Page 259 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

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environment in which they operate. To ensure they do so, Rule 10 (l) states that any Project design for an activity directed at underwater cultural heritage, should include an environmental policy. This is reiterated in Rule 29. It does not, however, give detailed instructions on how to do this. It just recalls the reasons, and specifically refers to ‘the seabed’ and to ‘marine life’, neither of which should be ‘unduly disturbed’. ‘Unduly’ is an important qualifier. It stresses the importance of balancing interests with due consideration given to their relative importance. Of course, aspects other than the seabed or marine life should also be respected. Rule 29 also applies when work is to be carried out in inland waters, and, for instance, to birdlife if the project is carried out in a sensitive wetland area.
Balancing policies
Integration and balancing of different interests is a characteristic trait of environmental policies. Consciousness and awareness of the different aspects are central to their success. Policies that address the protection of marine life or the protection of underwater cultural heritage can be harmonized. This is further confirmed by the observation that it is easier to apply a management programme for an archaeological site in areas that have been declared protected areas, natural sanctuaries, or reef parks, than it is to do so elsewhere. In any case, environmental policies should take the presence of archaeological sites into account and cultural heritage management should integrate environmental policies.
For natural and heritage protection to agree, the issues central to the different objectives need to be understood. It takes different specialists to assess relative significance in the field of monuments and sites, and in the field of nature conservation. It takes different specialists to assess the seriousness of potential impact on cultural and natural heritage. It is only through mutual respect that sensible policies can be developed and sensible decisions can be made.
Environment