Page 76 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

© Centre for International Heritage Activities / MUCH. Briefing on the deck of a ship during the MUCH training that took place in 2010 in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
In a project including field survey, every discovery – expected or not – will influence the project’s progress and proceedings. A good project design should accommodate for unexpected discoveries, without being open-ended. Some discoveries may lead to the reconsideration of the next steps of a project. Following unexpected discoveries, the project design needs to be adapted in order
to comprehensively deal with
the newly discovered finds, or alternatively to explicitely exclude them from the project in order to retain the focus on the project’s original aims.
that does not prevent good overall planning.
There may be circumstances or unexpected discoveries that suggest a need to depart from the original project design. Where such cir- cumstances or discoveries do occur, it is the obligation of the project director to develop options for amending the project design, advise the competent authority, and to ob- tain approval for an amendment. In extreme cases, an option could be to cancel or postpone the project until conditions can be met to face the challenges determined by the unexpected discoveries.
Project design in cases of urgency
Rule 13.
In cases of urgency or chance discoveries, activities directed at the underwater cul- tural heritage, including conservation measures or activities for a period of short duration, in particular site stabilization, may be authorized in the absence of a project design in order to protect the un- derwater cultural heritage.
Natural disasters, illegal activities or chance discoveries during authorized activities that are not directed at underwater cultural heritage can expose sites and make them suddenly vulnerable to decay or destruction. Rule 13 provides for flexibility in relationship to procedures and paperwork that is otherwise necessary.
It is no excuse for inconsiderate action. “Think first, act second” is still wise. All the aspects listed as part of the Project Design in Rule 10, still need to be addressed. Safety is still an issue and so is the choice of an adequate methodology.
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Project Design