By linking up thought leaders in industry with those in the cultural heritage sector, LFP will form a vital linchpin to ensure that future sustainability of the oceans is not compromised.
The race for sustainable shipping will drive a rethink of the way shipping is run, its role in the broader supply chain, the skills needed to make the transition successful, and the financing of a technological revolution. But what are the real costs that the industry must negotiate? And what else needs to be considered in this energy transition that might otherwise be overlooked?
Let’s think for example about the impact on ports. Not just in isolation but in a much wider context. There are a plethora of social and practical considerations when changes are made to port infrastructure, affecting local communities, their hinterlands and beyond.
"The maritime & ports sector is the gateway to some of the biggest challenges facing the world today, and presents innovation opportunities to deliver sustainable, equitable growth for our communities and economies." - Connected Places Catapult
At COP26 last year, 19 nations agreed to set up green maritime corridors, specific routes decarbonised throughout, from ships to land-based infrastructure. Early plans are for a green corridor cluster beginning with the intra-Asia container trade. Many of the ports will be historically significant. What impact will expansion have on cultural heritage – on land, along the shore and out at sea. What impact will the shipping routes have on aquaculture? There are also considerations of Marine Protected Areas, in relation to this and to the siting of new offshore renewables. What is the impact on shipwrecks and on our underwater cultural heritage? Equally, what can we learn through studying this local heritage and by bringing it to the attention of decision makers?
By exploring broader social contexts, LFP can highlight opportunities and risks of potential pathways to regulatory and policy change, adding to understanding of what has worked (and what has not worked) in the past.
Through stakeholder mapping and engagement with partners like History & Policy, the programme will construct and liaise with an international network of relevant historians and policy makers across the public, private and third sectors, as well as think tanks, campaign groups, journalists and other opinion-formers.
Organisations like Connected Places Catapult are key to this activity, they recognise that; "Throughout history, new technologies have enabled ever-increasing levels of physical, social and digital connectivity" and we look forward to working on future projects with them such as the retrospective opinion piece we have already produced.
There is some excellent academic research and engagement taking place in this space already, for example the work of Port Towns & Urban Cultures (PTUC), a group dedicated to furthering our understanding of the social and cultural contexts of ports across the globe from the early modern period. PTUC recognises "the importance of ports as liminal places where marine and urban spaces converge, producing a unique site of socio-cultural exchange that reinforced and challenged identities, perceptions and boundaries." Established in 2010, it comprises a team of academics from a range of socio-cultural disciplines, an international array of contributors and collaborators and a number of PhD students. They actively promote further research and are expanding collaboration with national and international universities, museums and community groups.
Historic England emphasise how coastal and marine heritage tells a story of of commerce, conflict and leisure. It contributes strongly to our identity and quality of life today. Our ports and a host of colourful seaside resorts remain vital for our economy, well-being and enjoyment.
"Much of this rich heritage is poorly understood yet under considerable pressure from coastal erosion, development and damaging activities." - Historic England
They are actively working working with other agencies to find out about and protect our vulnerable coastal heritage from erosion, the rise in sea levels, development, agriculture and neglect. They run a programme of coastal research including Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys. Insights from this could be invaluable to other nation's with the potential for lessons learned to be adopted at an international level too.
As individuals we can also make a difference. Every piece of information, no matter how small can add up to a bigger picture, building the evidence base, creating engaging stories, influencing people to think about the shared ocean spaces in different ways. We can achieve more by working together. See for example the work of the SCAPE Trust, which works with the public on the archaeology, history and past environments of the coastal zone of Scotland. They define the archaeology of the coastal zone as sites and historic landscapes that have a proximity to, or relationship with, the coast and SCAPE are particularly interested in remains threatened by coastal erosion. The outcomes of their work informs policy, provides evidence for good management, guides research and provides learning and interpretation resources.
Join us in building the LFP programme, creating new citizen science projects and working with new and exisiting partners.