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Specialising in Neolithic archaeology, Professor Colin Richards communicates his research beyond academic audiences to the public through museum and community exhibitions, public lectures, newspapers and television. His work has raised local and international awareness of archaeology in Orkney, and tourism through, for example, the reconstruction of archaeological sites thereby contributing to the UNESCO World Heritage status of Orkney. His research has shaped the international profile of these heritage resources through the regional World Heritage research framework, and public presentation of monuments within the World Heritage Area. Richards' research also underpinned specialist evidence at a public windfarm inquiry, the outcome of which contributed to Orkney Island Council windfarm development Policy.
This research in Libya has had several significant impacts with wide reach for a range of different groups, both national and international. It has made fundamental contributions to the archaeological mapping of Libya (a country of extraordinary archaeological richness but still poorly recorded), to the development of typologies of sites and artefacts, and to dating frameworks. This has delivered major related impacts for management of cultural heritage by the Libyan Department of Antiquities (DoA), and for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and archaeological mitigation work by oil companies in the Libyan desert. There have been additional benefits through dissemination of new historical models, as well as protection of heritage sites during the 2011 conflict.
A programme of research conducted by The Centre for Maritime Archaeology (CMA) at the University of Southampton has influenced, at a national and international scale, the management and protection of underwater and coastal heritage. The research has directly influenced public policy, nationally through the English Heritage Maritime and Marine Historic Environment Research Agenda, and internationally by underpinning primary legislation and current practice in Uruguay. Capacity building has resulted in new educational infrastructure, the Centre for Maritime Archaeology and Underwater Cultural Heritage (CMAUCH) in Alexandria, Egypt, which has changed attitudes towards maritime heritage throughout the region.
The site of Star Carr (c. 9000 BC) is internationally renowned in the archaeological world yet, until now, has been virtually unheard of in the public sphere. Research at York has enhanced the preservation and conservation of this important site, securing its status on the Schedule of Monuments, and informed the management, protection and restoration of wetlands across Europe. Alongside this, research into the public perception of the Mesolithic has guided a comprehensive range of public engagement activities which have enhanced Mesolithic heritage presentation and raised global awareness of this undervalued period of human prehistory.
Shorewatch community excavation of a sixteenth century saltpan in north-east Scotland (2011).
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.
This impact derives from Wootton and Walda's archaeological research into the Roman sites of Libya, including the GIS mapping of site locations, and study and conservation of Hellenistic and Roman mosaics. Against the difficult background of Gaddafi's regime, its fall and the aftermath, they have, by invitation, provided training and advice to the Libyan Department of Antiquities in the documentation, conservation and management of archaeological objects and sites, especially mosaics. They provided Blue Shield, on request, with a watch-list of sites with GIS co-ordinates to enable NATO to target their airstrikes to avoid them. The primary beneficiaries are the Libyan people, to whose national pride and identity this patrimony is crucial, and the Libyan Department of Antiquities. The secondary beneficiaries are the international community, to whom Libya's rich Roman-period cultural patrimony is of major concern.
University of Huddersfield research into new interdisciplinary methods for systematic archaeological examination has led to significant advances in the identification and subsequent conservation of historic battlefields. The work has influenced policy and practice at English Heritage, informing key changes in its National Heritage Protection Plan, and has been used to help safeguard famous sites such as Bosworth and Hastings. It has also shaped policy in other countries — including Belgium — where it has been described as "the basis for the development of a governmental vision" regarding battlefield sites — and has raised wider public awareness of battlefield archaeology through high-profile media engagement.
BEAA's large-scale research designing and testing alternative grazing management systems for the uplands has achieved impact on the environment and economy. Environmental policy and its implementation via agri-environment schemes has been directly and indirectly influenced, with the evidence provided by the research vital to the development of grazing prescriptions and related payment structures by government agencies and conservation bodies. The results have also benefitted the upland farming community by identifying opportunities for improved productivity and hence economic viability; through e.g. more efficient use of pasture resources leading to higher growth rates for forage-based systems and reduced reliance on purchased feed and fertiliser.
In August 2010 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed 11 Australian Convict Sites onto its World Heritage list. Anderson was a member of the Australian Government's small expert reference and nomination groups; her unique knowledge of the global history of convict transportation and penal colonies around the world during the period 1780-1939 provided the essential comparative analysis necessary to underpin the Australian government's claim that the Australian sites were globally unique and unparalleled, and so to prepare the final nomination to UNESCO. The inscription of these new World Heritage sites paved the way for significant tourist development, as well as important social and cultural changes to the heritage sector's representation of Australia's convict history.
A University of Southampton study of Portus, the maritime port of Imperial Rome, has had a significant influence on how the State authorities in Rome manage archaeological sites. Its findings show that commercial activity at the port was far greater than previously understood, enabling academics to reappraise the site's significance and increase public awareness of it around the world through extensive media coverage. It has benefitted UK researchers by acting as a laboratory for new computer-based applications and providing a context for international industrial collaboration. The AHRC has also used the research in case studies to strengthen its funding case to the UK government.