News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
More marine parks needed for the Med
Dungeness wreck dated
ENVIRONMENT
Protect Our Seas
News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
More marine parks needed for the Med
Ċirkewwa Marine Park in Malta
An upcoming conference on marine parks in the Mediterranean will address gaps in the sea’ s network of Marine Protected Areas( MPAs). Since 2010, MedPAN, has monitored the evolution of MPAs across the basin. The latest findings, due for full release in May, expose a striking imbalance: more than 97 % of existing MPAs are located in EU waters, leaving countries in the southern Mediterranean underrepresented.“ Regional cooperation is essential, and initiatives like the EU Pact for the Mediterranean can help bridge the gap,’ said Carole Martinez, Senior Policy Manager at MedPAN.
Dungeness wreck dated
Land-based archaeologists are enjoying a unique opportunity to excavate an important piece of naval history in an inland setting. In 2022, workers near Dungeness in Kent unearthed 140 well-preserved oak timbers 300 metres inland. Now, thanks to analysis published by Wessex Archaeology’ s Paolo Croce, researchers believe the Dungeness wreck to represent a Tudor-era transition in shipbuilding that preceded centuries of British maritime supremacy. Dating of the oak timbers placed the original build in the mid-1530s to mid-1540s, squarely within the reign of Henry VIII, with wood sourced from southeast England. Repairs made after 1561 suggest the vessel had a long working life before it was either wrecked or simply retired at what was then the waterline.
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