Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage in International Waters adjacent to the UK
12 November 2010
Venue: Society of Antiquaries of London
The risk of adverse impact on the underwater cultural heritage (UCH) in international waters adjacent to the coast of the United Kingdom continues to grow and yet there is still no satisfactory means of ensuring its protection. Historic wrecks and submerged prehistoric land surfaces provide unique knowledge and information about our past but they are a non-renewable resource, which is increasingly being lost or destroyed. The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage 2001 currently provides the only viable solution and responsibility for protecting this heritage. Accordingly there is a strong case to say that the UK should therefore ratify the Convention as soon as possible. The Convention came into force in January 2009 with 20 members and since then the number of countries that have ratified has risen to 33.
The seminar will outline the nature of the risk to UCH, the very severe limits of the present regulatory mechanisms and the potential solutions afforded by the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage 2001. It will also draw on the experiences of some of those countries that have already ratified, or are proposing to ratify, address the perceived advantages and disadvantages of becoming part of the Convention and produce a broader up to date perspective for countries that have yet to ratify.
Please note that this event is by invitation only.
