Partnership for the enhancement of visitor experience for tourists and the benefit of local people
Skara Brae
Historic Environment Scotland
Tourism is a key industry for the economy and source of employment for local communities and businesses in Orkney and therefore contributes to the long-term sustainability of its communities and businesses. As the World Heritage Site and Orkney more widely faces key challenges, such as climate change and impacts of volume tourism during peak times, a formal partnership between key national and local agencies has been set up to address these the challenges and opportunities posed by tourism. This partnership brings together HES, OIC and HIE, with a focus on, but not restricted to, the Heart of Neolithic Orkney site, seeking to ensure a sustainable and enhanced visitor experience for tourists and optimising the benefits to local people.
The partnership foresees a development of different and more inclusive and sustainable tourism opportunities for Orkney in hand with the management plan for the site. An initial investment of over £300,000 at the Stones of Stenness will upgrade car parking facilities and improve the pathways network to encourage greater connection between monuments and surrounding natural and cultural areas.
The Gateway strategy partnership is established on the base of a shared Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on 11 June 2019 by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
- Additional funding will be allocated for the development of visitor journey and exploring opportunities for greater connectivity and enhancement of how visitors experience over 5,000 years of history.
- The tourism industry is vital for the sustainability of livelihood in Orkney. Visitors do not only come to Orkney to visit the World Heritage property of Heart of Neolithic Orkney and there is the potential to strengthen the network of natural and cultural places and visitor opportunities to share tourism-related benefit and income among the multiple businesses and communities.
- At present, with the limitation of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is challenging to further quantify the impact of these efforts since the site of Orkney has been closed for great part of the summer season 2020 and entrance into Scotland is still limited to a number of nationalities. However, this unplanned “pause” has allowed further reflection by the partners on how to address these challenges.
Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site Steering Group
Wildflowers with Ring of Brodgar in the background
Historic Environment Scotland.
The World Heritage property of Heart of Neolithic Orkney is managed through an integrated and joint Steering Group composed of representatives of Historic Environment Scotland (HES), Orkney Islands Council (OIC ), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Orkney College University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Archaeology Institute, NatureScot (former Scottish Natural Heritage - SNH), and input from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). HES manages the individual monuments that make up the WHS, while the other partners are involved in the wider management of the WHS and buffer zone in various ways. A WHS coordinator ensures effective liaison between the partners and drives forward the implementation, monitoring and revision of the Management Plan and associated action plan, promotes the OUV and public benefit of the WHS, increases awareness and understanding among partners, stakeholders and the public, and serves as a central point for advice.
Additionally, the Steering Group is also responsible for ensuring the protection of the relationships and linkages between the monuments and the wider landscape. The areas between monuments that comprise the World Heritage property and those in the area outside it that support the OUV are potentially at risk from change and development in the countryside.
The integrated nature-culture competences of the Steering Group, through its multidisciplinary cooperation between the management partners are necessary for the protection of the cultural and natural values of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
- The experience of the previous cycle of management plan and the cooperation between multidisciplinary institutional stakeholders has highlighted the need for a change of focus in the revised Management Plan, which strongly builds on the relationships between the World Heritage property of Heart of Neolithic Orkney and the wider landscape and seascape of the archipelago.
- The integrated management approach is key to the protection of the World Heritage property of Heart of Neolithic Orkney and its Outstanding Universal Value, particularly when dealing with infrastructure and other development proposals (one example is the past proposals for the construction of wind turbines and related facilities).
- The management of the World Heritage property of Heart of Neolithic Orkney has to be integrated into wider local and national planning, looking not only at the site itself but also at the wider setting of the property and its surrounding landscape.
Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site Steering Group
Partnership for the enhancement of visitor experience for tourists and the benefit of local people
Ranger Service
Community and local stakeholder consultation for the Management Plan of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney
Permanent committees and working group
Focus group for the Management Plan
UNESCO Site Office
Panoramic view
UNESCO Site Office
The shared management and governance structure of the property and its buffer zone (BB1) is further reflected in the sub-division of roles and responsibilities as well as in the constitution of dedicated decision-making, technical and advisory bodies. Besides the UNESCO Site Office and the Technical Secretary (BB3), other key governance players are:
The Coordination Committee is the governing and supervisory body aimed at ensuring the site’s effective management and compliance with the commitments undertaken with the Agreement, directing the activities aimed at management and those of the working group.
The Community of Buffer Zone Municipalities has the task of coordinating objectives, problems, and activities relating to the Buffer Zone, which performs the function of additional and indirect protection of the Site’s values.
The Technical-administrative work group has the task of implementing the Management Plan and joint activities with proposals requiring approval by the Coordination Committee.
The Consulting Committee works alongside the Coordination Committee with advisory functions regarding the awareness programmes, general plan guidelines, specific projects, monitoring the Agreement implementation, and the periodic report.
The site’s governance structure is defined in the joint programme agreement signed on 1 August 2016 and the implementation protocol signed on 3 August 2018. The Agreement establishes the site management structure, divided into the above-mentioned bodies, variously composed of the signatories of the Act.
Involving both political and technical level of the municipalities included in the property and the buffer zone has an added value in increasing the awareness of all the actors about being inscribed in the WH List. The process of becoming more and more familiar with global strategies undertaken by UNESCO and advisory bodies is developing little by little. This is something that cannot be taken for granted, especially in such a complex case referring to governance.
The implementation protocol of the Programme Agreement stipulates that the annual financial costs of the UNESCO Site Office and the Technical Secretary is to be supported by all institutional stakeholders signatory of the Agreement in measures that are proportionate to their financial capacities. This allows for a sustainable financial strategy based on shared contributions for the running and upkeep of two key elements of the governance and management structure of the site: the UNESCO Site Office and the Technical Secretary. The annual budget – foreseen to be around € 66.000,00/year – is covered via the contribution of eleven institutions (Liguria Region, Cinque Terre National Park, Regional Natural Park of Porto Venere, Municipalities of Porto Venere, Levanto (voluntarily withdrawn in 2019), Monterosso al Mare, Pignone, Riomaggiore, La Spezia, Vernazza, Beverino, Riccò del Golfo). The Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism does not directly contribute to the annual budget but it offers further technical support via its technical and scientific experts.
The implementation protocol (2018) of the Programme Agreement (2016) constitutes the legal basis and a guidance for the definition of annual contributions by all the involved institutional stakeholders (region, parks and municipalities).
This structured and shared financial set up has allowed for the establishment of a more sustainable financial strategy. With minimal costs there is now the chance to implement a great deal of activities and complete relevant tasks and work that are necessary for the effective management and conservation of the site as well as in supporting the interaction with communities, visitors and relevant stakeholders operating at the national and international levels. Despite the decision of Levanto’s municipality to withdraw in 2019 from the participation to the UNESCO site office structure the partners reacted positively and decided together to reallocate their budget to respect the provisional commitments. The awareness of being part of a long-term project of conservation and enhancement increased.
Establishment of a site-specific UNESCO Office supported by a Technical Secretary
The creation of a UNESCO Site Office: a result achieved
UNESCO Site Office
A landscape to manage - Vernazza
UNESCO Site Office
The Programme Agreement defines and outlines the roles and responsibilities of the institutional stakeholders involved in the management of the site. This agreement is completed by an implementation protocol, signed on 3 August 2018, that outlines the key elements of the Programme Agreement for the establishment of a UNESCO Site Office supported by a Technical Secretary (led Liguria Region for 2 years) composed of technical and administrative staff. The implementation plan identifies the UNESCO Site Office as the technical and administrative responsible for the World Heritage property of Porto Venere, Cinque Terre and the Islands. The Office has the central role to provides support and operational coordination of the permanent technical-administrative work group, support the implementation of territorial actions and the monitoring of the Management Plan, and acts as the focal point with the World Heritage Centre, the Italian Ministry with the national UNESCO Office. The Secretary coordinates all activities of the existing governing committees and working groups (BB4).
The UNESCO Site Office is also dedicated to improving services provided to users within the site, according to UNESCO guidelines, in order to increase an effective response to the emerging needs of the territory.
The creation, existence and mandate of the UNESCO Site Office and the Technical Secretary are defined in the joint programme agreement signed on 1 August 2016 and the implementation protocol signed on 3 August 2018. In order to be operational, the aspect of financing of the office is directly addressed in the Programme Agreement and which includes a prospect of contributions by signatory stakeholders.
The establishment of the UNESCO Site Office and the Technical Secretary have allowed for the application of a more efficient approach to the management of “Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)” and the creation of a permanent structure in support of all the established governing bodies (Building Block 4): the Coordination Committee, the Community of Buffer Zone Municipality, the Technical-administrative work group, and the Consulting Committee.
The Technical Secretary offers supports the activities of the Coordination Committee, the Working Group and the UNESCO site Office, which is responsible for the technical and administrative compliance with the World Heritage requirements and territorial implementation as well as being a chance of direct dialogue with and between institutional stakeholders, local communities and visitors to the site.
Working group for the elaboration of the Management Plan
UNESCO Site Office
View towards the western part of the site
pixcube.it
The governance structure has been officially established through the signature of a Programme Agreement by all the institutional stakeholders that operate in various capacities for the management and conservation of the site and its buffer zone: the Liguria Region, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, the Cinque Terre National Park, the Municipality of Porto Venere - Regional Natural Park of Porto Venere, and the Municipalities of Levanto (withdrawn in 2019 from the UNESCO office), Monterosso al Mare, Pignone, Riomaggiore, La Spezia, Vernazza, Beverino, Riccò del Golfo.
The Agreement defines the role of stakeholders and establishes the following structure (BB4):
Coordination Committee ensuring that effective management is in place
Community of buffer zone Municipalities coordinating objectives, problems, and activities relating to the buffer zone
Technical-administrative work group responsible for implementing the Management Plan
Technical Secretary supporting committees and working groups
Consulting Committee (advisory role)
UNESCO site office, which acts as site manager for the site and carries out joint site promotion activities and ensures the smooth running of the technical-administrative board.
The establishment of a shared governance structure has been a long journey supported by Regional government and the technical support of the local office of MiBACT. It was possible to achieve this goal by the financial support put in place through the Law 77 of 20 February 2006 as well as the signature of a shared protocol that has allowed for the establishment of means for inclusive and comprehensive conversation between key natural and cultural institutional stakeholders at the national, regional and local level.
The establishment of a shared governance structure with a coordinated management strategy is the result of a complex 20-year experience with irregular developments and commitments. An adequate governance structure requires extensive dialogue, mutual understanding and trust to achieve a wide agreement from all involved institutional stakeholder and the commitment to bring these agreements beyond the timeframe of signatory political administrations.
As Municipalities play a large role in the governance of the site, one of the key challenges for the establishment of a shared strategy has been the changes in political leaderships during regional and municipal elections and the annual alternation of the site manager role between the president of the Cinque Terre National Park and the mayor of the Municipality of Porto Venere. This is to ensure socio-political balance in the governance of the site but the annual change of site management is a limitation for the implementation of long-term strategies and actions.
