Why an action plan?

The cultural landscape that has been created on Vegaøyan due to the distinctive way of life with agriculture, fishing and eiderdown traditions is unique on a world scale. Vegaøyan is therefore the only World Heritage Site in Norway that has the cultural landscape as its value and main objective. Over the past 30 years, there have been drastic changes in settlement and activities in the islands , and it is at the last minute that one manages to safeguard these values. A care of the cultural landscape in the islands is dependent on viable agriculture in the buffer zone in Vega municipality and the marginal zone in neighboring municipalities. Today it is easier to use other available grazing land than the islands , and special contributions are therefore necessary to secure the cultural landscape in the World Heritage area.

Background to the plan

At a meeting in Oslo on November 27, 2006 with the State Secretaries of the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the two World Heritage Sites Vegaøyan World Heritage Site and Vestnorsk Fjordlandskap were asked to prepare a report on the challenges facing the World Heritage Sites.

The reports were completed in June 2007 and provided the basis for the subsequent allocation of funds via the state budget for cultural landscape management, eider farming and measures in the Vegaøyan World Heritage Area. The funds are allocated from the Ministry of the Environment to the Vegaøyan World Heritage Foundation. The total budget of the foundation is approximately NOK 5.2 million for 2023 and in accordance with guidelines from the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Norwegian Environment Agency, these areas of work are to be prioritized in the budget. In addition, Vega Municipality has NOK 2.1 million available to go to active farmers in the area who take animals out to pasture or engage in other management. With the establishment of local management of the protected areas, Vega Protected Area Board have access to funds for the management of the World Heritage area; both traditional haymaking and logging of sitka. For 2023 this was approximately 500,000 NOK.