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TINA TINA

Denizcilik Arkeolojisi Dergisi Maritime Archaeology Periodical

UNESCO UNDERWATER CULTURAL

HERITAGE CONVENTION AND

PROTECTION MEETING

he 2017 meeting of UNESCO Convention on were inundated following the rise of the sea level by
the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage melting glaciers. Therefore, studies on the remains of
Twas held between May 29 and June 1 at UNES- ancient settlements that had been flooded in the past
CO Headquarters in Paris. The Turkish representatives cover sea level changes due to climate change, also
of UNESCO consisting of Assoc. Prof. Harun Özdaş the oceanography and provide important information
of Dokuz Eylül University as the President of the Un- in this area.
derwater Cultural Heritage Monitoring Group, Hakan Another topic of the agenda was the destruction
Öniz from Konya Selçuk University as the UNITWIN caused by the deep-sea fishing activities. The threats
Network Coordinator, and Tuba Ekmekçi Littlefield of against the underwater cultural heritage caused by
UNESCO accredited Institute of Nautical Archaeology the inappropriate hunting methods were articulately
(INA), participated in relevant meetings as observers. explained. Prof. Michael L. Hour who made a pre-
The convention on global protection of underwater sentation particularly on the Mediterranean fishing
cultural heritage, aims to protect all finds older than 100 activities from France’s perspective, showed the de-
years that lie beneath the oceans, seas, and inland wa- struction caused by these activities in an exclusive
ters. Only 56 countries signed the convention whereas economic zone, and talked about the massive destruc-
the United Nations have a total of 192 member coun- tion caused by trolling.
tries. This number has to be increased if we want to It is generally accepted that the Underwater Cultural
make sure the convention has universal compatibility. Heritage is a common heritage of humanity. On the oth-
Turkey, and Greece, did not sign the convention and the er hand, it is obvious that many of the world’s resources
governments of countries such as the USA, the UK, Ger- are being rapidly depleted. During this process, not only
many, Egypt, and Australia were not natural resources, but also cultural re-
party to it either. Therefore many is- sources are being destroyed, and the
sues pertaining to the convention are humanity is in denial of its own ex-
still being discussed. Turkey and other istence by destroying the traces of its
countries that are not party are partic- own past.
ipating in the meetings with observer Studies have shown that there are
status and follow the developments. approximately two million fishing
The discussion session of the meeting included boats in the oceans, and 23 thousand of these boats are
statements underlining the necessity for education re- industrial type vessels; 4.900 kg fish are caught every
lated to seas and oceans of archaeologists who will second, and approximately 64 thousand tons of fishing
be working on underwater cultural heritage. The In- material are either thrown or left in the seas.
troduction to Maritime Sciences course given by the Another issue that was noteworthy is the fossils that
Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute of Dokuz are at risk of being destroyed as a result of fishing ac-
Eylül University, provides the necessary information tivities. Fossils removed from the bottom of the sea
resource for researchers working in this field, and are also illicitly sold just as archaeological finds. The
ochinography is an elective course. The meeting also next topic discussed in the meeting was the presence
included discussions about sustainable development of unexploded ammunition inside the battleships, and
targets for the success of the 2001 Convention, how emphasis was given on the threat created by unexplod-
the number of member states can be increased until ed artillery in the shipwrecks from WWI, and WWII.
2030 and the related strategies. The Underwater Cultural Heritage have been ad-
The Underwater Cultural Heritage includes import- dressed from every possible aspect during four days
ant elements, that also point out at the climate change. of the meeting. Participants decided to spend efforts
The most important impact of climate change is the to see that more countries become part of this agree-
threat to coastal settlements associated with glob- ment, and become more active, with the new mem-
al sea level rise, due to melting glaciers. Similarly, bers elected to the “Scientific and Technical Advisory
in the past, ancient buildings in coastal settlements Committee”.
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