Florida’s Underwater Archaeological Preserves: Public Participation as an Approach to Submerged Heritage Management

Abstract

Franklin H. Pricea*a Florida Department of State (Bureau of Archaeological Research), Florida, USACorrespondence to: Franklin H. Price, Florida Bureau of Archeological Research, B. Calvin Jones Center for Archaeology, 1001 DeSoto Park Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32301, USA. Email: franklin.price@dos.myflorida.comAbstractFlorida waters are home to the remains of such diverse watercraft as galleons, freighters, sailing yachts, steamboats, and prehistoric canoes. Managing these resources, especially regarding questions of access versus preservation, can be a daunting task. Florida’s Underwater Archaeological Preserves programme is an experiment in public participation to further both the awareness and the preservation of submerged heritage through site conservation and interpretation, incorporating various stakeholders during each step in the process. The logic in Florida’s Preserves programme is that an involved public given free access to a shipwreck site can be an ingredient for, instead of a hindrance to, preservation. Although one of several programmes worldwide, the concept that sets Florida’s Underwater Archaeological Preserves programme apart is its use of public involvement to promote education that fosters attitudes of conservation and preservation. If the public feels a share as stakeholders in the preservation of their maritime heritage, then submerged cultural resources will be more effectively protected.

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