Climate change and the mitigating tool of salvage archaeology: The case of the Fort Kongensten site at Ada Foah, Ghana

Abstract

In the ongoing attempts at lessening the hydra-headed impacts of climate change, this paper explored the strategic use of salvage archaeology in the scientific retrieval and documentation of heritage remains and sites under the threat of climate change. In doing so, the research examined the effects of climate change and global warming on coastal heritage resources. Specifically, in Ghana, sea levels have been steadily rising over the centuries leading to the erosion of coastlines and the submergence of historic coastal settlements to about 110 metres inland. A historic Danish Fort Kongensten constructed in 1783 along the coast of Ada-Foah in Ghana, for example, has been totally eroded away by the rising sea water. This paper assesses how salvage archaeology was used to retrieve, document and conserve cultural materials associated with the fort. It also explored the extent to which salvage archaeology and anthropology can be used as tools in climate change mitigation projects in impacted zones.