Abstract

Regional-scale assessments have proven to be invaluable frameworks for research, public engagement and management of submerged archaeological landscapes. Regional-scale approaches have been implemented internationally through a variety of academic or strategic studies. Such studies represent a much-needed next step towards subregional and site-level prospection to support management, engagement and mitigation of the impacts of offshore development. However, these regional studies are largely absent in Australia. In this article, we build on the recent discovery of submerged archaeological sites in Western Australia and produce a novel regional-scale assessment of submerged archaeological and cultural landscape potential in the coastal and island regions of the Northern Territory. This area is of special significance in the peopling of Australia, containing some of the oldest dated archaeological evidence. We collate and synthesise regional data related to sea-level change, ethnography (e.g. oral traditions), geomorphology, and archaeology, also taking account of logistics and existing data availability to identify prospective areas for further study. We highlight the need for a coordinated national program of regional baseline studies to address a legacy of under-representation of submerged landscapes and provide vital baseline data for a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including researchers, policy makers, environmental and heritage managers, developers and Traditional Owners.

摘要

区域规模的评估已被证明是水下考古景观研究、公众参与和管理的宝贵框架。通过各种学术或战略研究，已在国际范围内实施了区域规模的方法。此类研究代表了对次区域和现场级勘探的下一步急需，以支持管理、参与和减轻海上开发的影响。然而，这些区域研究在澳大利亚基本上没有。在本文中，我们以最近在西澳大利亚发现的水下考古遗址为基础，对北领地沿海和岛屿地区的水下考古和文化景观潜力进行了新的区域规模评估。这个地区对澳大利亚的人民来说具有特殊的意义，包含一些最古老的考古证据。我们整理和综合与海平面变化、人种学（例如口述传统）、地貌学和考古学相关的区域数据，同时考虑物流和现有数据可用性，以确定进一步研究的潜在区域。我们强调需要一个协调的国家区域基线研究计划，以解决淹没景观代表性不足的遗留问题，并为广泛的利益相关者提供重要的基线数据，包括研究人员、政策制定者、环境和遗产管理者、开发商和传统拥有者。还考虑到后勤和现有数据的可用性，以确定进一步研究的潜在领域。我们强调需要一个协调的国家区域基线研究计划，以解决淹没景观代表性不足的遗留问题，并为广泛的利益相关者提供重要的基线数据，包括研究人员、政策制定者、环境和遗产管理者、开发商和传统拥有者。还考虑到后勤和现有数据的可用性，以确定进一步研究的潜在领域。我们强调需要一个协调的国家区域基线研究计划，以解决淹没景观代表性不足的遗留问题，并为广泛的利益相关者提供重要的基线数据，包括研究人员、政策制定者、环境和遗产管理者、开发商和传统拥有者。