Communities, climate change, culture and the coast
Submitting Institution
University of St AndrewsUnit of Assessment
HistorySummary Impact Type
EnvironmentalResearch Subject Area(s)
History and Archaeology: Archaeology
Summary of the impact
Shorewatch community excavation of a sixteenth century saltpan in
north-east Scotland (2011).
Same site, destroyed by a storm in 2012 but preserved by record —
including 3D modelling.
Dawson's research into climate-driven threats to coastal heritage has
established a practical methodology for prioritising action and engaging
communities in recording vulnerable sites. The work has been described as
having `a major impact on international archaeology, heritage, public
engagement, and education for sustainability' by the North Atlantic
Biocultural Organisation (NABO), while the US National Parks Service has
said that his work has been an invaluable source of `both inspiration
and practical how-to research in the analysis and protection of coastal
cultural heritage'. Dawson's research is cited in Scottish
Government heritage policy and his commissioned reports have informed
national archaeological frameworks. His collaborative community projects
(Shorewatch and SCHARP) have directly impacted upon hundreds of
participants throughout Scotland, often in distant and inaccessible
places. Dawson's frequent public talks, use of mobile technology &
video, and press and broadcast interviews mean that many thousands of
people globally are more aware of the richness of coastal heritage and its
vulnerability to climate change.
Underpinning research
Tom Dawson has been conducting research into the archaeological heritage
of the coast in the context of past, present and future environmental
change since joining the University of St Andrews in 2000. Much of his
work has been in collaboration with the SCAPE Trust, a charitable
organisation within the University which he helped to establish and
continues to manage. He works with Joanna Hambly, a research fellow at St
Andrews since January 2009 and Ellie Graham, a research assistant who
joined in 2012.
Much of the research has been commissioned by Historic Scotland,
an agency of the Scottish Government, which has used the reports to make
strategic decisions concerning the built heritage of the coast (5.3,
below). Dawson also works with other Government agencies and with Local
Authorities throughout Scotland.
The research focuses on assessing the significance and potential of the
coastal archaeological resource, developing analytic approaches to record
the nature and scale of the threat from coastal processes, and undertaking
research projects at some of the most vulnerable sites. An important
strand of the archaeological research is the involvement of the public,
especially in the context of current and future resilience to climate
change. The team has created and tested ways to capture public value and
has developed new methods for presenting the results of investigation,
including the creation of a mobile phone app that allows the public to
report directly on coastal sites.
In 2006 and 2007, Dawson reviewed all previous investigations undertaken
at the Scottish coast, creating a picture of our current state of
knowledge in order to make recommendations for future work and develop
methodologies for recording threatened sites (3.1 & 3.2 below). In
2010, he employed a Geographical Information System to combine analysis of
the 12,500 recorded sites with information on their topographic setting,
devising a repeatable and defensible system for prioritising action which
is now being adopted globally (3.3). He examined ways of capturing and
integrating public opinion, demonstrating the importance of using `public
value' at a time when demand for action outstrips available resources. The
findings of the research have been presented at international conferences
and published as peer-reviewed articles which were widely distributed
before final publication (3.4 & 3.5).
Dawson has also conducted research into individual sites by initiating
archaeological projects in the Western Isles (2005-2011), Shetland
(2003-2008) and East Sutherland (2004-2011). These community projects
revealed a wealth of data about past lives and contributed to our
under-standing of the timing and pace of climate-driven coastal change and
the human response.
The different strands of Dawson's work are brought together in the
development of innovative methods of presenting the results of
archaeological research for public benefit. This has been achieved by:
physically moving threatened sites; designing museum displays; making
videos; creating websites; and developing digital reconstructions which
can be explored by the public and which act as portals to text, images and
video arising from his excavations.
References to the research
Dawson has written and published three reports at the request of a
Government Agency, Historic Scotland (HS). These reports were
underpinned by grants from the same Agency.
3.1 Dawson, T 2006, Archaeology and Coastal Erosion in Scotland: the
current state of knowledge and future directions, Commissioned
Report for Historic Scotland, 52 pp.
3.2 Dawson, T 2007, A review of the Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys
of Scotland, 1996 - 2007: Methods and collected data, Commissioned
Report for Historic Scotland, 276pp.
3.3 Dawson, T 2010, A system for prioritising action at
archaeological sites recorded in the Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys,
Commissioned Report for Historic Scotland, 85pp.
As an indication that the above reports are 2* or better, the Head of
Archaeology Strategy at Historic Scotland has said, `these three
reports have had, and continue to have, a substantial impact on HS'
decision making and discussions, internally and in relations with
colleagues in other agencies' (5.3, below).
3.4 Dawson, T (2013), `Erosion and coastal archaeology: Evaluating the
threat and prioritising action' in Daire, M-Y et al. (Eds) Ancient
Maritime Communities and the Relationship between People and Environment
along the European Atlantic Coasts, HOMER International Conference
Proceedings, BAR International Series 2570 ISBN 978 1 4073 1191 3, 77-84
(article subjected to rigorous peer review process). http://hdl.handle.net/10023/4183
Details of the impact
The impact of Dawson's research can be observed from citizen level
through to government, nationally and internationally. The Climate Change
Adaptation Coordinator for the National Park Service (the lead U.S. agency
for cultural resource management) states that Dawson's work `in
identifying the problems of coastal erosion for archaeology, processing
archaeological data for rapid assessment, and engaging the public in the
documentation and care of threatened sites, is unparalleled
internationally' (5.1, below); and the coordinator of NABO, the
international North Atlantic Biocultural Organization notes that `Dawson
and his team have had a major impact on international archaeology,
heritage, public engagement, and in education for sustainability. His
work is genuinely world-class and world-leading' (5.2).
Influencing Public Policy
Dawson's research into identifying and quantifying Scotland's coastal
archaeology and developing robust methods for prioritising the resource in
the context of a changing climate has created manageable targets and
protocols used by government. The Head of Archaeology Strategy at Historic
Scotland notes that `the evidence upon which to make more strategic
decisions was largely lacking until the instigation of the work of
Dawson and his colleagues at the University of St Andrews' (5.3). An
HS Board Report notes that Dawson's work has led them to `move from
excavating targets of opportunity... to excavating targets which have
been prioritised by a reasonably objective process' (5.5). The
team's work was also used to review HS priorities for funding, resulting
in a `...focus on projects which help to mitigate threats posed by
coastal erosion' (5.6). His research projects have been included as
completed deliverables in the Scottish Government's Adapting to Climate
Change document (5.7).
Dawson's national community projects have tested and demonstrated the
efficacy of meaningful collaboration with the public, contributing to a
significant shift amongst heritage policy makers towards a wider
definition of value which embraces local importance and community benefit.
Referring to this shift, the HS Board Report notes that the final
selection of sites for grant aid `will factor in matters such as local
community support' (5.5). HS notes that `engaging, sharing and
celebrating our heritage with local communities is a key strategic
priority for the Scottish Government... and the work of Dawson and his
colleagues is a key element in aiding the delivery of this vision'
(5.3).
Widening Public Access and Participation
Thousands of people have become directly engaged with coastal heritage
through Shorewatch, a
national community project managed by Dawson. Multi-year Shorewatch
excavations have combined rigorous archaeological research with public
training. Working with island and rural communities in remote areas, four
Shorewatch excavations (5.11) have had high direct impact on the
regular volunteers who actively participated in the digs year after year
(3% of the local population per project) and on the wider community (over
30% of the local population through open days, school visits and talks).
Examples of other projects include the use of research evidence to
reconstruct and interpret two Shetland sites for visitors, which combined
a physical legacy with an educational benefit; and the installation of a
ground-breaking 3D digital resource at Timespan Museum, Helmsdale,
Scotland (13,000 visitors per annum), which presented scientific evidence
within a computer gaming environment and has engaged a wide swathe of the
community, young and old.
Shorewatch excavations are cited in the draft Strategy for Scotland's
Marine Historic Environment, which states that they have demonstrated 'how
to maximise recovery of information and community benefit from assets
which will otherwise be lost to the sea' (5.8). In 2012, the
excavations won the Rescue
Dig of the Year Award, receiving over 50% of the public vote
from the readers of Britain's leading popular archaeological magazine, Current
Archaeology (subscription c. 20,000) (5.12).
Dawson's other national project has made his research results accessible
to the public via an interactive website and smartphone app (www.scharp.co.uk).
The Scotland's Coastal Heritage at Risk
Project (SCHARP) aims to enhance understanding of
environmental issues and gives training and support to the public in
updating records and contributing local knowledge. Between launching in
August 2012 and July 2013, over 360 people registered to become citizen
archaeologists, 500 people directly participated in training events and
workshops and over 1,000 people attended public talks (5.13). Fiona
Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture said SCHARP would 'give the
thousands of Scots with a passion for archaeology the chance to help
record important archaeological sites along our coastline' and
further noted that Dawson's research has 'led the field in highlighting
the erosion of coastal sites' (5.9). The U.S. National Parks Service
noted that the project has 'provided an outstanding example of public
engagement in cultural heritage education and protection' (5.1).
Providing Expert Advice
Dawson has influenced strategy by sitting on expert panels. He was
appointed Commissioner on the Royal Commission on the Ancient and
Historical Monuments of Scotland as a result of his research into coastal
and community archaeology (as above, section 2). He sat on the BEFS Marine
Taskforce guiding development of the Scottish Marine Bill. He was also a
key member of the Marine and Maritime Panel which created the Scottish
Archaeological Research Framework, and HS notes that 'the report from
this panel has highlighted the challenges in dealing with Marine and
Maritime archaeology, substantially informed by Dawson's 2010 [report]'
(see 3.3 above and 5.3, below). His work was debated in the Scottish
Parliament in April 2013, after which he was invited to join a taskforce
established by the Cabinet Secretary for Culture to look into heritage and
coastal erosion.
Impact upon heritage managers beyond Scotland
The methodology created by Dawson and his team has been copied
internationally. A senior heritage manager from Denmark's National Museum
notes that the research 'has been an important reference and
significant inspiration' used by teams of archaeologists from
Denmark and Greenland (5.4). Shorewatch directly impacted upon the
development of the national Welsh community project, Arfordir, and
the first Arfordir report noted that 'feedback received
following a presentation by Tom Dawson... indicated there was a clear
desire from communities in the region to set up the project' (5.10).
The coordinator of NABO is also a US National Science Foundation (NSF)
grant holder, and has worked to identify top-end examples of research that
serve as international models. He noted that through the work of '...Dawson's
team, Scotland is genuinely a world leader in combining creative
response to coastal erosion with effective community engagement and
world class cyberinfrastructure'. The grant holder has arranged for
Dawson to speak at several international conferences, noting that the 'willingness
to commit NSF grant resources to providing the widest possible
visibility to the team's accomplishment may underline the sincerity of
my high impact assessment — this is not empty praise but an actual
commitment of international support to a project of world-leading
significance' (5.2).
Sources to corroborate the impact