The WreckLife project, by Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU) is now officially endorsed by the United Nations Ocean Decade. The initiative is aimed at deepening our understanding of the intricate relationship between historic wrecks in Maltese coastal waters and their surrounding marine environments.
WreckLife addresses the challenges of wreck degradation and its impact on marine organisms and ecosystems. By examining temporal changes in climate and their effects on the marine environment and using a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach, the project aims to enhance our ability to predict future degradation and develop effective strategies for preserving these underwater cultural heritage sites.
Heritage Malta’s UCHU stands firmly upon three foundational pillars: Explore, Record, and Share. This commitment is exemplified through a range of initiatives aimed at disseminating underwater findings to the public. Chief amongst these are Heritage Malta’s Virtual Museum (www.underwatermalta.org), a platform that invites the public to explore the historical sites found in Maltese coastal waters, and the Dive into History 360 programme, which brings these sites to life through high-resolution 360-degree virtual reality experiences offered to diverse audiences in schools, active ageing centres, conferences, and events both locally and globally.
The WreckLife project takes the Unit’s work to new levels, as it aligns itself with the United Nation’s Ocean Decade global initiative. The United Nations’ endorsement of the project underscores the importance of preserving underwater cultural heritage worldwide. The project focuses on identifying critical ocean knowledge, building capacity and increasing the use of ocean knowledge.
The shipwrecks in our seas are studied as ecological islands, merging archaeological methodologies with biological research that includes sediment sampling, temperature mapping and light measurements. Scientific diving operations as well as other undersea technologies are utilised for monitoring and data collection, providing high-resolution data for unprecedented insights into the ecological dynamics around these underwater archaeological sites.
WreckLife brings together a diverse team of experts from various fields and institutions, including various departments at the University of Malta, thus generating valuable knowledge that transcends disciplinary boundaries, developing new research methodologies and promoting innovation. By publishing open-access articles and engaging with the public through educational programs and interactive online platforms, the project ensures its research findings reach a broad audience, promoting ocean literacy and environmental stewardship.
