Designation of Loch Ness as a World Heritage Site

Loch Ness and the Great Glen in the Scottish Highlands is one of the amazing natural wonders of the world, and we feel it deserves to join the list of over 800 remarkable places that have achieved World Heritage Status across the globe that belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

These include East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America.

Like Loch Ness, these are all places that inspire, stimulate and create a sense of wonder.

The bid for Loch Ness to be granted World Heritage status would provide the stimulus to encourage investment and the essential commitment to the conservation that this wonderful environment deserves.

UNESCO has set out ten criteria that will allow it to accept nominations for World Heritage status, and Loch Ness could qualify on all of them. Just some of the features of the natural and cultural heritage that make Loch Ness worthy of this international status are:

The Loch itself: Loch Ness & the Great Glen is a deep trough created by the Great Highland geological fault line and gouged by glaciers resulting in a dramatic and varied vista including moorland, mountains, glens and waterfalls.

The Unique Flora and Fauna of Loch Ness and it's environs hosts rich, diverse, natural Habitats including sites of special scientific interest.

History: The Loch Ness area is home to Urquhart Castle, one Scotland’s most important historical properties, the ancient Cairns at Corrimony, the iron age fort at Dun Dearduil, General Wade's military roads and bridges and ancient field systems. The area's history is tied to the Jacobite rebellion, the Highland Clearances & the journeys of Saint Columba.

Culture: Loch Ness has been an inspiration for generations of artists & writers including Robert Burns, JM Barrie, Beatrix Potter, George Bain, Dick King-Smith, Samuel Johnson & James Boswell as well as current artists, writers, film-makers and musicians.

Industrial and commercial heritage: Telford’s Caledonian canal, the Military Roads of General Wade, the Pioneering of Hydro Electricity, and the utilisation of Loch Ness as the gateway from the west to east coast of Scotland.

The Myth that is the Monster:‘Nessie’ - the Loch Ness monster is a central part of custom, belief and folklore of the UK and has entered the global conscience as a universal lexicon for belief, wonder and enigmas.

To find out more about Loch Ness & our bid for recognition as a World Heritage site please visit http://www.visitlochness.com/world-heritage/index.php