Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast

The site has many layers of statutory and non-statutory protection. The National Trust holds most of the land in inalienable ownership, with approximately 5% of the World Heritage site remaining in private ownership. A World Heritage Steering Group comprising relevant stakeholders provides the framework for implementation of the site’s Management Plan and represents conservation, tourism, recreation and the local community interests. A new Management Plan for the World Heritage site for 2020-2027 is currently being developed by the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust. The Management Plan “provides an agreed framework and important actions for the sustainable management of the Site and its environment” (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site Management Plan 2020-2027).

No formal management effectiveness assessment has been conducted for the site. Management of the World Heritage site itself by the National Trust is considered highly effective, while the management of the surrounding landscape is of some concern (UNEP-WCMC, 2011). Effectiveness of stakeholder engagement in the management of the site could be further enhanced (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The boundaries of this very small (70 ha) site reflect the distribution of its values under criterion viii, but are very narrow to effectively protect its scenic landscape values, the additional biodiversity values of the area and to account for the possibility of coastal erosion. A clearly defined buffer zone to achieve this was recommended by the 2003 Reactive Monitoring Mission (UNESCO and IUCN, 2003), and further by the 2013 IUCN Advisory Mission (IUCN, 2013). In 2016 the World Heritage Committee approved a minor boundary modification of an approximately 5 m increase running for most of the landward boundary to address the concerns that, should there be significant erosion, the cliff faces, which are key attributes of OUV, would no longer lie within the inscribed boundary (IUCN, 2016). The World Heritage site is noted in the wider Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Management Plan. Site Management process needs to work interactively with the local planning to ensure that future commercial developments in any defined buffer zone are rebuffed on protected heritage grounds.

The management framework for the World Heritage site is integrated with 13 key policies and plans at different levels, including regional development, tourism development and spatial planning documents (Environment and Heritage Service, 2005). However, this has not prevented permission for a large-scale tourism development in the immediate vicinity of the site, which may compromise its Outstanding Universal Value.
In the UK, World Heritage sites are not statutory designations and stronger recognition would aid implementation of the Management Plan. The 2013 IUCN Advisory Mission advised the State Party to strengthen the position and recognition of World Heritage sites in national law, including in all regions of the State, so that developments that create negative impacts on Outstanding Universal Value are not permitted (IUCN, 2013).
A specific section in the Regional 'Single Planning Policy Statement (SPS)' published in Sept 2015 is devoted to the WHS. This states:
"6.6 Development that would adversely affect the Outstanding Universal Value of a World Heritage Site (WHS) or the integrity of its setting must not be permitted unless there are overriding exceptional circumstances.
6.7 Inclusion of a WHS on a list published by UNESCO highlights the outstanding international importance of the site as a material consideration in the determination of planning and listed building consent applications, and appeals. Planning authorities must carefully consider applications affecting the Outstanding Universal Value of such sites, particularly taking into account the safeguarding of critical views to and from the site, the access and public approaches to the site and the understanding and enjoyment of the site by visitors."
It also notes that:
"WHSs are designated under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention of 1972 on the basis of their acknowledged ‘Outstanding Universal Value’. The Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site is currently the only WHS in Northern Ireland inscribed on the World Heritage list. It is inscribed because its natural and geological features are held to be of Outstanding Universal Value. Given their acknowledged international importance, it will be appropriate for a LDP having a WHS within the plan area, to identify the site and its broader setting and to include local policies or proposals to safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value of such sites and their settings from inappropriate development."

The site is uninhabited, except for the Causeway Hotel, and mainly owned by the National Trust. However, there are a number of local communities close by. During the course of the last Management Plan (2013-2019), progress was made to involve the local community through, for instance, the addition of a community elected representative to the Steering Group and development of interpretation materials outlining the OUV and significance of the World Heritage site (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway WHS Management Plan 2013-2019). Free admission is provided to locals and the National Trust run Community Open Days, training programmes and fund youth engagement. However, it is recognised that more needs to be done to increase understanding and awareness with the general public, especially communities local to the site. One of the five goals that the Steering Group hope to address through the lifetime of the 2020-2027 Management Plan is to better engage local communities and enable them to gain greater socio-economic benefits from the WHS designation (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway WHS Management Plan 2020-2027). A Community Plan has also been developed by the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council (CC&GBC, 2017), which provides a ‘key over-arching framework for partnerships and initiatives’ for the Borough until 2030.

The coastline at the World Heritage site has been legally protected since 1987 as a National Nature Reserve, and partly as an Area of Special Scientific Interest (since 2000). The entire Causeway Plateau is designated since 1989 as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In addition, the site has been designated a Special Area of Conservation and thereby given greater protection under the European legislation of the EU Habitats Directive (Protected Planet, 2012; UNESCO and IUCN, 2003). On 31st January 2020 the UK withdrew from the European Union and although the UK Government has committed to upholding current environmental legislation, much of which was developed and agreed at EU level, it is still unclear how this may impact the WHS. Despite this, the overall legal framework of the site itself is still considered highly effective, while some concern exists about the protection status of its surrounding landscape. There is, however, a management plan for the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – first written 2003 and updated in 2008 and a new one (for 2013-2023) is now in preparation (Causeway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2013-2023).

The site is patrolled by wardens, contains information and warning signs and is difficult to access other than by approved routes. Measures appear effective in enforcing regulations.

The 2003 a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission recommended to “…carefully review all zoning arrangements in order to preserve the landscape values of the Area of Outstanding Natural beauty surrounding the World Heritage site. No developments, which could potentially threaten these values, should be allowed”. The mission also recommended the establishment of a clearly defined buffer zone for the site (UNESCO and IUCN, 2003). These key recommendations, which were adopted by the Committee in its Decision 27COM 7B.21, were not followed (see National Trust, 2012a) in regard to the Runkerry Golf Resort development. Other requests and recommendations contained in Decisions 27COM 7B.21, 29COM 7B.27 and 32COM 7B.28 of the World Heritage Committee relating to information about the management plan and visitor centre redevelopment have been implemented by the State Party (World Heritage Committee, 2003, 2005, 2008).

This very small World Heritage site consists of mainly coastal cliffs and foreshore, and is not important for sustainable use other than tourism (UNEP-WCMC, 2011).

Funding was assessed as insufficient by the State Party in 2006 (WHC, 2006). Additional funds were since raised for the construction of a new visitor centre, which opened in July 2012 (National Trust, 2012c). Sufficient resources proved a challenge through the lifetime of the 2013-2019 Management Plan as the Northern Ireland Environment Agency withdrew project funding in 2015 due to nationwide funding cuts. Thought has been given to resourcing the new 2020-2027 Action Plan while maintaining an ambitious outlook. The Steering Group and Project Manager will work to secure the necessary resource for delivery where it has not been identified (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast WHS Management Plan 2020-2027).

Data deficient

The National Trust runs a wide range of education and interpretation programmes at and around the site, including a website and newly designed visitor centre with interactive exhibitions (National Trust, 2012c), school and student visits, guided tours and interpretative trails, and interpretation publications for a wide range of target groups and in eight languages.

The site received over one million visitors in 2018, an increase by an average of 250,000 since the beginning of the previous Management Plan cycle in 2013. Facilities include a new visitor centre with interactive exhibitions and cafeteria, a hotel run by the National Trust, parking and shuttle bus, trails and related facilities (National Trust, 2012c). Tourism remains seasonal with peak months being May – August. Increasing the quantity of visitors throughout the year and dispersing them better across the area continues to be a focus of the local council as reflected in the Tourism and Destination Management Plan 2015-2020; Key Objective ‘Generate more visitors, motivate them to spend longer in the area and visit throughout the year’ (CC&GBC, 2015). As a means to reduce the concentration of visitors on the site and create a more diverse and sustainable tourism sector, diversification of the tourism offering has been advocated by the Steering Group (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast WHS Management Plan 2020-2027).
An overall coordinated tourism management strategy was recommended in 2003 (UNESCO and IUCN, 2003) and a Causeway Coast and Tourism Masterplan was published in 2004 (Northern Ireland Tourism Board, 2012).

A comprehensive monitoring strategy and framework including 22 indicators on geology/geomorphology, landscape, ecology, cultural heritage, socio-economic and visitation trends, and the management of the wider setting of the site, was included in the 2004 management plan of the site (Environment and Heritage Service, 2005). However, no monitoring results appear to have been published.
It has been concluded that the site is vulnerable to impacts caused by climate change and the 2013 IUCN Advisory Mission recommended that “Natural threats (sea water rise, frequency of storm events) due to expected climate change should be carefully monitored…” (IUCN, 2013). Better monitoring and baseline information are also urgently needed to underpin effective shoreline management (Cooper and Jackson, 2018).
The National Trust recognise the need to better understand the impacts of visitors to the site and so have commissioned a pioneering sustainability study. A wide range of data is being collected across the WHS to inform the study including air quality, habitat mapping, visitor mapping (numbers, trends, dwell times), monitoring of parking, review of paths including desire lines as well as gauging visitors’ feelings of their visit (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast WHS Management Plan 2020-2027).

The site has been studied intensively over the last 300 years, and has contributed significantly to the current understanding of the origin of igneous rocks, and Tertiary geology (UNEP-WCMC, 2011). It continues to support research in these fields. The National Trust welcomes researchers onto the site and facilitates a variety of research projects. The Queen’s University Belfast has had a long tradition of significant involvement with the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site. Researchers are invited to present on their research to the World Heritage Site Steering Group (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast WHS Management Plan 2020-2027). In September 2018, the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast WHS entered into a Sisterhood Agreement with Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes World Heritage site in South Korea and it is hoped that the Agreement will foster some collaborative research. Some areas, such as climate change impacts and potential responses merit further research. The NI Evidence Report indicates that there are risks to habitats & heritage in the coastal zone from sea-level rise and that action and research are required to address this. National Trust, among others, are calling for strategic shoreline management and the development of a coastal observatory to support research and management (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast WHS Management Plan 2020-2027).