THE largest peatland and wetland area in Europe has received support in efforts to win the same global status as Machu Pichu and the Great Barrier Reef.
The Flow Country, which stretches across Caithness and Sutherland, is an important store of greenhouse gases.
Now Westminster’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has given support to The Peatlands Partnership’s World Heritage Site Working Group to push ahead with developing the nomination of the land to Unesco. If successful, The Flow Country will be given World Heritage Site status.
Those fronting the bid say the peatland habitats are important for wildlife and provide a “vital defence” against the impact of the climate crisis.
The UK Government gave the bid backing and made the peatlands the UK’s candidate for World Heritage Site status for 2023.
Such status is given to areas judged to be of “outstanding universal value”.
Mairi Gougeon, the Scottish Government’s natural environment minister, said Scotland’s environment “creates a powerful sense of belonging which helps define us as a nation”.
She went on: “I visited this amazing peatland myself last year and saw the local community’s support for the World Heritage Site application, so I want to congratulate the Peatlands Partnership on their success to date and wish them well in their future nomination to Unesco.
"This is indeed great news not just for Caithness and Sutherland but for all of Scotland. The Flow Country will be a great addition to the global list of World Heritage Sites. Not only will this be Scotland’s first purely ‘natural’ World Heritage Site but its inscription will also recognise the important role peatlands play in tackling the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.”
The Flow Country is regarded as the best example of a blanket bog in the world. It is up to 10 metres deep, holds about 400 million tonnes of carbon, and also provides fresh water for streams which are home to otters and spawning salmon.
Scoter ducks can be found at the bog, as well as red-throated, black-throated divers, golden plover and greenshank. Merlin, short-eared owls and golden eagles use the land to hunt for frogs, snakes, shrews and other insects.
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