UNESCO fieldschool for Underwater Cultural Heritage

During the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage meeting in Hong Kong 2003 it was decided that a regional field school was going to be established in Galle, Sri Lanka. This place was chosen because it had been the home of Sri Lankan maritime archaeology since 1992 and Sri Lanka’s first major project (‘Avondster’) was due to end in 2005. The Sri Lankan team, a partially explored site, the laboratory, infrastructure and institutional support were therefore, soon to be available for a new project. Although the facilities were partly destroyed by the Tsunami of 2005, funding has since been provided to restore these facilities.

Although a maritime archeology course was given in Sri Lanka in 2007, the initial plan to organize the UNESCO field school in Galle did not go through, because of domestic difficulties in Sri Lanka. The field school was eventually based in Chanthaburi in Thailand. The knowledge and experience that UNESCO has gained in Asia is now also applied in the training of maritime archeologists in the Caribbean.

The course would be an intensive 6 weeks course. During this project, additional field schools would be organized where scientists of the partner countries were invited to join the project and where specific courses were given. The topics were identified by making an inventory (through questionnaires) of what skills / training they felt were missing in their countries. During the courses individuals were identified who could be encouraged and supported to do a (n additional) University degree and/or to do additional fieldwork at other maritime archaeology units in the world. The trainers are renowned experts in the topics they are teaching. However, due to the robust Curriculum, these trainers can be exchanged while still the same level of education can be guaranteed. The Curriculum of the courses has the UNESCO Convention 2001 incorporated. The elements of the Annex (Code of Good Practice) are a core part of the teaching program. This course was worked out in the UNESCO foundation course training manual in 2012.

The preparations for the UNESCO field school started in 2007. The trainings have been given in the years 2009 and 2010.

The Netherlands cultural heritage agency has given financial support to this project, based on the mutual cultural heritage framework. In this framework, the Netherlands is working on the conservation of the heritage the country shares with other countries. Many shipwrecks in the waters around for example Indonesia or Suriname are part of this shared heritage, and therefore training more qualified underwater archeologists in Asia and the Pacific is in the interests of the Netherlands as well.

OBJECTIVES
The Foundation Courses aim to bring regional trainees of different academic backgrounds and who are experts in their own countries, to a common level of understanding on the multi‐disciplinary nature of maritime archaeology.

Through a six-week intensive training program, trainees are trained on the basics of underwater archaeology and cultural heritage management through lectures and field work.

Topics include the 2001 Convention and its Annex, introduction to underwater archaeology, site significance, in-situ preservation, museology, Asian ship technology and ceramics, among others. The course also includes two weeks of field training in underwater surveying methods at real shipwreck site.

RESULTS
During the project, already 5 training courses have been taught in Thailand (First foundation course 26 October – 4 December 2009, Second foundation course 1 February – 15 March 2010, Advanced course GIS 20-29 September 2010, Third foundation course 14 February – 26 March 2011 & Advanced course on Situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage 19 – 26 October 2011). This means that already seventy people have benefited from the courses given at the UNESCO field school.

* Foundation Course 1(Chanthaburi Thailand, 26-10-2009 4-12-2009)
Fifteen national experts from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand successfully completed the requirements of the Foundation Course. Expert trainers/resource persons who shared their expertise with the national experts came from ICOMOS International Committee on Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH), the Nautical Archaeology Society (UK), UNESCO, Australia and Thailand.
* Foundation Course 2(Chanthaburi Thailand, 1-3-2010 9-4-2010)
The Second Foundation Course was held in early Summer to coincide with the diving season within the vicinity of Chanthaburi. Nineteen trainees from ten countries (Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam) took part in the training programme.
Based on the feedbacks of the regional trainees who took part during the First Foundation Course, the curriculum and timetable for the Second Foundation Course were slightly revised. The changes in the timetable of main topics were aimed to better prepare the regional trainees for their underwater survey activities. The draft curriculum of the First Foundation Course was further enhanced by the participating expert trainers for the Second Foundation Course. During their post-training assessment, the regional trainees expressed their satisfaction on how the Second Foundation Course was able to meet their training needs.
* Foundation Course 3(Chanthaburi Thailand, 14-2-2011 15-3-2011)
* GIS Application in the Management of Underwater Archaeology (Chanthaburi Thailand (20-09-2010 29-9-2010)
The Advanced Training Course on the application of Geographic Information Systems in the management of underwater cultural heritage was planned to be organized during the 3rd quarter of 2010.
The course enables regional trainees to understand the fundamentals of GIS, learn techniques using ArcGIS software, learn how to establish a GIS system and develop GIS applications in managing underwater archaeology. It helps develop necessary skills in using databases and GIS procedures including data entry, manipulation, editing, analysis and mapping.
* Advanced Course on In Situ Preservation (19-10-2011 /26-10- 2011 Khao Laem Ya-Moo Ko Samed National Park Rayong, Thailand)
The Advanced Training Course on In Situ Preservation was the last training course in the series of the training courses under the Norway-funded Project "Safeguarding Underwater Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific" (2009-2011).

The course enables regional trainees to acquire hands-on experience in conducting site preservation using In Situ concept and methodology in which the originality of the wreck site is the priority. The course was facilitated by two experts from the Netherlands and Denmark, initiating the development on necessary skills in utilizing local materials in preparing Geotextiles and debris nets as well as data collection on threats and environment, site monitoring and protection analyses.

See also:
Karina Acton (Expert)
Somlak Charoenpot (Expert)
Sayan Prainchainjit (Expert)
Mark Staniforth (Expert)
Christopher Underwood (Expert)
Erbprem Vatcharangkul (Expert)
Hans van Tilburg (Expert)
Bobby Orillaneda (Expert)
Charlotte Minh-Ha Pham (Expert)
David Gregory (Expert)

The Kingdom of Norway through the UNESCO (Organisation)