Archaeological Heritage Management and Dams in Argentina. A brief review of the current situation

ENDERE, M. L.; POLITIS. G

Damming the Past

The World Heritage Commission on Dams (UNESCO) and The World Bank.

Lugar: París-Washington; Año: 2008;

The protection of cultural heritage in Argentina is a critical issue due to a number legal, scientific and bureaucratic difficulties. As a result archaeological resources in areas impacted by dams have not been effectively protected, and in most cases, no studies were made of the archaeological heritage affected by these developments.   The loopholes in heritage legislation and the lack of guidelines of good practice stated by professional associations have resulted in a number of rescue archaeology operations in dams which are far from international quality standards. There have been a few positive exceptions where rescue archaeology was carried out as a result of the construction of several hydroelectric dams in the Patagonia region. However, the negative impact on cultural resources caused by the construction of huge dams, such as those built in the Paraná-Uruguay basins, was in most of the cases not properly mitigated through archaeological rescue projects. A number of problems conspired against the success of these operations even when they were financially supported by international organisations. Among the main problems detected are the shortcomings of the legislation, the lack of controlling bodies, the absence of specific training in universities and the still immature debate on the status of rescue archaeology in Argentina.