Achieving world heritage status

World Heritage Criteria

World Heritage Sites are cultural and/or natural sites considered to be of outstanding universal value which have been inscribed on the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee. It is a high accolade that brings with it responsibilities and international scrutiny.  The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention provide guidance on the rules relating to the Convention. This document also sets out the 10 criteria under which outstanding universal value is assessed. In addition to meeting at least 1 of these criteria a site must also demonstrate ‘authenticity’ and ‘integrity’ as defined in the Guidelines.

The UK Tentative List

In order to be nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage List a site must first be on the UK’s Tentative List. The previous List was compiled in 1999, but following a review by the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in 2009, it was decided that a new, revised List would be developed that would reflect UNESCO’s objectives for a credible and well balanced World Heritage List. The new List was announced in March 2011.

Three Scottish sites have been successful in gaining inclusion on the new UK Tentative List for potential nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Forth Bridge, The Flow Country and Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshoff: The Crucible of Iron Age Shetland will take their place on the List alongside eight other sites from across the UK and its overseas territories.

The full UK Tentative List can be found at the DCMS website.

Minister for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, welcomed the news, and particularly the inclusion of three Scottish sites:

“Scotland has a worldwide reputation for our beautiful landscape, our fascinating history and our incredible achievements. The Forth Bridge, the Crucible of Iron Age Shetland and the Flow Country perfectly encompass this.

“I am delighted that from the impressive array of 38 applicants, 3 Scottish sites have been deemed to possess the elements of outstanding universal value that make them worthy of taking their place alongside the 8 other fantastic candidate sites from across the UK and its overseas territories.

“That Scotland now has the potential to add to our five existing World Heritage Sites speaks volumes about the rich heritage we are fortunate enough to possess.”

All of the sites on the Tentative List are now in a position to develop their nominations further, and to potentially have them put forward in the future as the UK’s nomination for World Heritage Status. Inclusion on the Tentative List does not, however, guarantee that the site will be inscribed on the World Heritage List, or even that it will be put forward by the UK for World Heritage status.


Throughout 2010 and early 2011 the UK undertook the process of revising the UK Tentative List of sites for potential nomination for World Heritage status.

38 applications were submitted by sites from across the UK and Overseas Territories to the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) for inclusion on the new List. The applications can be found on the DCMS website.

An independent Expert Panel was convened which included representatives from across the UK and Overseas Territories who had knowledge of UNESCO and of cultural and natural heritage. The Panel was tasked with the remit of evaluating all of the applications and making recommendations to UK Ministers on the sites that should comprise the new UK Tentative List.

All World Heritage Sites are expected to have outstanding universal value. The Expert Panel was provided with criteria based on UNESCO guidelines to help them evaluate each of the sites applications, and to decide if they had outstanding universal value and the potential to be successful if put forward to UNESCO for inscription onto the World Heritage List.

The Panel produced a report containing a number of recommendations, including the revised UK Tentative List, and this was agreed by Ministers in London and the Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Expert Panel’s Report can be found here.


Individual Governments are responsible for nominating sites in their country. Nominations are then subject to a rigorous assessment by UNESCO’s advisers (ICOMOS for cultural sites and IUCN for natural sites) over an 18 month period. Decisions on whether to inscribe sites on the World Heritage List are taken by the World Heritage Committee at its annual meeting each July. The Committee oversees the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. It is made up of 21 of the member states of the Convention, each elected for a six year term. Historic Scotland attends the annual meeting of the Committee, when appropriate, as part of the UK delegation.

Scottish Ministers put forward sites for nomination and are responsible for ensuring compliance with the Convention in relation to sites in Scotland. Historic Scotland carries out these roles for cultural Sites on their behalf. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the UK's general compliance with the Convention, and for nominating sites in England. It acts as the State Party on behalf of all the devolved administrations.

The Antonine Wall was the last Scottish site put forward for inscription as the UK nomination for 2008. It was taken forward as part of the trans-national serial World Heritage Site: the Frontiers of the Roman Empire which also includes Hadrian’s Wall and the German Limes. It was successfully inscribed as a World Heritage Site in July 2008.


In order to stay on the List, States Parties are required to ensure that the outstanding universal values of the Sites are maintained. UNESCO requires that Management Plans be produced for each World Heritage Site, to bring together all responsible parties in order to ensure a co-ordinated approach to its management.  


Such plans help to set out clearly the special qualities and values of the site, to establish a framework for decision making, and to provide information on threats and opportunities for each site, in order that it can be managed in a sustainable manner.

Each site is different and each management plan has to fit the specific character and needs. Historic Scotland is both guardian and manager for the Orkney site. Historic Scotland also has a key role to play in all the other sites in Scotland, and provides advice and support to the managers of these Sites.

Management Plans for The Heart of Neolithic Orkney and The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh can be found in our Publications section.