Shell middens are ubiquitous archaeological features on coastlines throughout the world that have been variously analysed and interpreted as mounds of food, burial places, or simply as convenient receptacles for the preservation of stratified remains. This volume brings together information about little known, or recently discovered, concentrations of shell mounds in areas including Africa, the near East, South-east Asia and the Americas as well as new work on mounds in the classic areas including Denmark, the Pacific NW coast and Japan. Discussions are presented on new approaches to interpretation involving the use of ethnographic studies, analysis of molluscs, the use of shell as a raw material for making artefacts and in construction, and the variable formation processes associated with mound formation.

This volume presents proceedings from sessions A15a, A15b, A15c of the XVII UISPP World Congress (1-7 September 2014, Burgos, Spain). The sessions covered are: 'Archaeological Heritage Policies and Management Strategies', where international management models focused on legislation, public policies, management systems, and institutional contexts for research were presented; 'Management and use of science data from preventive archaeology: quality control', where reflections on the range of quality control in projects of applied science, including environmental topics and social standards were developed; 'Cultural resources, management, public policy, people's awareness and sustainable development', which focused on local traditional crafts, many of which exist continuously from prehistory to the present day. Collectively this volume presents perspectives of archaeological heritage management in various countries and continents. It is hoped, through this, to contribute to the exchange of experiences, the sharing of solutions, and the broadening of Archaeology's role in the sustainable development of people.