The National Park Service Archeology Program Role in Protection and Management of International Cultural Heritage

Summary

Since it began exporting the national park idea nearly a century ago, the National Park Service (NPS) has become instrumental in the protection and preservation of cultural heritage throughout the world. Cultural heritage conservation activities conducted in partnership with other nations enable NPS to disseminate important messages about the dangers of looting and the importance of protecting heritage sites. They also help to spread contemporary preservation practices and technologies to partners overseas.

Working in conjunction with the Office of Foreign Affairs, the NPS Archeology Program has conducted several initiatives related to the cultural heritage of other nations. Most recently, NPS has executed two MOUs, with Spain and the United Kingdom, respectively, regarding the management of cultural heritage in United States National Parks. Additionally, the Archeology Program continues to participate --as part of a long-term partnership with the United States Department of State and the University of Arizona -- in a training program for cultural heritage managers and scholars from Afghanistan. This paper reviews those recent programs, and explores possibilities for future international collaborations in the domain of cultural heritage conservation.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Preservation, Protection, and Outreach Programs in National Park Service Archaeology

Keywords

Spatial Coverage