UNESCO World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Sites are nominated by their countries of origin for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

At the time of inscription on the World Heritage List, the World Heritage Committee adopts a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (SOUV) which will be the key reference for the future effective protection and management of the property.

A site may also be inscribed with a Buffer Zone. This is area surrounding the World Heritage Site that gives an added layer of protection. Buffer Zones should include the immediate setting of the nominated site, important views and other areas or attributes that are functionally important as a support to the Site and its protection. The Buffer Zone can be used to highlight an area where potential impacts need to be given careful consideration by developers and decision-makers.

Being accepted onto the List by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO is a high accolade. It provides international recognition of the importance of these sites. Once inscribed on the World Heritage List, there is a duty to protect, conserve and present it for future generations.

In 2008, the Antonine Wall was inscribed as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site. This is a trans-national site which also includes Hadrian’s Wall and the Upper German-Raetian Limes.

The wall was inscribed for a number of reasons including:

• It is an outstanding example of the technological development of Roman military architecture and frontier defence
• It represents a physical manifestation of a change in Roman imperial foreign policy, exhibiting interchanges of human and cultural values
• It bears testimony to the maximum extension of the power of the Roman Empire, by the consolidation of its frontiers in the north of the British Isles, in the middle of the 2nd century AD.

The Buffer Zone for the Antonine Wall has been defined to protect the immediate setting of the World Heritage Site; the adjacent environment that is part of, and contributes to the character, significance and understanding of the Wall. Definition of the Buffer Zone has been based on visibility to and from the WHS, and analysis of the land use setting, including urban areas.

There are currently six World Heritage Sites in Scotland inscribed for a range of cultural and natural heritage values. Alongside the Antonine Wall these are:

• The Forth Bridge
• The Heart of Neolithic Orkney
• New Lanark
• The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
• St Kilda

Alongside World Heritage, there are other UNESCO designations in Scotland. To find out more, why not explore Scotland’s award winning, world first UNESCO Trail?