Governance Decision-Making Tool

---

Types of Designation

---

What are the costs associated with becoming a designated area?

There are, of course, costs associated with both gaining and maintaining designations for an area, both financial and non-financial. For any area, it is important to assess these potential costs against the potential benefits that a new designation would bring.

Partners in the SHAPE project reported carrying out considerable work in raising and maintaining awareness of the area and its designation/s to potential visitors, facilitating governance (for example, on the board or steering group), and keeping stakeholders engaged and cooperating with one another. In terms of human resources, most of these areas employ at least one member of staff in a “coordinator” (or similar) role, while some also employ additional staff. Partners often, however, also pointed to a considerable reliance on the energy and commitment of volunteers.