Knowledge for Informed Choices

<p>Archaeological heritage management benefits from well-informed and transparent decisionmaking. With the aim of providing ‘knowledge for informed choices’, a series of tools have been developed for archaeological heritage management in the Netherlands. They include digital maps, datasets, methods, guidelines, best practice and web-based applications to facilitate the effective, efficient and transparent selection of valuable archaeological remains. The tools relate to archaeological predictions, disturbances by agriculture and other activities, archaeological heritage maps, prospection methods, research questions, and scientific syntheses to close the archaeological heritage management cycle. They are examined in the various chapters in this publication. The tools were developed as part of the Cultural Heritage Agency’s ‘Archaeology Knowledge Kit’ programme, in response to an evaluation of archaeology legislation that entered into force in the Netherlands in 2007, implementing the Valletta Convention. The evaluation concluded that though many things are going well in archaeological heritage management, there are several points that are open to improvement. The State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science therefore commissioned a series of improvement activities.</p>