Foreword

Throughout the world, cultural heritage resources are under threat from the impact of accelerated development, environmental forces, climate change, social and political changes, and collection practices that are not regulated effectively. Many of these issues came to my attention during my tenure as President of the World Archaeological Congress from 2003 to 2014. As this book demonstrates, all countries have unique cultural heritage and unique challenges to the management of their heritage resources. Each country has to determine its own specific mix of strategies for managing this heritage.This book provides a wonderful new resource for archaeologists and cultural heritage practitioners around the world. While other publications have considered this topic from an archaeological and legislative basis, this volume provides a wide variety of views with an emphasis in addressing ‘real-world’ or practical issues rather than a simple consideration of legislation. It draws together a range of valuable new material relating to cultural heritage management practices that span eastern, western, northern and southern Europe as well as Britain. A series of chapters review and critically evaluate and compare facets of national legislation, policy and practice, accompanied by recommendations for improved outcomes. The materials analysed range from coins and shipwrecks to plough furrows and human remains. I was particularly interested in new insights on the changes and challenges of cultural heritage management in the former Eastern bloc countries of Slovakia, Romania and the Republic of Moldova.