1. What is Underwater Cultural Heritage?
The UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH)

2. Underwater cultural heritage encompasses:
3 Million ancient shipwrecks (Titanic, Mary Rose, Vasa)
Hundreds of sunken cities (150 in the Mediterranean alone)
For 90% of human history, sea levels were much lower, leaving many submerged prehistoric landscapes with traces of human development (Doggerland, Black Sea)
Prehistoric paintings, sacrificial sites, burials in flooded caves
Remains of ancient fishing installations and ports
Underwater cultural heritage includes wrecks, sunken cities and prehistoric landscapes, but also offerings in lakes and wells or burials in swamps. The Convention covers all waters, i.e. from lakes and rivers to oceans. The Convention does not cover fossils.
There is no significance benchmark, i.e. the Convention covers all sites without a need of prior designation. That is highly beneficial, as archaeological sites are covered from the outset. Significance is a difficult issue to evaluate and it would be problematic, if the question of protection would be depending on this.
The benchmark of 100 years is a compromise, as there is for instance also a wreck salvaging Convention to clear water ways. States can however do better in their national laws and protect also younger sites, such as those of WW II. UNESCO’s action is directed to favor the protection of those sites. The Bikini Atoll fleet has for instance also been inscribed in the World Heritage List.
The definition of underwater cultural heritage used by the 2001 Convention has now been recognized by a large number of States, making it the most widely recognized. This is important for the understanding of what cultural heritage actually is and to prevent therewith damaging actions, such as treasure-hunting. Many treasure-hunters do for instance pretend that repetitive materials (coins, ceramics) would not have heritage value. The 2001 Convention, and therewith the most widely acknowledged international standard, proves them wrong.
© J. Cocks\UNESCO Roman concrete bath ruins, Caesarea, Israël

3. Shipwrecks
Millions of wrecks exist spanning thousands of years of history
They tell the stories of historic connections between distant civilizations
They preserve collections of artefacts different from those found on land
They present the opportunity to learn about distinct moments in time, as well as the broader themes of world history
© C. Beltrane\UNESCO Roman concrete bath ruins, Caesarea, Israël

4. Sunken Cities Hundreds worldwide
Many ancient cities now lie underwater due to changing sea levels, shifting landmasses, and human activities such as the building of dams
Underwater cities tell a different story from those on land, as they have been protected from many dangers, such as construction projects and expanding cities
© E. Khalil\UNESCO Ruins of the Pharos Lighthouse, Alexandria, Egypt

5. Submerged landscapes and other sites
Many underwater sites contain evidence of past civilizations
Many prehistoric landscapes are now submerged, and preserve the memory of early human civilization
Many caves containing burials have since been flooded
Lakes and other bodies of water were often considered sacred sites, and can contain traces of ancient religious practices
© A. Martos Lopez\UNESCO Cenote, Mexico

6. The Potentials of Underwater Cultural Heritage

7. Science
Sites of catastrophic submersion are a ‘time-capsule’ snapshot of every day life in the past
Underwater sites conserve biological material particularly well
Submerged sites are rich and varied, yet little explored
© Mary Rose Trust, UK

8. Tourism and Urban Development
© Huang, Dejian, Baiheliang Museum
For every $1 that a visitor spends at a heritage site, they may spend up to $12 in surrounding businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, etc.
Fisheries often employ less people in coastal areas than tourism (hotels, food sales, transport, guides)
37% of all tourism is culture related
Diving tourists spend more money and stay longer.
Museums can help demonstrate a region’s cultural value
© H. Dejian, Baiheliang
Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum ©UNESCO
1"Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Economic and Social Development", European Cultural Heritage Forum, Brussels, Belgium,
December 7,
2 “Cultural Heritage as a socio-economic development factor”, Archimedes, Euromed
© Mary Rose Museum

9. Public Interest and Education
Heritage belongs to all humanity
Responsible public access is encouraged by the 2001 Convention
UCH provides information on maritime traditions and heritage
Strong community importance, especially in coastal areas
Maritime heritage demonstrates connections with other regions of the world and promotes unity through shared heritage among nations
© Ships of Discovery, Snorkeler viewing the landing gear of a TBM Avenger

10. Threats to Underwater Cultural Heritage

11. Pillaging and Commercial Exploitation
Often the most significant sites are targeted
Over 700,000 artefacts have been taken from a single site
These activities destroy archaeological and historical contexts on a massive scale
Lack of proper (costly) conservation damages artefacts
There are no ‘good’ treasure-hunters
© Ministry of Culture, Spain, Coins from the pillaged Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes wreck (2007)
1. “Arqueonautas Confirms the Recovery of the World's Biggest Ever Ming Porcelain Cargo,” Business Wire
© Maksaens Denis/UNESCO. Pillager attempting to recover wood from a wreck in Haiti

12. Industrial Impact
Industrial works can seriously damage submerged heritage sites
The 2001 Convention does not request the prohibition of such works, only mitigation when heritage is threatened
Cooperation between archaeologists and the industry can be beneficial for both
Damaging impacts can come from:
Tourist promenades
Oil drilling, pipeline or other infrasturcture construction
Metro and auto-route crossing in channels or with bridges
Recovery of gravel and sand
Building of artificial islands
Climate change, coastal erosion, pollution
Trawling

13. Underdevelopment of Underwater Archaeology
Many countries still lack underwater archaeologists and experts
Commercial salvagers and treasure-hunters are often used in place of archaeologists, which leads to the damage and destruction of important sites
The Rules in the Annex to the 2001 Convention provide important guidelines for heritage management, but they are often not followed
© C. Grondin, Research in Vanikoro.

14. The Challenges for Underwater Cultural Heritage

15. Challenges
Legal protection for underwater cultural heritage can be achieved through:
Articles 149 and 303 of UNCLOS
The UNESCO 2001 Convention
National implementation laws
Operational protection and research of underwater heritage requires:
Building local research and protection capacity
Locating and creating inventories of sites
Ensuring effective site protection and monitoring
Public awareness and access requires:
Making sites visible and accessible, either in situ, in museums or virtually
Informing the public of the importance and value of underwater cultural heritage
© Ministry of Culture, Croatia, Shipwreck artefacts from Croatia

16. UNESCO Contact:
Ulrike Guérin, UNESCO
Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001)
7, place de Fontenoy, Paris 07 SP France
Tel:
Web: