1. Significance Assessment
Photo: Logboat Hardinxveld Giessendam Courtesy RACM

2. Objectives Participants will:
Understand the concept of significance assessment
Know how cultural significance can be assessed
Recognise the importance of significance assessment
for underwater cultural heritage management
Understand how to use Archaeological Impact
Assessments and Conservation Management Plans
Be able to apply the information to their own
assessments of a chosen site

3. Introduction What is Significance?
Significance- the quality of being significant or important or valued or meaningful or of consequence
Importance - the quality of being recognised as important and worthy of note
Meaningfulness - the quality of having great value, importance or significance
Consequence - having important effects, values or influence

4. ICOMOS
International Council on Monuments and Sites is an international non-governmental organization of professionals, dedicated to the conservation of the world's historic monuments and sites. See:
 The BURRA CHARTER provides guidance for the conservation, preservation and management of places of cultural significance (cultural heritage places), and is based on the knowledge and experience of Australia ICOMOS members. See:

5. What is Cultural Significance?
Cultural Significance means aesthetic, historic, scientific (including archaeological), social or spiritual value for past, present or future generations (Burra Charter)
Cultural Significance is embodied in the heritage place (or site) itself, its fabric, setting, use, associations, meanings, records, related places and related objects.
Why is this heritage site significant?
How significant is this heritage place?

6. Significance = Value
But what kind of value?
Photo Courtesy RACM

7. Significance can be created or added to
Heritage Cycle (English Heritage)

8. Difficulties and sensibilities in adding value to cultural heritage
The assessment of significance is not fixed (it is not permanant and unchanging)
Significance assessment can change over time (it may be different now than in the past and may be diferent again in the future)
It can also change on the basis of:
Quantity / Quality
Cultural, political and other social differences
Memory value (or awareness of)
Aesthetic value
Economic value

9. Different kinds of heritage
There is not “one” cultural heritage
World Heritage, Mutual Heritage, Intangible Heritage, Underwater Cultural Heritage, (rural) vernacular heritage, and so on
Heritage that is significant at International, national, regional and local levels

10. Why do we need to assess significance?
We cannot simply do “everything”
Limited staff, budget, resources
We therefore need to assess and prioritize
Photo Courtesy RACM

11. We also need to make Significance Assessment as objective as possible...
….While significance almost by definition is subjective…We need to make it
* Comparable
* Transparent or explicit
Photo: Implacable.

12. Two aspects to significance
The intrinsic value of a site is considered to be a large variety of values covering the significance for scientific (or academic), cultural, social, economic, educative, amenity, community and personal use.
The significance in relation to managing change is all to do with understanding how changes arise (What is causing the change?) and therefore what are the implications of this change in altering or affecting the intrinsic values of the site
(What is likely to happen as a result of the change?)

13. Intrinsic value
Covers a wide range of values in terms of scientific/academic, cultural, social, economic educative, amenity, community and personal

14. Intrinsic value Importance Sensitivity Potential
Photo mosaic, courtesy Landesambt fur Denkmahlplege Mecklenburg-Vormpommern, Germany

15. Intrinsic value Criteria used to determine the intrisic value:
Potential to yield important information
Associated with important events or people
Distinctive characteristics of a period
Representativeness
Social or spiritual significance
Significance in experience aspects
Economic value in the present time and future

16. Intrinsic value Criteria used to evaluate the degree of significance:
Provenance
Representativeness
Rarity/uniqueness
Condition/completeness
Interpretive potential
Capacity to inform us about the past

17. Managing Change
This aspect of significance has all to do with understanding how changes arise and what the implications of this are for heritage management.

18. Types of change Dynamics of change Process of change
Beneficial/ Neutral/Adverse
Permanent/Temporary
Process of change
Sources (causes)
Direct/Indirect
Synergistic/cumulative
Outcomes of change
Physical fabric
Setting & surroundings
Perceptual & cultural issues
Socio-economic aspects
Photo Courtesy RWS/RACM

19. Significance of change
cannot be assessed without understanding both the intrinsic value and the types of change which may occur:
Magnitude of Change
Risk and Opportunity Prediction
The Significance of effects
Sustainability of Change
Limits of Acceptable Change
Regulation and Management
Indicators and Monitoring
Photo Courtesy RACM

20. Impact Assessments
To ensure that environmental and other considerations are explicitly addressed and incorporated into the development decision making process;
To anticipate and avoid, minimize or offset the adverse significant biophysical, social and other relevant effects of development proposals;
To protect the productivity and capacity of natural systems and the ecological processes which maintain their functions; and
To promote development that is sustainable and optimizes resource use and management opportunities.

21. Impact Assessments
Impact Assessments: An evaluation that aims to determine whether and to what extent a development is likely to cause changes in an environment
Should be conducted in accordance with internationally agreed measures and activities.
All impact assessments whether these are environmental (EIA), archaeological (AIA) or cultural (CIA) are executed following a flow diagram like this or ones that are very similar.

23. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Definition: Studies undertaken in order to assess the effect on a specified environment of the introduction of any new factor, which may upset the current ecological balance.
(Source:
The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made.
(Source: International Association for Impact Assessment:

24. Cultural Heritage in EIA
In assessing cultural heritage within EIA procedures the purpose should be to
● minimise loss of and avoid adverse impacts on an important aspect of the environment in which we live.
● ensure that cultural heritage is incorporated in spatial planning, social, economic, education and access strategies affecting the study area.
● improve understanding of cultural heritage and the contribution it can make to broader agenda.
● ensure that, where the cultural heritage cannot be preserved, appropriate investigation, recording and communication is undertaken. The results of the EIA process are an integral part of the decision-making process.

25. Cultural Impact Assessment (CIA)
A process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and communicating the probable effects of a current or proposed development policy or action on the cultural life, institutions and resources of communities, then integrating the findings and conclusions into the planning and decision making process, with a view to mitigating adverse impacts and enhancing positive outcomes.
(From: International Association for Impact Assessment:

26. Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA)
Definition: A process where a trained professional looks at an archaeological site and development plans to determine what impact the proposed development has on the site.
Archaeological Impact Assessment studies are initiated in response to development proposals that will potentially disturb or alter archaeological sites. The role of the AIA is not to prohibit or impede development, but rather to assist a Government agency and/or private sector in making decisions that will ensure effective management of archaeological sites.

28. Screening
Should be based on a development proposal so needs to be undertaken at the planning stage
As early as possible in the decision making process
to determine whether or not a development proposal
should be subject to Impact Assessment and, if so, at what level of detail
to determine (evaluate) which development proposals may cause potentially significant effects

29. Scoping
to identify the issues and impacts that are likely to be important and to establish terms of reference for Impact Assessment.
Requires qualified, experienced and competent staff within government agencies to undertake both screening and scoping

30. Submission
Generally Impact Assessment should be undertaken by an independent consultant or expert
The alternative is for government agencies to undertake Impact Assessment
Whoever undertakes the Impact Assessment the resulting submission should be evaluated by qualified, experienced and competent staff within government agencies
Issue – possible conflict of interest and the independent evaluation of the Impact Assessment

31. Consultation
Where a project may affect cultural heritage, the consultant (or the government agency) should consult with affected communities and other stakeholders within the country who use, or have used within living memory, the cultural heritage for cultural purposes in order to identify cultural heritage of importance, and to incorporate into decision-making process the views of the affected communities about such cultural heritage.
Consultation will also involve the relevant national or local regulatory agencies that are entrusted with the protection of cultural heritage.

32. Consideration
In the end someone (usually a government minister on behalf of government) has to consider the Impact Assessment
Usually the Minister should be guided by expert evaluation from within government agencies
The decision is made and the result announced

33. Management Plans for UCH
A Management plan is a tool to structure the work that has to be or has been undertaken at a site.
MoSS Master Management Plan
English Heritage Management Plan

34. Conservation Management Plans
ss LADY DARLING
( )
CONSERVATION PLAN
Prepared by Tim Smith and David Nutley
September 1998
MAGNT RESEARCH REPORT No. 9
March, 2001
THE HISTORIC SHIPWRECK AUSTRALIAN:
A PLAN OF MANAGEMENT
DAVID STEINBERG
Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory

35. Statement of Significance
The Lady Darling is an important local reminder of the dangers of coastal maritime trade in the nineteenth century. Its engine and associated machinery survive as a rare Australian example of a specific development period in marine engineering last century. The shipwreck and its associated in-situ artefacts retains high recreational importance as the most intact shipwreck for diver visitation in the Eurobodalla Shire region.

36. Statement of Significance
The Australian is historically significant because of its role in facilitating coastal trade
between Palmerston and other ports in Australia and in facilitating early international trade between Australia and Asia.
The Australian is also historically significant because it was used as a vessel for Chinese immigration and was worked by a Chinese crew. Therefore the history of this steamer
contributes to our understanding of the history of Australian immigration and Chinese
labour at a time of national debate over non-European immigration and non-European
labour.
The Australian is the most intact wreck of a steamer located in the Northern Territory and
can offer a great deal of archaeological information regarding ship construction and
machinery as found on late 19th century steamers. The variety of machinery and ship
construction remains, which are in good condition, deem this shipwreck as representative
of a class of steamer. Evidence of early salvage and refloating will offer a further level of
archaeological data.
The remains of the refrigeration machinery (used in cold cargo storage) demonstrates a
technology that markedly changed Australia's export market and most noticeably changed Australia's economic relationship with Britain.