Underwater Cultural Heritage; need to ensure effective protection
Kanthi WIJETUNGE
Over the last century, archaeological sites on land all over the
world have received much attention as source of information on history
of human civilizations. However, the oceans, which cover the large part
of our planet, still retain many of their secrets without getting
exposed to the world. Hence the richness of the world’s underwater
cultural heritage is often underestimated. It is well known that there
are cities which have been entirely swallowed by the sea and there are
thousands of ships which have perished at sea.
Ruins of the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria |
These ruins lie on the sea bed safely without the notice of anybody.
They provide testimony to the various periods and aspects of human
civilization and history. There is also undiscovered knowledge under
water, proving travel routes, exchanges, prehistoric life and also
heritage lies outside of the territorial waters of the country of
origin.
During the recent past it has been revealed that there are threats to
Underwater Cultural Heritage in many ways such as; pillage, commercial
exploitation, industrial work, tourist promenades, oil drilling, metro
and auto route crossing in channels or with bridges, recovery of soil or
building of artificial islands, trawling and also due to climate change
and pollution.
Ancient civilization
As per the UNESCO reports it is estimated that over three million
undiscovered shipwrecks are spread across the ocean. However, people are
aware of the famous vessels which have perished in the ocean such as
armada of Phillip II of Spain, the Titanic, the fleet of Kublai Khan etc
through books and films. Similarly, there are remains of countless
ancient buildings submerged underwater. All these are considered as
underwater cultural heritage. They provide testimony to the various
periods and aspects of our history. Shipwrecks or remains of ancient
buildings and cities submerged underwater retail many stories about the
cruelty of the slave trade, the ferocity of wars, the impact of natural
disasters or the peaceful exchange and inter-cultural dialogue between
far away regions. Hence recognizing underwater cultural heritage is very
vital in the efforts of gathering historical information on human
civilization.
Although commercial exploitation brings small immediate profit, in
comparison to long term major benefits for tourism, urban development
and science, protection of UWCH has been neglected for decades. Heritage
is a rare and non reproducible asset. It can be a major economic draw
for a region.
With the advancement of science and technology shipwrecks and
underwater ruins are becoming increasingly accessible. Therefore,
underwater cultural heritage has attracted increasing attention from
both scientific community and the general public. To scientists it
represents an invaluable source of information on ancient civilization
and historic seafaring. To the public at large, it offers an opportunity
to further develop leisure diving and tourism. Above all, UWCH is an
integral part of the cultural heritage of humanity and a particularly
important element in the history of peoples, nations and their relations
with each other concerning their common heritage.
The UNESCO Convention - 2001
It has been recognized that national laws and pre-existing
international law provide no sufficient answer to protect Underwater
Cultural Heritage. The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the
Underwater Cultural Heritage, adopted by the UNESCO General Conference
in 2001, intends to enable State Parties to better protect their
underwater cultural heritage. It harmonizes the protection of underwater
heritage with that of land-based sites. The Convention guarantees
co-operation among States, but also among scientists worldwide.
The Convention sets high standards for the protection of UWCH with a
view to preventing its being looting or destroyed. Its standard is
comparable to that granted by other UNESCO Conventions or national
legislation on cultural heritage on land, and yet specific to
archaeological sites underwater. This includes a large variety of sites,
like ancient shipwrecks, submerged structures and buildings, human
remains or traces in submerged caves or sunken prehistoric landscapes
and villages.
“Underwater Cultural Heritage is used to mean “all traces of human
existence having a cultural, historical or archaeological character
which have been partially or totally underwater, periodically or
continuously, for at least 100 years…..” (Art 1 . Para 1(a) of the
Convention) The 2001 Convention while seeking out basic principles for
protection of UWCH, provides practical guidelines for dealing with such
heritage.
What benefits can States derive from ratifying the UNESCO 2001-
Convention
* It helps to protect underwater cultural heritage from pillaging and
commercial exploitation and achieves legal safeguarding whenever site is
located.
* The convention brings protection to the same level as the
protection of land based sites and enables states parties to adopt a
common approach to preservation and ethical scientific management.
* State Parties benefit from cooperation with other State Parties in
practical and legal terms .
* The Convention provides effective professional guidelines on how to
intervene with and research underwater cultural heritage sites. While
UWCH is increasingly attracting the interest of the public and of
archaeologists, it has also become the focus of interest by commercial
enterprises intending to exploit submerged archaeological sites to sell
the retrieved artefacts for their own profits. They do so with the lack
of awareness of the cultural value of the concerned sites. The
convention will ensure that the precious UWCH will be protected and
conserved by its States parties. It sets a legal framework for the
related measures. Also the convention contains regulations that permit
the prevention of an immediate danger threatening a submerged
archaeological sites, including in particular looting. It has been
reported that 41 countries have already ratified the 2001 - Convention.
Underwater Cultural Heritage of Sri Lanka
According to the inscriptions found across the country, the naval
history of Sri Lanka goes back to third Century BC. As the country is
situated where all shipping routes in the Indian Ocean belt, substantial
evidence is there for under water cultural heritage. A programme of
under-water archaeological excavation and conservation of Maritime
Archaeological Objects of Dutch origin was commenced in 1990s and this
initiation has turned into a major training and conservation project of
Maritime Archaeology in Sri Lanka and in South Asia. The formal
establishment of the Maritime Archaeological Unit in Galle provides the
basis for a structural Maritime Archaeological capacity in Sri Lanka,
which is an important condition for developing future activities to
excavate and preserve the numerous maritime archaeological treasures
located around the island.
The Maritime Museum of Galle exhibit objects recovered from
underwater ruins or shipwrecks. It is expected to establish another
Maritime museum in Trincomalee shortly. The Department of Archaeology
has planned to undertake new underwater survey projects in the coastal
areas of Manthai, Gratebass (Kirinda), Kalpitiya and Trincomalee in
addition to the Godawaya Underwater Archaeological Project. By joining
the convention the country can benefit in many ways Underwater Cultural
Heritage Fund is also proposed to provide international assistance for
capacity building and for the projects aimed at the implementation of
the 2001 - Convention. Further, joining the convention will enable Sri
Lanka to share best practices on the protection of underwater cultural
heritage.
UNESCO has already trained 321 persons on protection of UWCH in 81
countries since 2007. Although Sri Lanka has not yet ratified the
Convention Sri Lankan archaeologists have also been exposed to the
training programmes conducted in Thailand.
The government of Sri Lanka has already taken steps to ratify the
2001 - UNESCO Convention on UWCH. In order to ratify the convention, it
is necessary to obtain the political consideration of the desirability
of the ratification at the national level.
Ministry of National Heritage has submitted a Cabinet Memorandum and
Cabinet has decided to obtain the observations of the Ministry of
Fisheries and Ministry of Defence in this regard. Once the necessary
observations are obtained, it is necessary to follow the national
authorization process to allow the executive authorities; ie. Parliament
to declare the consent of the State to be bound by the Convention.
Being an island which has enormous potential of UWCH, Sri Lanka can
reap a lot of benefits by joining the 2001 Convention. Ratification of
the 2001 Convention does not oblige the government to any obligatory
financial contribution. The harmonisation of national laws with the
convention might however be needed. Also it is possible that any
reservations and declarations made by a State joining the 2001
Convention can be stated in a letter accompanying the instrument of
ratification.
The writer is the Secretary, National Heritage Ministry |