In June 1998 the Swedish Government decided to nominate the High Coast in the county of Västernorrland for inclusion on the World Heritage List. At the World Heritage Committee meeting in Marrakech in December 1999 the committee decided to defer the nomination. The grounds were that the area's unique characteristics were not described in sufficient detail. In April 2000 additional reports and information was sent to Unesco. The new material has been jointly produced by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Västernorrland County Administrative Board, the Central Board of National Antiquities and the Geological Survey of Sweden. The content of the material is briefly described below:    Global comparative analysis    The High Coast in relation to the Quark area    Integrity, Management Plan    The marine part    Cultural Assets    The landscape, extraordinary natural phenomena    Biological assets on land    Eco-labelling of the High Coast Download the text in Word-format Global comparative analysis - Top In the Committee's decision an analysis of the High Coast's characteristics as an area of land uplift in comparison with other similar areas of the world and a comparison with the Quark area was requested. A brief summary of the global comparative study conducted shows the following. - The High Coast has the highest isostatic land uplift in the world after the latest glaciation. The relative land uplift is 285 metres above the present sea level. A comparison with all land uplift areas in the world after the latest glaciation shows that the only comparable area is at Hudson Bay in Canada where the equivalent uplift is 272 metres. The other areas with isostatic land uplift reach substantially lower levels. Furthermore, within many of these areas the isostatic land uplift can be difficult to distinguish from tectonic uplift. - Due to the undulating terrain the distance between the highest shoreline in the High Coast and its present shoreline is only approximately 2 km whereas at Hudson Bay the distance is roughly 50 km. The land uplift's geological and biological impact is therefore exceptionally evident and concentrated in the High Coast while they are scattered and diffuse at Hudson Bay. The rate of land uplift in the High Coast is presently 8 mm per annum. - The High Coast is the finest site for the study and understanding of the important processes that formed the glaciated and land uplift areas of the earth's surface and which have decisive significance in the explanation of: - the distribution of various vegetation types above and below the highest shoreline - the current division of cultivated land and forestland in the countryside. The High Coast is situated in a climatic area that permits a considerably wider spectrum of these conditions than Hudson Bay that is located in a permafrost region. - The long-standing scientific studies of the High Coast mean that it is, to a greater extent than Hudson Bay, an area of global significance with respect to the interpretation of the geological as well as biological and culture-historical effects of the great inland ice sheets and land uplift. The High Coast in relation to the Quark area - Top The Quark designates the narrowest segment of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. The Quark consists of archipelagos near the mainland of both countries and a bottom sill that is, at most, 25 metres below the water surface. The most southerly part of the Quark is on the Swedish side about 30 km north of the High Coast. The Quark's surface form is entirely dominated by till formations spread across a flat landscape. The differences between the High Coast and the Quark can be described as follows. - The High Coast shows post glacial geological history on land covering approximately 9,600 years while the corresponding period of time in the Quark is about 2,000 years. - The Quark's low lying till archipelagos, open sea and shallows represent an entirely different landscape type than the High Coast's hilly mainland, high islands, deep bays and straits. - The geological history and geological phenomenon are the High Coast's most important assets while the Quark's most important assets are presumably linked to the Baltic Sea as a unique brackish sea and the development of the eco-system in connection with the land uplift. The latter aspects are also represented in the High Coast. Integrity, Management Plan - Top On the basis of the committee's decision it is evident that the efficient application of Swedish legislation is sufficient to maintain the area's integrity alongside the existing national park and other specially protected areas. Natural sites on World Heritage List require guarantees with management and administration in a special management plan. Work has commenced to produce a management plan to resolve this problem. The plan describes how the area is to be managed in the long-term. Furthermore, a management committee is being formed for the High Coast area with representatives of the County Administrative Board, the municipalities of Örnsköldsvik and Kramfors as well as the County Forestry Board. An inaugurate meeting have taken place. The plan focuses foremost on the management of the special assets that form the basis for the nomination for inclusion on the World Heritage List. These are: - Geological and biological phenomena related to land uplift - The marine environment - The landscape's natural beauty Moreover, the role of legislation in the preservation of the area's assets will be addressed in greater detail compared with the original nomination, in part due to new and more powerful environmental legislation enacted in Sweden during 1999. The marine part - Top The recommendations from the committee inquired about the motive for the delineation of the High Coast's marine area that encompasses 56 % of the total area nominated. The grounds stated in the original nomination for the inclusion of the water area are that the High Coast's hilly landscape and the special geological phenomena continue out into the Gulf of Bothnia. The shoreline areas become increasingly shallow, new islands are born and other islands are transformed into peninsulas as they are united with the mainland. The water area therefore constitutes an important part of the High Coast as an entity and is an element essential to an understanding of the historical and on-going geological processes. The sea area's approximately 70 islands also contribute to natural beauty and distinctive character of the entire landscape. Inclusion of the greater portion of the marine environment can also be justified on biological grounds as presented below. - As part of the world's only brackish sea, the Baltic Sea, the High Coast's marine section displays unique biological conditions. No similar marine environments are present in areas currently on the World Heritage List. - The Baltic Sea has undergone dramatic changes since the latest glaciation, going from marine over freshwater to brackish water systems. During the last 7,000 years the environmental conditions have been more stable in this ecosystem. The biota established is composed of a very special and scientifically interesting mixture of marine, brackish and fresh water species. - A considerable number of Baltic Sea species are marine relics from earlier periods when the Baltic sea was linked with the Atlantic. Some of these relics are also found in lakes formed as the land uplift isolated them from the sea. The impact of the land uplift is therefore also reflected in the marine life and lake system of the High Coast. - The particular topography of the High Coast means that, within a limited area, there are several different types of sea areas, from shallow inlets to open bays and great depths. The water is also relatively clean. Seen from a global perspective, the combination of natural geographic features characteristic of the Baltic Sea and the High Coast constitute a unique set of conditions for marine life. It should be noted that the marine part of the High Coast is highlighted as one of 15 Swedish marine sites in a project regarding evaluation of valuable marine areas in the Nordic countries. The project was conducted by the Environmental Protection Group under the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Environmental Affairs. A final report was published in 1996 (Tema Nord 1996:546). The area is also included on HELCOM's list of valuable marine areas in the Baltic Sea. The Västernorrland County Administrative Board is currently investigating the need for special protective measures to supplement the protection afforded by general legislation. Cultural Assets - Top The High Coast's culture-historical value and the possibility of nominating the area as a cultural landscape were assessed in connection with the area's nomination. The responsible authorities deemed that the area certainly had extremely great values associated with the culture-historical development but that these were foremost of national significance. This question has been subjected to further study as described below. - Cultural landscapes with prehistoric remains in situ exist generally in Scandinavia. The combination of the world's highest isostatic land uplift and the cultural landscape that reflects the effects of the land uplift makes the High Coast's cultural landscape particularly interesting. The fact that the highest shoreline is only 2-3 km from the present shoreline contributes to the existence of well-preserved shore bound remains from continuous human activity during 7,000 years are represented within a limited area. Within the area the frequency of prehistoric remains is remarkably high. - Knowledge of the traces of human activity in comparable area is exceedingly fragmentary. An analysis and assessment of the present level of knowledge of the High Coast is therefore that the area does not satisfy the criteria for cultural landscapes in the World Heritage Convention. Future research can result in a change in this status. - The cultural landscape illuminates the land uplift's effects and the description of the cultural landscape thereby serves as an important complement to the geological and biological descriptions The landscape, extraordinary natural phenomena - Top The High Coast is the only hilly area around the Baltic Sea. The islands and coastal area are wild and largely unsettled. Even the inner parts are unsettled with the exception of some valleys where agriculture is possible. The area's aesthetic values are well-known and attract both Swedish and international visitors. The unequalled geological phenomena contribute to the area's attraction. Biological assets on land- Top The High Coast exhibits a host of remarkable and interesting phenomena in its vegetation which, in whole or in part, can be linked to land uplift. - The assortment and distribution of soil types in the landscape resulting from the land's emergence from the sea is extremely perceptible in the High Coast. Thus, the full range of forest types, from the most poor to the richest, is concentrated in a limited area. Of the richer types there are similar stands only in the southernmost part of Sweden and on the Continent. The reasons for this are, in part, the favourable local climate and, in part, the assortment of soil types and deposits of shell resulting from the land uplift process. - Just as noteworthy is the occurrence of forest types on till above the highest shoreline. Forests of these types, which otherwise exist to a considerable extent above the highest shoreline far inland, are found in isolated pockets near the shore in the High Coast. - The High Coast area also contains a diversity of flora that is remarkable and which is directly related to the land uplift process. Examples of this are species bound to shell deposits, rocky land uplift shores, relic species at lakes and marches cut off from the sea as well as shoreline forests with age zones affected by the land uplift. - For topographical, geological and climatological reasons the High Coast is a vegetation boundary area with a rare blend of southern species together with northern Boreal, western oceanic and eastern species. - The High Coast is also a notable meeting place for southern and alpine relic species from warmer and colder periods respectively. The southern species grow on the southern slopes of the hills and the alpine ones on the shaded northern slopes. Eco-labelling of the High Coast - Top One aspect of care of the High Coast's environment concerns preparations for an anticipated influx of tourists. With this in mind, a project is underway to eco-label the entire area and the enterprises operating in there. The project commenced in 1999 and is partially funded by the European Union. The objective is to: - strengthen tourism and the area as a whole by highlighting and preserving environmental and natural assets associated with tourism. - certify companies that participate in environmental training, produce an environmental strategy and satisfy demanding environmental requirements.