The Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust was established in May 2002 as a partnership body with the responsibility of promoting and enhancing the unique qualities of the Causeway Coast and Glens area. Within the Trust’s boundary, which encompasses an area of more than 3400 km², there exists a wide variety of scenic landscapes, important wildlife resources and a rich cultural heritage.
Important in their own right these resources also contribute to the area’s significance as an increasingly popular tourist destination. With this in mind the Trust is determined to promote environmental management which will protect the unique heritage of the Causeway Coast and Glens area. It aims to promote a sustainable tourism/development industry for the benefit of visitors and the people who live and work here. The Trust arose from the work of the Causeway Initiative which brought together a range of different organisations including landowners, local Councils and the farming, tourism, education, environment and community sectors, in effect, all those interested in the promotion of sustainable development within the Causeway Coast and Glens area. As part of this work, the Initiative commissioned a ‘visitor and environmental management strategy’ which recommended the formation of a permanent Trust in order to promote visitor and environmental management and sustainable tourism in the area. The Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust (CCGHT) consists of a Board of 14 Directors, 6 Council officers with tourism and countryside management expertise and 4 observers from the tourism and environment sectors. The Trust provides a secretariat service for the Antrim Coast & Glens AONB, Binevenagh AONB, the Causeway Coast AONB management forums and the Sustainable Tourism Forum. The Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust is a member of the Europarc Federation, the National Association of AONBs, NICVA, NIPAN and the NI Environment Link. The five objectives which constitute the Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust’s Business Strategy are:
- To develop sustainable and effective partnerships
- To raise awareness of the unique and special qualities/character, in both landscape and heritage terms (natural, built and cultural) of the 3 AONBs and their surrounding area
- To deliver an excellent protected area management provision for the CCGHT geographical area
- To ensure best practice in sustainable development principles throughout the CCGHT geographical area
- To deliver a sustainable, efficient and effective core activity/management for CCGHT
(10 Year Anniversary video was produced by the NRC Media Department in Ballymoney).