Stevns Klint

There was a strong support from landowners and the local community for the nomination of the site and high level of engagement in its preparation (IUCN, 2014; World Heritage Committee, 2014). A new Partnership Programme was launched in 2018, which now includes 130 businesses, associations, artists and organizations (IUCN Consultation, 2025). The partners will contribute to the information and knowledge sharing about Stevns Klint and create new projects that contribute to the sustainable development, tourism and local economic growth of the area (World Heritage Stevns, 2019b). Following the inscription of the site, a process was initiated to have the property declared as a conserved area, a designation which is among the strongest national protection regimes (Stevns Municipality and The Danish society for Nature Conservation, 2016). On 1 May 2017, the Preservation Board of East Zealand decided in favour of the designation and the matter was transferred to the Environment and Nature Appeal Board. Despite some strong opposition from local land owners, the local community including the landowners still express their support for the World Heritage status of the area, and the level of engagement is still high (IUCN Consultation, 2017), although there is now an ongoing civil lawsuit where landowners are challenging the state regarding the increased level of protection (this includes a zone free of agriculture to protect the grassland on the cliff face itself by establishing a 25 meter wide protection zone). At least two annual meetings in the reference group for landowners continue, which are used by the World Heritage Office, landowners and Stevns Municipality to asses the situation, share information but also make decisions about new efforts as necessary. Furthermore, landowners are part of the World Heritage Advisory Board and as such are involved in various levels of management and are also highly informed about ongoing processes (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

In short, a collaborative approach is designed to ensure broad participation and ownership among various groups, based on a structured governance system, which includes advisory councils, reference groups, and partnerships that actively involve representatives from local governments, scientific institutions, businesses, and community organizations. Local reference groups provide a platform for residents to share ideas, address concerns, and contribute to the development of initiatives related to the World Heritage property. Thematic reference groups, such as those focused on geology or tourism, allow experts and stakeholders to provide specialized input. Public consultations, open meetings, and educational programs further strengthen the engagement of local communities and ensure that diverse perspectives are considered in governance and strategic planning (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

The site is subject to a number of national and municipal legal instruments, including the Planning Act, the Danish Act on the Protection of Nature and the Act on Coastal Protection. The site has also been designated as an Area of National Geological Interest. The existing regulatory framework provides adequate protection to the site’s values (IUCN, 2014). On the basis of a proposal submitted by Stevns Municipality and the Danish Society for Nature Conservation (2016), the Preservation Board of East Zealand has decided to designate Stevns Klint, as well as some minor adjacent areas, as conservation area, which means that all the inscribed property will be subject to conservation and thus obtain the strongest possible protection under national law. The designation was approved by the Environment an Nature Appeal Board in 2021 and is as such a part of Danish legislation, however there is strong opposition from landowners and legal action is in process (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

In summary, the legal framework for Stevns Klint World Heritage property is established through a combination of international guidelines, national and local legislation, providing robust protection for its outstanding universal value.

The property is safeguarded under Danish laws such as the Nature Protection Act, which enforces strict measures against development and activities that could harm its geological and natural features. The Planning Act also ensures that the area is recognized as a site of national conservation interest, restricting construction and maintaining the integrity of the landscape. Further protection is granted through the designation of two restricted areas (Holtug Kridtbrud and the minor sea-floor area) as a Natura 2000 site, emphasizing its importance for biodiversity conservation within the European Union framework. The sea-ward buffer zone is almost entirely encompassed in the Natura 2000 area strengthening the protection of the site. The buffer zone around the property is carefully delineated to extend these protections, while the management plan integrates these legal instruments, including UNESCO’s World Heritage guidelines, into actionable policies(Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

The organizational structure for the management of the World Heritage site is based on the World Heritage Council as a coordinated and decision-making advisory board composed of individual institutions' areas of responsibility and stakeholder roles. Previously, World Heritage Stevns, an association, was the site manager organisation and office for the world heritage board.
With the opening of the new World Heritage Visitor’s centre, World Heritage Stevns was integrated into the Visitor centre organisation as an office with the site manager responsibilities previously handled by the association.
The World Heritage Office works on a contract between Stevns Municipality and the visitor’s centre, Stevns Klint Experience.
The World Heritage Office is led by the World Heritage Council, the contractual agreements with Stevns Municipality and three reference groups: Local, landowners and geological. Furthermore the World Heritage Office is part of a few local coordination groups to ensure that important stakeholders are involved, that visible activities are coordinated and that sustainable management and development of Stevns Klint as a World Heritage site is achieved.

Stevns Klint World Heritage property is fully integrated into local, regional, and national planning systems, ensuring its protection and sustainable development within broader land and sea management frameworks. The property is managed in alignment with Denmark's Planning Act and Nature Protection Act, which prioritize conservation while allowing for sustainable use. At the local level, the Stevns Municipality incorporates the site's requirements into its municipal plans, ensuring that activities in the surrounding areas, including tourism and infrastructure development, do not compromise the property’s outstanding universal value.

The integration also considers sea (the site is located within the national 300 m coastal protection zone on land where strict regulations are in place) and landscape connectivity, with the buffer zone extending into both terrestrial and marine areas. This approach safeguards the natural erosion processes of the cliff face while maintaining ecological linkages with the surrounding landscape. Regional collaborations support the preservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage, while national and European frameworks, such as Natura 2000 At the local level, the Stevns Municipality incorporates the site's requirements into its municipal plans, ensuring that activities in the surrounding areas, including tourism and infrastructure development, do not compromise the property’s outstanding universal value (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

The site comprises the 15km long coastal cliff of Stevns Klint. The boundaries of the site encompass all most important geological features and accommodate the natural processes of coastal erosion. The buffer zone follows the national 300m coastal protection zone on land and the boundaries of the Natura 2000 area of Stevns Klint seawards (State Party of Denmark, 2012; IUCN, 2014).

In 2021 the decision on the protection of Stevns Klint in Stevns Municipality was implemented, which includes a zone free of agriculture to protect the grassland on the cliff face itself by establishing a 25 meter wide protection zone around the site. It should be noted, that the landowners still have strong opposition to this, and a civil legal action is in process.

There is no other international designation.

The authorities have undertaken measures to respond to the requests made by the World Heritage Committee (2014) in its Decision 38COM.8B.10: a) "Establish without delay the revised and specific management system proposed to assume responsibility for the property upon inscription on the World Heritage List" - The management system has been revised to ensure responsibility for the property. A Management Plan was developed after inscription and currently a new plan is under implementation (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023). b) "Retain policies to ensure that no mining and/or quarrying activities take place within the property, nor any adjacent extraction activities that could impact the property" - The situation with regards to quarrying currently remains as it was at the time of inscription, and despite the fact that OMYA A/S has been granted with permission, currently exploitation of chalk has ceased due to the market situation (IUCN Consultation, 2024). c) "Ensure effective implementation of fossil collecting guidelines, including appropriate curation of key specimens" - Steps have been taken in order to preserve the outstanding fossil record. Guidelines for collecting samples and fossils have been developed and incorporated into the proposal for establishing a conservation area. d) "Ensure effective engagement of the private landowners in the protection and management of the property on an ongoing basis" - In order to engage the local citizens a Local Reference Group has been established and the engagement of private landowners and other stakeholders in the protection and management of the site is strong throughout this organization, are represented in the local World Heritage Council and have regular meetings with the managing body Stevns Municipality and World Heritage Stevns. However, engagement of locals in protection and management to the property is an ongoing task. e) "Ensure effective presentation of the property, to provide for a high quality visitor experience, supported by appropriate education and interpretation facilities" - There has been a lot of information about the world heritage on the internet, specific apps, information boards, traditional information posters, school services, animation video etc. A new visitor centre focused on the Outstanding Universal Value of the site has been built in 2022 (IUCN Consultation, 2024). f) "Continue strong processes of local community engagement in the property, and the commendable shared management approach with local communities and stakeholders" - Community engagement includes one or two yearly World Heritage Days, community meetings for special themes and a Partnership Programme designed to include private companies and organizations in the development, communicationand protection of the site (Stevns Municipality and World Heritage Stevns, 2017; World Heritage Stevns, 2019b).

Stevns Klint World Heritage property incorporates climate action as a key component of its management strategy to address the challenges posed by climate change. The management plan identifies the need to adapt to rising sea levels, which directly impact the natural erosion processes that preserve the cliff's geological features. Efforts are focused on maintaining these processes while mitigating risks associated with coastal changes. Additionally, the plan highlights the importance of transitioning to renewable energy and integrating sustainability principles into the broader management framework. By supporting climate-conscious initiatives, the property aims to reduce its carbon footprint and build resilience against climate-related impacts. Collaboration with local and national stakeholders ensures that these efforts are embedded within a holistic approach to conservation and community engagement, reflecting the dual priorities of environmental stewardship and sustainable development (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

Stevns Klint World Heritage Office is responsible for the implementation of the Management Plan approved by the municipality as part of the World Heritage application, and at the same time acting as link between the various stakeholders for Stevns Klint World Heritage (Stevns Municipality and World Heritage Stevns, 2017; 2023). A valid management plan is approved for the period 2023-2026 (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

Geological findings of outstanding scientific or exhibition value belong to the Danish state (Museum Act) and are managed by the National Geological Museum. The finder will receive compensation if findings are considered to have a value. Whether the findings come to the museum's recognition depends on whether the museum is contacted by the finder. The decision in 2021 to declare the property a conservation area provides some legal power for enforcement of specific terms. However, enforcement of new regulations might be challenging and landowners still have strong opposition to the designations, and a civil legal action is in process (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

The property is protected under Denmark’s Nature Protection Act, Planning Act, and other national legislation, which establish strict rules regarding activities such as construction, fossil collection, and land use within the designated area and its buffer zone. These laws are further reinforced by local regulations that address specific challenges, such as visitor behaviour and environmental impacts. The municipality, in collaboration with relevant agencies and stakeholders, oversees enforcement efforts and works to raise awareness about regulations through education and outreach. While enforcement mechanisms are in place, the plan identifies resource limitations and visitor pressure as ongoing challenges, highlighting the importance of proactive monitoring, stakeholder collaboration, and community involvement in maintaining the integrity of the property (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

Ongoing management funding has been provided through the Stevns Municipality. A number of activities are coordinated and funded by various organizations, e.g. the Danish Nature Agency and Østsjællands Museum (State Party of Denmark, 2012).

The primary funding source is Stevns Municipality, which supports the operational needs of the property, including the maintenance of facilities, nature management, and the activities of the World Heritage Office. Additional funding is secured through partnerships with local businesses, grants from national and international foundations, and revenue from tourism activities. Initiatives such as public-private partnerships and community-driven projects play a key role in generating additional income while fostering local engagement (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

The staff of Østsjællands Museum includes a qualified geologist, and about 25 part-time guides. Staff of the Stevns Municipality are also involved in the management of the site (State Party of Denmark, 2012). The new organizational structure with the Stevns Klint World Heritage Office includes a director with wide experience in tourism management, a full time site manager, a communications consultant and an interpreters with responsibility for new exhibitions, activities and further telling the story of Stevns Klint at Stevns Klint Experience (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

The Østsjællands Museum, Stevns Naturcenter and Stevns Municipality provide a number of education programmes and coordinates dissemination of information about the site’s geology through production of education materials and various activities, such as lectures and participation in radio and TV shows (State Party of Denmark, 2012; Stevns Municipality and World Heritage Stevns, 2017). The new visitor center in is an important step forward for knowledge dissemination about the World Heritage site and in securing visitation to the area that is not harmful to the area's values (The Stevns Klint Foundation, 2020; IUCN Consultation, 2024).

A number of visitor facilities, including a visitor centre (IUCN Consultation, 2024), are found along the cliff and information plans for all visitor sites, a Tourism Strategy is in place, inspired by the UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Toolkit (Stevns Municipality, 2019a) and a development plan is provided to secure sustainable development (IUCN Consultation, 2020). The potential impacts of increasing visitation are included in the monitoring system. In expanding existing facilities and preparing interpretation concept, it is necessary that conservation and scientific values of the site are given proper attention.

The site provides opportunities for visitation, tourism, research and education which are all intended to be carried out in a sustainable way (Stevns Municipality and World Heritage Stevns, 2017). The framework, that will ensure sustainable development over the next years, was strengthened in 2019 with Stevns Municipality’s new Tourism Strategy 2019-2022, a new development plan for Stevs Klint (Stevns Municipality, 2019a) and current Management Plan (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023), with a strong focus on sustainable development in the partnership programme (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The Stevns Municipality is responsible for the monitoring of the site in collaboration with the Østsjællands Museum and Stevns Klint World Heritage Office The Danish Nature Agency is responsible for the monitoring of Natura 2000 sites (State Party of Denmark, 2012; Stevns Municipality and World Heritage Stevns, 2017). The Management Plan and the statement of tourism policy describe how threats should be monitored, and the monitoring report continues to be an important overview that provides an opportunity to stay ahead of the development (Stevns Municipality, 2018).

The property is subject to annual monitoring as required by UNESCO, which evaluates its conservation status, integrity, and any potential threats. The monitoring process includes tracking physical changes to the cliff face caused by natural erosion, assessing the impacts of visitor activities, and documenting biodiversity and habitat conditions in the buffer zone and surrounding areas (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023; IUCN Consultation, 2024).

Stevns Klint is very well known internationally and research is carried out by researchers from all over of the world. Locally, research is carried out at Østsjællands Museum. In 2017, a geological professional reference group was established with representatives from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Copenhagen, GEUS, the National Museum of Natural History and the Østsjællands Museum. The group will discuss scientific questions regarding Stevns Klint. (State Party of Denmark, 2012; Stevns Municipality and World Heritage Stevns, 2017). The yearly monitoring also maintain an overview of new worldwide research on Stevns Klint (Stevns Municipality, 2018).

The management plan emphasizes the importance of fostering scientific studies to document and analyze the site's unique attributes, such as the geological layers that provide evidence of the mass extinction event 66 million years ago. Research efforts also focus on biodiversity, natural processes like erosion, and the impacts of human activities. Collaboration with national and international scientific institutions is undergoing. Local engagement, including citizen science initiatives promotes community awareness of the property’s values (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

External threats to the Steven Klint are addressed through collaboration and integration with local, regional, and national planning frameworks; coordinated efforts are mobilised to mitigate pressures such as urban development, agricultural runoff, and tourism impacts in areas surrounding the property and its buffer zone. These efforts are supported by Denmark's Planning Act and Nature Protection Act, which regulate land use and environmental protection beyond the site boundaries. Despite these measures, the effectiveness of governance in addressing external threats faces challenges due to competing interests and resource limitations. To strengthen its approach, the management system relies on partnerships with local municipalities, landowners, and stakeholders to ensure that activities outside the site align with conservation objectives (Stevns Klint Management Plan, 2023).

The management system and governance of Stevns Klint World Heritage property are based on a structured and collaborative approach. The property benefits from a comprehensive legal framework, including the Nature Protection Act and Planning Act, which regulate activities to safeguard its geological, ecological, and cultural values and the 2021 protection order. Governance is further supported by a robust organizational structure, involving the World Heritage Office, local authorities, and advisory councils, to ensure cohesive management and decision-making. The system successfully mitigates many internal threats, such as unauthorized fossil collection, inappropriate visitor behaviour, and site degradation.