A Public Good Conservation Approach for Underwater Cultural Heritage Management Through Citizen Science

Abstract

<p>To know what is happening to underwater cultural heritage (UCH) sites from natural and cultural activity, sites must be monitored regularly and systematically. Currently, UCH management agencies are largely reliant on a few existing professionals to collect comparable data. UCH managers must more effectively harness the potential and interest of the public, through citizen science, to better understand the condition of sites and to pivot to a public good conservation approach with better legislative compliance outcomes. This thesis by publication employs a mixed-methods pragmatic research approach to test the hypothesis ‘Citizen science data collection can productively inform UCH management’.</p> <p>This thesis is significant for the disciplines of UCH management and to public archaeology, in which citizen science has been incorporated. It demonstrates that non-archaeologists can be trained as citizen scientists to collect data systematically which can inform science-based decision making in UCH management. The thesis is significant because the UCH conservation-focussed citizen science monitoring programme <i>Gathering Information via Recreational and Technical</i> (GIRT) <i>Scientific Divers</i> which was developed to test the hypothesis, has demonstrated that it can contribute to understanding the condition of individual sites and their site formation processes driven by natural events or cultural activity.</p> <p>The GIRT methodology can also potentially lead to an initial recognition of the impact climate change has on heritage at local, regional, national and international levels. GIRT is one of the world’s first web-enabled, globally applicable, UCH focussed citizen science programs that makes all collected data publicly accessible. Furthermore, this thesis is significant because, to date, it has enabled 132 members of the public to participate in maritime archaeology and heritage management, facilitated the discovery/re-discovery of two sites, and the adoption and monitoring of 25 sites in Australia and New Zealand. GIRT now has members in nine countries. </p>