Conservation Representative To Visit Giant's Causeway

A representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature is to visit the Giant’s Causeway later this month.

The Department of the Environment (DOE) has confirmed Dr Andrej Sovinc, representative of the IUCN, will visit the World Heritage Site following an invitation from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: "I welcome the visit of Dr Sovinc next week. There have been developments at the World Heritage Site over recent years, including the new Visitors Centre. It was 2003 when there last was a visit from UNESCO to the Giant’s Causeway. Given these developments and the need to protect the World Heritage Site, it is timely that the visit occurs now.

"The World Heritage Site is one of our great assets and visitor attractions. The visit, to assess the overall state of the conservation of the property and to provide advice on its heritage led development, will also be an opportunity to show the positive measures in place to manage the world class site and those who do the management."

The visit follows a letter from Minister Attwood in June 2012 to UNESCO in which he told the organisation he would be happy to host the event.

The remit of Dr Sovinc’s visit will be:

- to visit the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage property and meet those responsible for its protection and management;

- to assess the overall state of conservation of the property and its Outstanding Universal Value;

- to provide technical advice on the management of the property and its Outstanding Universal Value; and

- on the basis of the findings, to prepare a joint draft report on the requirement for ensuring the protection of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value.

(IT/GK)