Reviews the preventive measures and site protection techniques discussed at the Ghent Conference, held to promote communication and coordination between specialists. The conference was organized around two main themes: preventive measures before, during, and after excavation for land and marine sites, and natural and legal protection of sites on display. A broad selection of the 26 (formally listed) papers presented in 6 sessions is reviewed. The conference facilitated comparison of the solutions adopted in a wide variety of cases, and noted signs of increasing mutual understanding between archaeologists and conservators.