The Ocean Decade Heritage Network: Integrating Cultural Heritage Within the UN Decade of Ocean Science 2021–2030

Journal of Maritime Archaeology (2019) 14:153–165 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-019-09241-0 ORIGINAL PAPER The Ocean Decade Heritage Network: Integrating Cultural Heritage Within the UN Decade of Ocean Science 2021–2030 Athena Trakadas1 · Antony Firth2 · David Gregory1 · Dolores Elkin3 · Ulrike Guerin4 · Jon Henderson5 · Jun Kimura6 · Della Scott‑Ireton7 · Yvonne Shashoua1 · Chris Underwood8 · Andrew Viduka9 Published online: 22 August 2019 © The Author(s) 2019 Abstract The Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030 is a UN initiative that promotes a common framework for supporting stakeholders in studying and assessing the health of the world’s oceans. The initiative also presents a vital opportunity to improve the integration of archaeology within the marine sciences. With the First Global Planning Meeting of the Decade held in Copenhagen at the National Museum of Denmark in May 2019, steps are already being taken to make the best of this opportunity, and the resulting creation of an Ocean Decade Heritage Network is proposed as a way forward to continue to raise awareness in the cultural heritage community about the Decade and to facilitate information sharing regarding this endeavour. Keywords Cultural heritage · Marine sciences · UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 · UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030 · UNESCO-IOC Introduction In 2017, the United Nations (UN) announced the launch of a new initiative, the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030 (hereafter Decade), which has the tagline “the science we need for the ocean we want”. This initiative is directed at supporting “efforts to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework that will ensure ocean science can fully support countries in creating improved conditions for sustainable development of the Ocean” (UNESCO n.d.a). The world’s oceans are of undoubted importance in stabilising climate, but numerous recent studies have revealed that this and general human well-being are being impacted by multiple stressors on marine systems. As a result, the UN, via the Decade, has proposed and is developing a focused approach to addressing these issues and managing them sustainably through ocean observations and research “to predict the consequences of change, design mitigation and guide adaptation” (UNESCO n.d.a). The intended outcomes * Athena Trakadas Extended author information available on the last page of the article 13 Vol.:(0123456789) 154 Journal of Maritime Archaeology (2019) 14:153–165 of the Decade are expressed in terms of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UN n.d.); the Decade complements SDG 14 “Life below Water” (SDG n.d.), aimed at protecting marine ecosystems, but the point is been strongly made that marine sciences under the auspices of the Decade should contribute across all 17 SDGs. UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) has been tasked by the UN General Assembly “to prepare and coordinate the development of an Implementation Plan for the Decade during the Preparatory Phase (2018–2020)” through plans of science, capacity building, resource mobilisation, and communications and engagement (UNESCO n.d.b). Four interlinked mechanisms, an Executive Planning Group (EPG), stakeholder forums, regional workshops, and Global Planning Meetings (GPM), will facilitate the implementation of the Decade. In the late summer of 2018, an application process was opened for members of the EPG, and at the same time, a call was put out through the IOC for institutions to host regional workshops, stakeholder forums, and GPMs over the next two years. Additionally, a draft “Roadmap for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development” was disseminated to IOC Member States, UN bodies, and institutional partners of the IOC. The Roadmap is designed to serve as a preliminary guide for the steps and processes to develop the Implementation Plan of the Decade, whilst also outlining preliminary objectives and identifying governance and structural arrangements. A revised draft Roadmap was made available on-line on the IOC’s website in June 2018 (UNESCO n.d.c). The Decade came to the attention of those in the field of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) after its announcement in the spring of 2018, especially through a presentation at UNESCO in Paris during the 9th Meeting of the Scientific and Technical Advisory body (STAB) of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (hereafter the Convention), and the 6 th Meeting of the UNITWIN Underwater Archaeology Network. Although the revised Roadmap, paragraph 9 notes: “‘Ocean Science’ should be interpreted broadly as encompassing: social sciences and human dimensions” (UNESCO n.d.c: 5), these subjects are not discussed in the subsequent 51 pages of the document. Heritage is almost completely omitted except for two general references related to stakeholders.1 However, in the same document’s seven Decade Research and Development Aims, as well as the proposed activities, it is clear that UCH and interdisciplinary maritime/marine archaeological activities already fit well into the goals of the Decade and in fact overlap with the proposed research agendas. But if the UCH community was not involved from the start to make the wider marine science community, and our own field, aware of this potential, would we be missing the Decade boat? It is important to understand that cultural heritage is the clear responsibility of modern states. Article 303(1) of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides that “States have the duty to protect objects of an archaeological and historical nature found at sea and shall cooperate for this purpose” (UNCLOS n.d.: 138). Strong support for research into cultural heritage also comes from the 2001 UNESCO Convention, especially from Article 19(1): “States Parties shall cooperate and assist each other in the protection and management of underwater cultural heritage under this Convention, including, where prac- 1 Initially, in the zero-draft of the Decade Action Plan of the UN General Assembly in 2017, cultural heritage was not considered, but State parties argued for its, albeit limited, inclusion (Guerin, pers. comm.). 13 Journal of Maritime Archaeology (2019) 14:153–165 155 ticable, collaborating in the investigation, excavation, documentation, conservation, study and presentation of such heritage.” (CPUCH n.d.). Further supportive statements are made in the Preamble to the Convention, which sets out the view of the General Council of UNESCO: “Acknowledging the importance of underwater cultural heritage as an integral part of the cultural heritage of humanity and a particularly important element in the history of peoples, nations, and their relations with each other concerning their common heritage, … Convinced of the importance of re (...truncated)