Page 210 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

Not all of these stakeholder groups may have a positive attitude towards the heritage from the start, but they all have a stake and an interest that should be taken seriously. By taking an inclusive approach, involving all these parties in the formulation of a management programme, all interests can be considered and integrated and the chances of forgetting any relevant aspects are drastically diminished. Evidently, several goals can and should be combined in a management plan in such a way as to take other interests into account. These interests may have to give way to the interest of protection, but in other instances they may come first. Monitoring at set intervals is the way to check whether the management plan works. It can be done by direct or indirect information gathering. An integral approach is thus a way to ensure that the plan will be supported by all stakeholders in its implementation.
The site management plan
The site management programme translates into a concrete management plan that combines general strategies and policies with specific goals that relate to the significance and setting of the site. The general goals of a policy of cultural heritage management, also indicated as cultural resource management include:
• mitigating impacts on endangered sites;
• preventing destruction of sites and dispersal of artefacts by denying permits to exploiters seeking
private financial gain;
• creating local, national, and international in-
ventories of sites;
• protecting and interpreting sites in situ whenever
possible;
• excavating sites only when there are scientific
objectives or interests for public enjoyment, adequate funding, professional staff, and pro- visions for documentation, conservation, cu- ration, reporting and publication;
• involving the public so that people can become the guardians of their underwater cultural heritage; and
• bringing the excitement of underwater cultural
sites to the public in reputable museum ex- hibitions, media presentations, and publications. 209
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Conservation and site management