Scientists warn accessible underwater cultural heritages face destruction

Underwater heritage sites could be in danger as the number of travellers taking scuba diving holidays increases and diving sites become more accessible to both amateur and professional divers, according to scientists.

A three-day meeting taking place this week at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, which was organised by UNESCO, is being attended by 50 representatives and marine specialists from 20 Mediterranean, Black Sea and Arab countries, to discuss the protection of the underwater cultural heritage.

The meeting has been set up to promote scientific protection standards across the UNESCO member states and discuss what else can be done to protect historical sites.

Secretary of the Convention on the protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, Ulrike Guerin, warns that many diving sites are at risk of commercial exploitation, damage and even looting.

"Professional equipment and a high level training remain necessary to undertake excavations since such sites are no longer beyond the reach of treasure hunters," she explained.

Wrecking diving activities are becoming increasingly popular for divers and tourists on scuba diving holidays, with an estimated 3 million shipwrecks across the ocean bed globally, which have yet to be discovered. Over 12,500 sailing ships and war vessels were lost at sea between 1824 and 1962 and over time divers will stumble across the remains of these historic ships.

With the sinking of ships inspiring numerous books and films, such as the Titanic and the Armada of Philip II, there has been a significant increase in diving activities to explore these underwater sites to gather information on sunken vessels. Tourists are also keen to get in on the action and visit well known sites during their holidays.

It's not just ships and war vessels which are lie on ocean floors across the world; remains of numerous ancient buildings are also submerged in the ocean.

The UNESCO Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage Convention was established in 2001 with the signatures of just nine countries. Now, it has signatures from over 40 countries across the world, and it sets the foundations for the protection of underwater cultural heritage sites in coastal and high seas globally.