The long-term effects of Underwater Archaeological Parks on the Preservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage. An Overview

Abstract

The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) indicates preservation in situ as a first option and encourages public access unless it is incompatible with protection and management. Protection methods address natural factors that include environmental conditions and microorganisms, and human impact, direct or indirect. Public access through the operation of diving parks might be incompatible with the material preservation of UCH because of exposure to these threats. Literature research from conservation’s standpoint, indicates the following remarks to be taken into consideration in decision-making processes: a) exposure of wood and marble in the sea column is highly probable to lead to their deterioration, therefore, their reburial or covering should be implemented; b) informational preservation, physical or digital, is a valuable alternative way to communicate the content of a site, but does not constitute a conservation method; c) legislation and education are powerful tools for eliminating the human threat to UCH. This thesis concludes that the long-term effects of diving parks on the preservation of UCH can be beneficial as long as they operate according to these remarks and do not allow unsupervised public access and uncontrolled site conditions.