Efforts are under way to have a part of the Border region traditionally associated with the Troubles put on the international map by Unesco because of its outstanding and untapped natural environment.
A study on the possibility of creating a Unesco-designated geopark stretching from Carlingford Lough inland to Slieve Gullion and from the Mourne mountains down to Dundalk bay is being funded by the respective local authorities.
If Unesco granted the designation it would highlight the regions geological and environmental assets, and take the emphasis away from its political and social history.
Geoparks are areas with significant geological heritage, coherent management structures and a sustainable economic development strategy.
Two of the 53 Unesco-recognised geoparks in the world are in Ireland; the Copper Coast in Co Waterford and the Marble Arch caves and Cuilcagh Mountain Park in Co Fermanagh.
The latest initiative could result in the first trans-Border geopark.
According to Louth county manager Conn Murray "there is tremendous potential to further develop sustainable tourism in the east Border region, and there are tremendous natural assets in this area which we must protect and present in an imaginative way".
He has committed Louth County Council and Dundalk Town Council to working with their counterparts at Newry and Mourne District Council to advance the geopark initiative.
"While each of us has clear remits and operates under different legislative regimes, there is a growing level of contact and co-operation between our local authorities on issues of mutual interest and concern.
The suggestion of a geopark was first muted last year in a report examining the possibility of creating a twin-city region around Dundalk and Newry.
It said the region and its mountains were a "natural place to begin a debate on cross-jurisdictional co-operation as they represent a resource of significant economic value to the region".