THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN RECORDING AND MONITORING COASTAL HERITAGE AT RISK
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 27/12/2020

Volunteer engagement lies at the very heart of the work of CITiZAN - the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network. Members of local communities are invited to free training sessions in which they are provided with the skills to identify, record and monitor archaeological features around the coast which are at risk from processes such as coastal erosion and tidal scour. This paper will illustrate the crucial role that local volunteers play in recording and monitoring these dynamic coastal sites. Their impact is demonstrable in the number of individual features which have been recorded since the CITiZAN project began but also in the furtherance of our understanding of the archaeology of specific areas. Two different areas will be presented – Mersea Island, Essex and Chichester Harbour, Hampshire. These areas differ not just in the the diverse range of archaeological features that they encompass, but also in terms of the volunteer groups who undertake work there. These two case studies will provide an insight into the diverse settings in which CITiZAN volunteers operate. They will also illustrate how fundamental the work of volunteers is to recording and monitoring what may be considered to be the largest archaeological site in the country spanning over 5000 miles of coastline and 500 miles of tidal foreshore.


Author(s): Kearns, Therese - Hutchinson, Oliver (CITiZAN, Museum of London Archaeology)