Page 212 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

be made available, understandable and of use for all researchers and policy makers, regardless of their location.
A management plan is always formulated on the basis of preliminary research. It defines what should and should not happen in the future, taking account of possible future contingencies. If a standardized form is pursued, it is important for the management plan to combine all data and assess its relative importance and specific opportunities in a transparent and understandable way. In the management plan, the results of assessment are simply reiterated. In a second part of the plan, policies and management objectives can then be formulated, whereas a third part defines actions and restrictions, and so defines the actual management. A standardized format can be used as a checklist, both in drafting an individual management plan and for the cumulative inventory of which it is a part.
Management as such is a dynamic process and that means that a management plan is a dynamic document as well. It is bound to change and will absorb new information as this becomes available. In this sense, a management plan starts very simply. An initial entry in the inventory, with a recommendation to complete certain information is a management plan in an embryonic state. It becomes more en- compassing as soon as more is known and as soon as decisions have been taken about specific protective measures, or about allowing specific research. Over time, the file will grow. The structure discussed below is therefore equally relevant for the establishment of an inventory as it is for each individual management plan.
A site management plan should contain the definition of the site, the administrative details, the relevant organizational structure of who is responsible for what, and most importantly, a discussion of the site, including an assessment of its significance, a report on its status, its potential and any relevant threats and opportunities.
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Conservation and site management