Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in Asia: Policy, law and practice

Abstract

An initiative supporting the United Nations Ocean Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, Dalian Maritime University hosted the first Asian Regional Workshop on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage on 2–3 December 2021. One hundred and twenty high-level government officials, preeminent policy-makers, respected practitioners, influential academics and student observers from 21 jurisdictions across the region gathered online to share information about how each respective Asian nation is addressing the need to protect Underwater Cultural Heritage through legislative, policy and practical responses. Following two opening addresses, four keynote speeches and 16 jurisdiction reports, participants identified and discussed key challenges to the protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Asian region and proposed many practical measures for improvement, including an Asian Strategy for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage; an Asian Declaration for the safeguarding of Underwater Cultural Heritage; a cooperative regional program, spearheaded by China, and formed a regional working group to assess the feasibility of these proposals and bring the viable proposals into being. Participants also discussed the regional viability of UNESCO and its 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.