The Highlands of Scotland are characterised by sustainability challenges common to other rural areas of Europe. These include depopulation, loss of public services, shortage of affordable housing and environmental degradation. The Highlands have also experienced a huge increase in tourism over the last 20 years. While providing economic benefit and development opportunities, the distribution of positive and negative impacts of tourism on communities are unequal with many communities experiencing overcrowding and reduced access to housing.

This study considered how sustainable development in the north-west Highlands of Scotland has been influenced by changing tourism patterns, and how this relationship is mediated by the unique and complex cultural heritage of the region. Place-based interviews and workshops with local communities revealed the multiplicity of their relationships to their landscapes through diverse and plural cultural narratives. The research highlighted cultural heritage as a dynamic and evolving part of contemporary lives and identities, as well as representing traditions and practices of the past with narratives being particularly influenced by a sense of loss characterised by declining cultural practices. A cycle of decline and revival of small-scale food production or ‘crofting’ exemplifies the role of heritage practices in addressing contemporary challenges related to food production and societal connections to land.

As the region grapples with the challenges of an economy now dominated by tourism, this research highlights the need for managers and decision makers to support and regenerate cultural heritage practices that can form part of a more sustainable relationship with tourism, as well as enhancing land use and community development. The research was carried out in the UNESCO Wester Ross Biosphere which has a community led governance structure and a focus on integrating natural and cultural heritage. Effective community engagement and co-creation are emphasised as important processes to better connect cultural heritage with sustainable landscape management.