Page 263 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

most significant underwater cultural heritage that we know of. Such sites should therefore be managed and addressed in conformity with environmental policies, but also with due respect to the concerned heritage.
Archaeological interventions and
the environment
Site formation processes are such that over time a site achieves a state of relative stability and equilibrium. More often than not, this stabilization process is interrupted by the event that leads to its discovery. That applies both to the physical and chemical condition of the artefacts it contains and to the resilience of the local ecosystem. The ecosystem derives its strength from the presence of its flora and fauna. Removing growth may disrupt this fragile balance. For proper assessment of the archaeological significance, this may nevertheless be necessary. Stabilization and consolidation measures will equally impact both the seabed and marine life. For excavations, this is even more evident.
The environmental policy that is put in place to ensure that the seabed and marine life are not unduly disturbed, should balance the scale of the operation with the resilience of the ecosystem in question. Generally, this can easily be done. Archaeological interventions are small scale as compared to many of the impacts an ecosystem stands to survive. They may also be small scale as compared to the spatial extent of the specific biotope. On the other hand, there may be situations in which the ecosystem is already under great stress, and in which it should not be disturbed during critical phases of breeding or blooming. Such seasonal phases can easily be avoided to diminish negative impact. This example shows that in integrating an environmental policy in the project design for an archaeological intervention, local environmental and ecological knowledge is essential.
Other aspects of the policy are general. One should
act in compliance with the laws and rules governing 262 environmental issues of the location, and one should
Environment