CASH FOR ARCHAEOLOGY - from DIVER Magazine

DATELINE: 28th April 2001

CASH FOR ARCHAEOLOGY
The Government has hinted that maritime archaeology will be better supported by the state than it has been in the past. Its pledge to back divers engaged in maritime archaeology is contained in Power of Place, a policy review document covering all aspects of archaeology and published by English Heritage.
In the policy review's section on wrecks, English Heritage states clearly that "reform of the system is overdue". This can be taken to apply to the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, under which historic wreck sites are designated for protection. English Heritage is set to take over responsibility for administering the Act from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
Acknowledging the role played by divers in surveying and monitoring protected wreck sites, Power of Place states that the "voluntary sector" - sport divers - is a "main contributor" to marine archaeology. Implying that dive teams might expect improved financial backing, it adds: "Support for their efforts is essential to future management strategy."
Archaeologists have welcomed the report as a vote of confidence in the work of voluntary archaeological divers, and a sign that years of underfunding could be coming to an end. It will go some way to alleviating long-standing complaints that, while the government has been willing to designate sites for protection, lack of financial back-up has meant that licensed survey groups have often operated at a loss and, on occasion, not even been able to afford marker buoys for the sites they tend.
But the welcome is tempered by realism.
"When English Heritage takes on its powers over the Protection of Wrecks Act, maritime archaeology will for the first time be able to apply for financial support on an equal footing with land heritage projects," Chris Underwood of the Nautical Archaeology Society told Diver. "That's fantastic, but a note of caution is that it looks as though total funds available will not increase, which means that present levels of funding will have to be spread over a wider area once maritime archaeology is taken on board alongside land archaeology."
Underwood also warned that passage of the Culture and Recreation Bill, essential before English Heritage can assume responsibility for maritime archaeology, could take some time because it covered such a range of issues. "Overall, however, we're very pleased that the value of archaeological diving has been acknowledged, and that the foundations for improved support have been laid," he said.