World Heritage Site Management

The Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site (WHS) has a Management Plan to guide its effective management.

The current Management Plan runs from 2021 – 2027 and is accompanied by an Action Plan 2021-2023.

Download your free copy of the Management Plan and Action Plan from the CCGHT Resources page today.

World Heritage Sites are required to have a Management Plan by the World Heritage Committee and UK Government Policy. Management Plans are not statutory documents. Instead, they draw together a range of polices, plans and strategies, which create a statutory and non-statutory framework that recognises and protects the World Heritage Site and its surroundings.

The 2021-2027 Management Plan outlines aims and objectives to continue to work towards the 30 year vision of:

“The Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site will be recognised as a global leader in the sustainable management of dynamic natural sites, inspiring people to celebrate, value and enjoy a Site that offers a world class visitor experience. This Site will become a vibrant thread of the life of the Causeway Coast and Glens, benefiting local and regional communities, visitors and the environment for present and future generations.”

This Management Plan was prepared by Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust (CCGHT), who act as Secretariat for the World Heritage Site Steering Group. It was developed in collaboration with, and on behalf of, the Steering Group and the State Party representative in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). A programme of consultation was delivered as part of this process. The Steering Group membership reflects conservation, tourism, economic, educational and landowner interests and is formed from landowner, community and organisational representatives.

World Heritage UK is an organisation set up in 2015 to undertake networking, advocacy and promotion for the UK’s World Heritage Sites. Visit their website to learn more.

This is the third iteration of a Management Plan for the WHS and was prepared in a time of change and uncertainty due to Covid-19. The previous Plan was launched in 2013 and since then the Site has faced new challenges and changes, for instance, visitor numbers reaching annual averages of one million and now the impacts of the pandemic. This Management Plan, and associated Action Plan, provides a framework for responsibly tackling these challenges, helping to ensure that the Site’s ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ (OUV) is sustained.

CCGHT publish a summary of progress for the World Heritage Site Action Plan each year.

WHS Action Plan Summary of Progress for 2021

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