecks and cargoes can be conceived in both cultural and economic terms, and that the latter can lead to conflict between salvors on the one hand, and the scientific interest on the other. It is shown that the legal framework for conservation of the UCH is inadequate, both in terms of adjudicating between commercial and scientific interests, and of the jurisdiction of coastal states and the legal protection afforded the UCH beyond coastal state jurisdiction. The initial provisions for integrated management of the UCH, taken in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), are discussed. (C) 2003 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.