ICOMOS General Assembly was the 11th in Sofia, May 10-1996 approved

Preamble

Charter aims to promote the protection and management of cultural heritage under water, land and in coastal waters and ocean farming. This Charter, underwater cultural heritage should be interpreted as archaeological heritage lies in, or has been moved out of the water environment. This heritage includes sites and buildings submerged under water, the place closed and boats drifting objects and archaeological context where it natural.

Underwater cultural heritage, by its nature, is an international asset. A large portion of the underwater cultural heritage is in the shape international and collected from the international trade in the boats and everything contained inside sank away in remote places of origin or destination .

Archaeology is a public activity, everyone has the right to withdraw from past pruning what makes our lives more abundant, and all attempts to limit the understanding of the past is an infringement of independent individuals. Underwater cultural heritage contributes to the formation of identity and may have important significance in strengthening the sense of community people. If managed well, water under the Cultural Heritage can play an active role in promoting recreation and tourism.

Underwater cultural heritage threatened by the activities or do not complete because only bring benefits for some small but harmful to the majority. Commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage for trade or speculation is fundamentally incompatible with the protection and management of this legacy. This Charter aims to ensure that all survey targeted and explicit methodology, is expected to result for each project's intent is transparent to everyone.

Article 1 - Basic principles

The conservation of underwater cultural heritage site should be considered the number one choice.

The exposure of the public should be encouraged.

These techniques are not destructive, sample surveys and get massively Deleting not to be encouraged rather than excavation.

Survey not cause for underwater cultural heritage more adversely than is necessary to achieve the research objectives of the project is limited.

Survey to avoid causing unnecessary disturbances to the core mobile or the sacred place.

Survey records must be accompanied by appropriate documentation.

Article 2 - Project Planning

Prior to surveying projects, mindful of the following:
Identify target · limited or targeted research projects;

· Method and technical review will be used;

· Even funds;

· History Project;

· Being section, the qualifications, responsibilities and experiences of the survey team;

· Preservation materials;

· The management and preservation of sites;

. The procedures for cooperation with museums and other organizations;

· Lakes preliminary data;

· Measures to protect the health and safety;

· The report preparation;

· Place for keeping records, including underwater cultural heritage in income surveys;

· The broadcast, including the participation of the public.

Version control projects must be reviewed and amended as necessary.

The survey must be conducted in accordance with the project. The project must be to hand the community of archaeologists.

Article 3 - Funding

Must ensure adequate funding prior to the survey can complete all stages of the project, including conservation, preparing reports and advertising to the public. The project also includes plans to respond to the unexpected interruption cost estimates, which still must undertake to preserve underwater cultural heritage and supporting documentation.

Project funding was not questioned sell underwater cultural heritage or any manner without causing losses spread recovered underwater cultural heritage.

Article 4. History Survey

Make sure it has adequate travel survey before the survey can be completed to a stage of the project, including conservation, preparing reports and advertising to the public. The project also includes plans to respond to unexpected travel plans interrupted survey and still must be conducted to preserve underwater cultural heritage and supporting documentation.

Article 5 - Research objectives, methodology and techniques

The research objectives and the details of the methodology and techniques will be used is specified in the project. Methodology must be consistent with the objectives of the project and research techniques used to make as little disturbance as possible.

Article 6 - qualifications, responsibilities and experiences

Everyone in the survey team must have qualifications and experience relevant to their role in the project. They must grasp and fully understand the work required in their projects.

All survey nature infringement of underwater cultural heritage must be conducted under the direction and control of an underwater archaeologist was appointed, is qualified and accredited experience appropriate to the task.

Article 7. Preliminary survey

All survey nature infringement of underwater cultural heritage shall be conducted only after a preliminary evaluation of vulnerable nature, importance and potential of the site.

Article 8 - Lap records

All surveys must be fully documented in accordance with current professional standards of archaeological documentation.

The dossier must provide sufficient evidence collected at the site, including the origin of the underwater cultural heritage sites have been translated or removed during the survey, the survey logs, diagrams and drawings, the original image and all types of materials collected by other means.

Article 9 - Conservation of materials

Tnnh preservation program must have to process the material artifacts during archaeological surveys, transportation and in the long term.

The conservation of materials must be conducted consistent with current professional standards.

Article 10. Management and preservation of monuments

Must write a program to preserve sites, details of measures to protect and manage cultural heritage site under water during and immediately after the end of the survey.

Article 11. Health and safety

Health and safety of the survey team and participate in the parts of the survey is supreme. Everyone in the survey team must work in a safe mode in accordance with the requirements of law and business, and that mode must be described in the program.

Article 12 - Report

The preliminary report must be submitted on the proposed schedule in the program. The report must be placed in the department store to public recognition and exposure are.

Article 13. Archive

Parts of the underwater cultural heritage was taken away in the survey and all related records must be stored in a public agency that may come in contact regularly and records are protected all good. Arrangements where a record must be agreed upon before the survey and shall be recorded in the project. Records shall be preserved in accordance with current professional standards.

Article 14. Promote

Must raise awareness of the public about the survey results and significance of underwater cultural heritage through the universal introduction on the different media. Not be set higher fees challenged by exposure to the general public that with the referral.

Article 15 - International cooperation

The international cooperation is essential for the protection and management of underwater cultural heritage and promotion should be to maintain high standards in research and surveys. The international cooperation should be encouraged to use well the archaeologists and other professionals proficient in the field of surveying underwater cultural heritage. The program professional exchange must be considered as a method of disseminating best practices.