Abstract
This paper aims to set out the role Marine Cultural Heritage (MCH) can play in informing responses to global challenges and enhancing the sustainable development of coastal zones. This requires recognition of the importance of MCH as a knowledge base amongst marine ocean scientists, policy makers and marine stakeholders on the one hand and a greater effort by marine heritage specialists to engage with the 2030 Agenda on the other. The forthcoming UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) provides an opportunity to engage with the sea more widely but it is argued that the cultural element provided by considering past human action is currently lacking. The importance of understanding human interaction with the sea in terms of gaining a more complete picture of human history is briefly presented and a definition of MCH as all past action in the human zone is given. The article then sets out how MCH can enhance sustainable development in the marine zone with particular reference to SDG14 considering heritage tourism, coastal development and infrastructure, development aid policy, climate change, coastal management, fisheries and the offshore industry. The article highlights that the knowledge and data from MCH should be seen as crucial in evidence-based decision making across the coastal and marine sectors. The paper concludes that the inclusion of MCH approaches in initiatives aiming at coastal and ocean sustainability is not just advisable—it is essential.
Highlights
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address the multiple and complex challenges our planet faces in the twenty-first century [1]
This paper aims to set out the role that Marine Cultural Heritage can play in informing responses to global challenges and enhancing the sustainable development of coastal zones
The future of maritime archaeology should not be about individual wrecks, individual projects or discoveries, it should be about raising awareness of the importance of the sea and water contact in general—both in terms of human development in the past and in terms of how we develop in the future
Summary
This paper aims to set out the role that Marine Cultural Heritage can play in informing responses to global challenges and enhancing the sustainable development of coastal zones. As a unique resource with knowledge and experience that can contribute to the goal of sustainable development in the marine zone, the importance of marine cultural heritage has so far been completely neglected. This is perhaps unsurprising given the maritime archaeological community has not so far directly addressed the 2030 Agenda and is, instead, viewed from outside the profession as focussing on the preservation and protection of the resource rather than what it can offer in terms of economic, social and cultural benefits. As long as the importance of cultural heritage is not recognised as a critical and valuable knowledge base, sustainable development initiatives in the marine zone will be less likely to succeed and, worse, will undermine the identities and wellbeing of coastal communities
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