Maritime and underwater cultural heritage (MUCH) holds unrealised potential for cross-disciplinary ocean science research to contribute to our understanding of ongoing and long-term coastal and environmental change along with ongoing physical impacts, and the presence of potentially polluting materials within the oceans. SoMUCH brings together eighteen NGOs accredited to the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage and associated organisations to maximise its potential by recording, studying and monitoring the MUCH and to engage coastal communities in our spheres of influence with a compelling maritime narrative. The results will enhance our understanding of changes and threats to coastal waters.

SoMUCH will collate the results of legacy, ongoing, and future UNESCO Accredited NGOs MUCH initiatives, that will be selected in relation to the relevance in support of our understanding of the oceans in line with the UN Decade and SDGs. A common methodology will also be developed to record the MUCH within its environment. The project’s results and their application to environmental studies, monitoring ocean health and ocean literacy will be promoted and provided to the wider ocean science community through the NGOs’ expansive network around the globe and through the UNITWIN network and in collaboration with the STAB. Events and initiatives will be delivered in an hybrid form to meet the needs of different audiences, allow participation for all, and avoid stakeholder fatigue. Resources produced will be made available for free online and, when possible, will be translated in multiple languages to ensure accessibility and sustainability.