Page 258 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

XI. Environment
 © M. Spencer. Coral encrusted stern of a shipwreck of World War II off Madang, Papa New Guinea.
Time has changed the wreck into a large artificial reef, providing home for an abundance of marine life and many species of scorpion fish, which can be found camouflaged against the hulls.
One of the pillars of the management of under- water cultural heritage is the integrationtion of heritage protection in spatial planning and
in marine policies. This integration ensures that the cultural environment is respected whenever deve- lopments with a great impact take place. Conversely, archaeological policies should also respect other interests. For these reasons, the Rules concerning activities directed at underwater cultural heritage explicitly mention respect for the environment in any action that is undertaken.
Environmental policy
Rule 29. An environmental policy shall be prepared that is adequate to ensure that the seabed and marine life are not unduly disturbed.
Underwater archaeologists, like others, must com-
ply with the existing regulations of the country in questions on archaeology and protection of the environment. Their operations must also respect the 257
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Environment