In Situ Preservation

In-situ preservation is the conservation principle of leaving an underwater cultural site where it lies rather than raising and recovering it, treating the seabed as the first option for protection. The 2001 UNESCO Convention’s Annex makes it the preferred approach, on the grounds that intact wrecks in stable, low-oxygen sediments survive better than recovered material that demands costly conservation. It also limits looting incentives. Excavation is justified only where a site is threatened or offers significant knowledge, as with the deliberate choice to leave Endurance untouched.