A methodological seminar “Preservation of the objects of archaeological heritage of Russian Asia: results and trends” (Novosibirsk, March, 4-5, 2019)

Purpose. In modern society, issues of preserving cultural heritage are of constant relevance. This is due to the ongoing struggle for the realization of the interests of a large number of agents. The participants in this process are executive authorities, academic institutions, commercial organizations and economic entities. The interests of each agent are in their own plane whose extreme points intersect with the planes of other agents. Consequently, all parties involved in preserving cultural heritage have points of convergence of their interests. In order to arrange preservation of cultural heritage as a common project, it is necessary to develop communication at the points of convergence of the interests. For this purpose, the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of SB RAS conducted a methodological seminar on March 4-5, 2019, that brought together archaeologists from Western and Eastern Siberia and the Far East. The workshop was attended by representatives of institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences and executive authorities, as well as practicing archaeologists and experts. The extensive geography of the participants and the opportunity to communicate “at the same table” allowed us to openly discuss topical issues. Results. The main topics of discussion were changes in the federal legislation related to the preservation of cultural heritage. The main issue here is enormous complexity of its adequate and full application at the local level. However, in some cases, efforts of regional executive bodies help to solve these problems quite effectively. The other side of the issue is preparation of proposals for a change in the regulatory documents governing such areas of the economy as forestry and subsoil use. The issue of systematizing information on cultural heritage sites, which is currently accumulated in various institutions, has acquired particular relevance. This is due to its colossal scale and increased interest in the results of analytical studies of the laws addressing spatial location of archaeological sites. Conclusion. The outcome of the seminar was its resolution presented in this paper. The paragraphs of the resolution reflect the main conclusions and proposed solutions that were agreed by various specialists during the general discussion. This event, as a platform for communication, is extremely important for establishing a common position of the scientific archaeological community.