ABSTRACT
Maritime heritage is a concept linked to the emergence of other types of heritage, such as industrial heritage. The main feature of elements in this set we generically call maritime heritage is that they are recognized by social groups and are organized according to different geographical or cultural areas. Many legal instruments and policies exist that, at international, regional, national or local levels, try to safeguard the heritage of marine or aquatic ecosystems, especially the maritime cultural, archeological or floating heritages. The chapter describes some heritage, such as underwater heritage, floating heritage and maritime cultural heritage. Underwater cultural heritage means all traces of human existence having a cultural, historical or archaeological character that have been partially or totally under water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years. Some example of work on floating heritage is the advisory group named International Historic & Traditional Vessels Panel.
