IT is the huge, rolling expanse of wilderness in the north of Scotland that is being credited with making a major contribution in the fight against climate change.
The Flow Country, a peatland and wetland area which stretches across Caithness and Sutherland is the largest in Europe and an important store of greenhouse gases.
Now it has emerged that there is a crucial UK Government support for the area to join the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Grand Canyon in the USA, Machu Pichu in Peru and the Taj Mahal in India as a World Heritage Site.
The UK Government’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has given its backing to The Peatlands Partnership’s World Heritage Site Working Group to go ahead with developing the nomination of The Flow Country to UNESCO for World Heritage Site (WHS) status.
Those making the bid say it is regarded by many as being the "best blanket bog of its type in the world".
They say the precious peatland habitats of The Flow Country are not only important for nature and wildlife but provide a "vital defence" against the effects of climate change.
READ MORE: Herald View - Flow Country deserves special status
It comes seven months after the World Heritage Site Working Group submitted a technical evalutation of The Flow Country to the DCMS.
And the group say DCMS has given the UK Government’s support for The Flow Country being the UK's candidate for World Heritage Site status to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2023.
Without UK Government support, the bid would have been sunk.
The partnership says it now has a "clear timetable" to prepare and submit a full nomination to UNESCO, who will then determine whether or not The Flow Country meets the criteria for World Heritage Site status.
The designation is given to areas judged to be of "outstanding universal value".
Natural Environment Minister, Mairi Gougeon MSP said: “Scotland’s inspiring natural environment creates a powerful sense of belonging which helps define us as a nation. 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 494,210-acre (200,000ha) expanse of the Flow Country, more than twice the size of Orkney, includes peatbog, lochs and bog pools.
READ MORE: Scientific knowledge to rise from ashes of Flow Country fire
It is Europe’s biggest blanket bog and regarded as the best example of its kind in the world.
Up to 10 metres (33ft) deep, it holds an estimated 400 million tonnes of carbon, nearly twice as much as all the forests and woodlands in Great Britain.
Peatland Partnership’s Flow Country WHS Working Group chairman Frances Gunn said of the development: “This is wonderful news for the north, especially at these difficult times when good news stories are few and far between. It’s all really exciting and has taken such a great effort from everyone to get through to this stage.
"Whilst there’s still a lot of work to do, I am sure that a World Heritage Site will bring many benefits and help boost our fragile economy once we’ve re-opened for business after the current pandemic.”
The soggy terrain does not just have environmental value, it provides fresh water for streams that are home to otters and spawning salmon.
The bog attracts common scoter ducks – one of the few places they are found – while red-throated, black-throated divers, golden plover and greenshank come to nest. Raptors such as merlin, short-eared owls and golden eagles hunt over the moss and in its pools, frogs, snakes, shrews and dozens of species of insects thrive.
Nicola Sinclair, chairman of Highland Council’s Caithness committee, said: “This is a tremendous opportunity to acknowledge the value of the Flow Country and secure the wider recognition that it deserves.
"For those of us who live and work in Caithness and Sutherland, the Flow Country is a special part of our place, our history. I’m confident that not only can we secure World Heritage status, but that we can do so in a way that brings benefits to both the habitat and surrounding communities, for our future.”
The Flow Country World Heritage Site Working Group have been working to convince the UK Government that the Flow Country is the best of the candidate sites that were on a tentative list to qualify for consideration as World Heritage sites. But it accepted last year that it could take a further two years before it will be accepted by UNESCO.
Geology 'rock star' Professor Iain Stewart was one of those who had thrown their weight behind the World Heritage Site bid. The BBC presenter and Scots geologist joined those who believed the World Heritage Site designation would provide "legacy" protection to ensure current efforts to protect peatland all over Scotland are not ruined.
Scottish Natural Heritage chief executive Francesca Osowska, also welcomed the latest announcement saying: "The many benefits a World Heritage Site would bring to the Highlands could play a key role in the green economic recovery we will all be striving for as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic."
It is felt that the designation will help to protect peatland restoration work. The Scottish government said last year it would put an extra £11m in funding to restore degraded areas of peatland in addition to the £3m awarded.
Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland added: "I know everyone involved in the application has worked so hard, and the Partnership should be very proud of their achievement.”
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