mad4wrecks
Bronze Member
- Dec 20, 2004
- 2,263
- 107
- Detector(s) used
- Aquapulse, DetectorPro Headhunter, Fisher F75
- Primary Interest:
- Shipwrecks
After eight years of immensely hard work on the part of underwater archaeologists and diplomats around the world, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage enters into force.
In recent years, heritage conservationists have used all their powers of persuasion to convince 20 countries to sign on to the UNESCO Convention. Twenty was the magic number needed to put the convention into force in the waters off these countries. By accepting or ratifying the convention, these countries have now agreed to honor several key archaeological principles: the most important, however, is to prohibit any commercial exploitation of underwater wrecks. This means no more treasure-hunting in these waters, pure and simple.
Remember this is only effective off of the coasts of the signatory states, so some are merely a progression from stated positions to a formal international stance as is the case with Spain and Mexico. Some are rather sad, such as the case with Ecuador, where much work had been done in recent years.
What does this mean? Well what it means is that there is very little reason for the private sector to try to work with governments in those countries and although now the convention codifies that it is illegal to "commercially exploit" shipwrecks, Unesco is also not - as far as we know- giving any money to develop programs in those countries, so the net effect of this will be to promote piracy.
Take a look at the list; see if you can guess where the locals will care about UNESCO if they find objects of value while diving, fishing, or in their nets. Yeah right, all this does in these countries is officially turn over all the wrecks over a certain age to the archaeologists, which was what this was all about all along.
1 Barbados 02/10/2008 Acceptance
2 Bulgaria 06/10/2003 Ratification
3 Cambodia 24/11/2007 Ratification
4 Croatia 01/12/2004 Ratification
5 Cuba 26/05/2008 Ratification
6 Ecuador 01/12/2006 Ratification
7 Lebanon 08/01/2007 Acceptance
8 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 23/06/2005 Ratification
9 Lithuania 12/06/2006 Ratification
10 Mexico 05/07/2006 Ratification
11 Montenegro 18/07/2008 Ratification
12 Nigeria 21/10/2005 Ratification
13 Panama 20/05/2003 Ratification
14 Paraguay 07/09/2006 Ratification
15 Portugal 21/09/2006 Ratification
16 Romania 31/07/2007 Acceptance
17 Saint Lucia 01/02/2007 Ratification
18 Slovenia 18/09/2008 Ratification
19 Spain 06/06/2005 Ratification
20 Ukraine 27/12/2006 Ratification
(posted by Tom Gidus with an assist by Jim Sinclair)
In recent years, heritage conservationists have used all their powers of persuasion to convince 20 countries to sign on to the UNESCO Convention. Twenty was the magic number needed to put the convention into force in the waters off these countries. By accepting or ratifying the convention, these countries have now agreed to honor several key archaeological principles: the most important, however, is to prohibit any commercial exploitation of underwater wrecks. This means no more treasure-hunting in these waters, pure and simple.
Remember this is only effective off of the coasts of the signatory states, so some are merely a progression from stated positions to a formal international stance as is the case with Spain and Mexico. Some are rather sad, such as the case with Ecuador, where much work had been done in recent years.
What does this mean? Well what it means is that there is very little reason for the private sector to try to work with governments in those countries and although now the convention codifies that it is illegal to "commercially exploit" shipwrecks, Unesco is also not - as far as we know- giving any money to develop programs in those countries, so the net effect of this will be to promote piracy.
Take a look at the list; see if you can guess where the locals will care about UNESCO if they find objects of value while diving, fishing, or in their nets. Yeah right, all this does in these countries is officially turn over all the wrecks over a certain age to the archaeologists, which was what this was all about all along.
1 Barbados 02/10/2008 Acceptance
2 Bulgaria 06/10/2003 Ratification
3 Cambodia 24/11/2007 Ratification
4 Croatia 01/12/2004 Ratification
5 Cuba 26/05/2008 Ratification
6 Ecuador 01/12/2006 Ratification
7 Lebanon 08/01/2007 Acceptance
8 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 23/06/2005 Ratification
9 Lithuania 12/06/2006 Ratification
10 Mexico 05/07/2006 Ratification
11 Montenegro 18/07/2008 Ratification
12 Nigeria 21/10/2005 Ratification
13 Panama 20/05/2003 Ratification
14 Paraguay 07/09/2006 Ratification
15 Portugal 21/09/2006 Ratification
16 Romania 31/07/2007 Acceptance
17 Saint Lucia 01/02/2007 Ratification
18 Slovenia 18/09/2008 Ratification
19 Spain 06/06/2005 Ratification
20 Ukraine 27/12/2006 Ratification
(posted by Tom Gidus with an assist by Jim Sinclair)
wonder if they will subcontract or not. 
think haliberton of the sea 
PS Bill love your book.
