A judging panel in Zurich, Switzerland, will whittle down 77 qualifiers to just 28 finalists.

Local businessman Willie Cameron, of Loch Ness Marketing, is confident the world famous home of Nessie will win through.

"Its status as a place of great natural beauty and scientific interest exists without the monster myth and legend. It must be well up there and in with a big shout to reach the top seven," said Willie.

The New7Wonders of Nature campaign is based on over 100 million votes cast worldwide for the 261 natural sites in the election's second voting phase that ended on July 7.

Loch Ness will be judged alongside many world famous sites such as the River Amazon, the Grand Canyon in the United States, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Uluru or Ayers Rock in Australia.

Following the same process used for the man-made official New 7 Wonders of the World campaign, the New7Wonders panel will anonymously choose the 28 finalists from the eligible nominees, to be announced in Zurich this Tuesday.

To make their selection, the panel will consider the beauty of the nominated sites, diversification across the different categories – which include landscapes, seascapes, ice formations, forests, national parks and nature reserves – their ecological significance and their geographical location.

Loch Ness is one of 77 areas across the world hoping to be named one of the new seven natural wonders of the world

Founder and president of New7Wonders, Bernard Weber, said: "Unlike the campaign that chose the Official New 7 Wonders of the World, in which a majority of the participating monuments were universally known and recognized, there are many spectacular sites in the Official New7Wonders of Nature Top 77 that are not well-known outside their country or region."

Willie Cameron believes Loch Ness, which attracts one million visitors a year and contributes over £25 million to the local economy, will be a "very strong contender" because its geographical and geological status is unique.

"The loch forms part of the Great Glen fault line which is over 400 million years old," he said. "It's over 750 feet deep and lies well below the sea level in the North Sea. It was heavily glaciated 11,000 years ago and in modern terms it is habitat to a tremendous range of fauna and wildlife.

"None of the other nominees has a legacy we know as the Loch Ness Monster. Whatever it is, it is unexplainable and that is unique. But it should be a serious contender on its natural history and beauty alone."

d.wilson@highland-news.co.uk

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---