A Cultural Landscape Approach to Submerged Cultural Resource Management: Cultural Heritage Ecotourism Opportunities for the Shipwrecks of Lake Union, Seattle, Washington

Abstract

The interdisciplinary field of marine and environmental affairs focuses on the dynamic relationships between society and the natural world. These interactions overtime create a <italic> cultural landscape </italic> where archaeological resources, such as historic shipwrecks, serve as a tangible link to the interactions between humans and nature that have shaped the modern landscape. The <italic> cultural landscape approach </italic> offers a framework to address interconnected social-ecological systems in a holistic manner consistent with the direction of modern natural and cultural resource management. This thesis utilizes the cultural landscape approach and the ideals of ecotourism to develop tourism recommendations for incorporating shipwrecks and other submerged cultural resources into the modern social-ecological system of Lake Union, Seattle, Washington.