2-day cross-border workshop on Åland
“The sea is the largest museum on earth, with more than a million ships resting in its depths. These shipwrecks date back thousands of years, some from civilizations long vanished, others from more recent history. Some are famous, others obscure and unremembered, but each has a story to tell.”
— James P. Delgado, The Great Museum of the Sea
The UCL–Baltic project—an 18-month cross-border initiative within the Central Baltic Programme—tackles a pressing challenge facing Estonia, Latvia, and Åland: the preservation and sustainable management of underwater cultural landscapes.
These landscapes form a unique meeting point between human history, natural environments, and maritime traditions. They include shipwrecks, submerged settlements, ancient harbours, historic trade routes, and geological features that tell the long story of how people have interacted with the sea. Despite their value, these environments are increasingly exposed to environmental pressures and lack coordinated management across national borders. Recognising and protecting underwater cultural landscapes is essential—not only for safeguarding shared cultural heritage, but also for supporting scientific research and ensuring sustainable use of marine resources. Today, however, conservation practices differ between countries, leaving important sites vulnerable and creating barriers to long-term planning.
A two-day workshop in Mariehamn
On 26–27 November, a two-day workshop was held in Mariehamn, Åland, bringing together 19 archaeologists, heritage experts, marine scientists, policymakers, and community representatives. The aim was to deepen the understanding of underwater cultural landscapes and explore how a shared approach could be developed across the region.
Through keynote presentations, case studies, and group discussions, participants examined both international and national practices. The workshop focused on developing a shared definition of “underwater cultural landscape,” identifying criteria for evaluation, and discussing practical methods for mapping, assessing, and managing these environments.
Photo: Marii Asmer
Strengthening networks and cooperation
Another key purpose of the workshop was to strengthen networks between researchers, institutions, and stakeholders—laying the foundation for future policy development and protective measures at both national and international levels. In other words, reinforcing cross-border cooperation at all levels.
According to Riikka Tevali, from the Government of Åland, the overall feedback from the participants was that the UCL-Baltic project is “dealing with an important aspect of heritage management making it possible to translate underwater cultural landscapes cross-sectorally. For me, the highlight of the workshop on Åland was that we were able to bring together people from different backgrounds and share our ideas and possibilities for future co-operation”.
According to Kaspars Markus Molls from National Heritage Board of Latvia, another very important result from the workshop was that “the discussions proved that the definition of UCL (underwater cultural landscape) depends on the point of view, the sector and the group of people, as well as the purpose of the definition. There are existing guidelines for UCL management that can be adopted, but all actions must be communicated to the relevant parties to facilitate implementation.”
Many participants emphasized how valuable it was to have uninterrupted time for in-depth discussions.The workshop created a shared momentum and offered a rare chance to exchange knowledge, comparing approaches, and begin shaping a shared framework for the Central Baltic region. Riikka Tevali added that “the UCL-Baltic is all about finding out joint best practices that we can share over the Baltic and North Seas with colleagues working with maritime cultural heritage and planning. Meeting face to face for discussions is the best way to come up with good results.”
Next steps
Maili Roio from the Lead Partner, Estonian National Heritage Board, concluded that with the Åland workshop successfully completed, the project now moves into a phase of consolidation, testing, and refinement. The immediate next steps involve organizing the national workshops in Estonia and Latvia, which will provide valuable opportunities to broaden participation and gather country-specific insights. Maili looks forward to using these sessions to further align national perspectives and strengthen the foundations of the harmonized methodology. Building on the outcomes of all workshops, the project team will then focus on compiling the Methodology Guide.
Maili Roio continues “we are excited to integrate the shared knowledge into a clear and practical framework that outlines procedures for identifying, categorizing, and assessing underwater cultural landscapes. The inclusion of templates, case studies, and examples from each partner country will ensure that the guide is both comprehensive and user-friendly. Once the draft guide is complete, we will enter the pilot-testing phase, applying the methodology at selected underwater sites across the region. Ultimately, we look forward to delivering a validated and widely applicable methodology that can be confidently used across borders. This final outcome will support more coherent and sustainable management of underwater cultural heritage throughout the Central Baltic”.
Project partners in this project are Estonian National Heritage Board (Lead Partner), Government of Åland and National Heritage Board of Latvia. The project has a total budget of 181 379 € and runs from May 2025 to October 2026.
Read more about the project here.
Text: Jenny Jonstoij, national Contact Point Åland, 08.12.2025.
