The Underwater Archaeological Heritage of Andalusia: Actions for the Protection of an Emerging Heritage

Abstract

The Underwater Archaeology Centre of Andalusia opened in 1997 due to the need to correctly manage and preserve the underwater archaeological heritage of Andalusia; the main goal set was protection. Aware that the protection of this heritage necessarily involved global knowledge thereof, the Centre decided to focus its efforts on executing a core project – an archaeological map – a tool that would enable the establishment of specific protection and preservation mechanisms and the design of research strategies. The results obtained from this project have enabled the achievement in recent years of some of the goals set, notably guaranteeing the legal protection of these space, and drawing up projects with specific research targets.