Part of our heritage

THE Dorset coast and neighbouring East Devon coast could soon be ranked alongside some of the earth's most treasured assets.

The World Heritage site bid, which is proposed by the UK Government, includes a 95-mile stretch of coast from Orcombe Point, near Exmouth, to an area just past Old Harry Rocks, near Swanage.

If successful, the coast could be included in a prestigious list which details each country's prized natural or cultural sites - making it England's first natural site.

A World Heritage area is a natural or cultural site recognised by the international community as possessing universal value and therefore coming under a collective responsibility.

The idea was brought into being at a general conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in Paris in 1972.

There was a realisation at the time that the world's cultural and natural heritage was increasingly threatened with destruction, not only by the causes of decay but also by the changing social and economic conditions.

Considering its constitution of 'assuring the conservation and protection of the world's heritage', the organisation adopted a convention in order to safeguard these valuable sites, and World Heritage was born.

Sites range from important and historic buildings and monuments on one hand to significant geological formations and features on the other.

So how does Dorset measure up? One feels the coastline must have something pretty special to offer following a glance at existing World Heritage sites.

They include the famous Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, the wildlife haven of St Kilda off the coast of the Hebrides and the atoll of Henderson Island in the South Pacific, virtually untouched by humans.

Happily, our coast fills the criteria for World Heritage status quite nicely. The geology of the designated coastal area is of international importance, representing more than 180 million years of evolution of the earth's environment and species.

It also has an exceptional assemblage of coastal features comprising the richest variety and most protected range of geomorphological sites on any coastline in the world, including Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.

It therefore meets the criteria of a site which is 'an outstanding example representing major stages of the Earth's history including the record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the development of landforms or significant geomorphic or physiographic features'.

"We couldn't have written that better," says Malcolm Turnbull, manager of the coast and countryside policy group at Dorset County Council, who is leading the World Heritage bid at county level.

He added: "We would be very surprised if the bid was turned down outright. If anything it would be sent back for more information but we have made sure there will be two experts on hand to answer any questions when the World Heritage Committee meets in Helsinki during December.

"I think the international community would be disappointed if the bid was turned down. We have received messages of support from academics all over the world and the Unesco inspector who visited the coast said we had a compelling case.

"At the end of the day we still have this great coast and we can't be denied that."

On the UK mainland the tour of the 16 World Heritage cultural sites takes us from brilliant examples of Norman architecture to world-famous megaliths and relics of the country's industrial past.

They include, among others, Stonehenge and Avebury, Roman Bath, Ironbridge Gorge, the Tower of London, Hadrian's Wall, maritime Greenwich, Neolithic Orkney and the industrial landscape of Blaenavon.

Further afield, World Heritage status has recognised globally important sites. Only some are listed here. In the United States, Yellowstone National Park, which contains the world's largest concentration of geysers and is well known for its grizzly bears, wolves and bison, and the most spectacular gorge in the world, the Grand Canyon, are listed as World Heritage sites. As is Philadelphia's Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were signed.

Our European neighbours also have much to be proud of.

World Heritage sites include the historic Austrian city of Salzburg with its flamboyant Gothic art styles, the late 17th century main square in Brussels known as La Grand-Place and the medieval historic settlement of Bruges.

In France the home of kings from Louis XIV to Louis XVI, the Palace of Versailles, is afforded World Heritage status, as are the banks of the Seine in the capital which have witnessed the evolution of Paris and its history.

In Germany the honour is afforded to Dorchester's twin town of Lbeckke, the former capital of the Hanseatic League, Cologne Cathedral and the Vlklingen ironworks.

Greece has a wealth of sites including the Acropolis, the site of four of the greatest masterpieces of classical Greek art - the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheum and the Temple of Athena Nike.

Italian sites include the centres of Florence and Naples, Venice and its lagoon and the city of Verona.

The famous pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain which became a symbol in the Spanish Christians' struggle against Islam is among the country's World Heritage sites.

The ancient pilgrim route to Santiago from the French-Spanish border is also a cultural site, a route still walked by modern-day pilgrims. Some 1,800 buildings along the route, both religious and secular, are of great historic interest.

Probably the most spectacular waterfalls in the world at Mosi-oa Tunya and Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe are among the natural World Heritage sites in Africa. The Zambezi river, which is more than two kilometres wide at this point, plunges noisily down a series of basalt gorges and raises an iridescent mist that can be seen more than 20 kilometres away.

In Australia it is the Great Barrier Reef that attracts world attention. Situated off the country's north-east coast, it contains the world's largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc.

Other sites include the Great Wall of China, Prague, old Havana and its fortifications, the Galpagos Islands, the Pyramid fields of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, the jewel of Muslim art in India, the old city of Jerusalem and its walls, the Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow, the ancient city of Damascus and historic areas of Istanbul.