UNESCO White Paper on Underwater Cultural Heritage and Climate Change
Underwater Cultural Heritage, Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation (PDF)
As the members of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology prepare to gather for their upcoming meeting in Paris, it is worth reflecting on one of the key contributions presented during last year’s gathering of States Parties to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001).
At the 2025 meeting, a new UNESCO White Paper titled “Underwater Cultural Heritage, Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation” was presented. Written by Colin Breen of Ulster University, the report addresses the growing pressures that climate change and human activities are placing on underwater cultural heritage (UCH) worldwide.
A Growing Challenge for Underwater Cultural Heritage
The White Paper highlights that underwater archaeological sites—ranging from shipwrecks to submerged landscapes—are increasingly affected by environmental changes and anthropogenic impacts. Rising sea temperatures, shifting sediment dynamics, coastal development, intensified maritime traffic, and other factors are transforming the conditions in which these sites have been preserved for centuries.
Despite these challenges, the report emphasizes that global preparedness remains limited. Many countries and heritage managers currently lack the tools, policies, or coordinated strategies needed to respond effectively to the accelerating impacts of climate change on underwater cultural heritage.
Towards Adaptation and Mitigation
To address this gap, the White Paper proposes a comprehensive policy and capacity-development framework centred on two key pillars:
- Adaptation, enabling heritage managers and institutions to anticipate and respond to environmental change.
- Mitigation, integrating underwater cultural heritage considerations into broader environmental and climate policies.
The report also calls for expanded global programmes of communication, research, and engagement, aimed at strengthening collaboration between scientists, archaeologists, policymakers, and coastal communities.
A New Framework: Nature and Culture Together
One of the key concepts advanced in the White Paper is the adoption of an ecosystem-based approach to underwater cultural heritage management. Rather than treating archaeological sites in isolation, the report advocates integrating them into broader environmental and marine management frameworks.
In this perspective, underwater cultural heritage should be considered within a “Nature–Culture” governance framework, recognizing the deep connections between natural marine environments and the cultural traces preserved within them.
Expanding Accessibility Through Translation
To ensure wider international accessibility, the report has recently been translated into several languages by specialists in underwater cultural heritage who are native speakers. The White Paper is now available in:
Spanish, Russian, Arabic, French, Chinese
These translations significantly broaden the potential reach of the report, allowing heritage professionals, researchers, and policymakers worldwide to engage more easily with its recommendations.
Looking Ahead
As the UNITWIN network prepares for its next annual meeting, the themes raised in this White Paper remain highly relevant. Addressing the impacts of climate change on underwater cultural heritage will require international cooperation, interdisciplinary research, and sustained capacity building.
The discussions initiated by this report represent an important step toward developing global strategies to safeguard underwater cultural heritage in a rapidly changing world.