Caithness and Sutherland peatlands protected area extended after conifers removed
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Areas where conifers were planted in the Flow Country in the 1970s and 80s have been restored to such an extent that they have now been made part of an internationally important protected zone.
The protected area of the Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands has now been extended by 2446 ha (1.7 per cent) following a public consultation in 2022, creating a protected site area of 146,015 ha.
NatureScot said the peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland have some of the best areas of blanket bog in the world and are home to rare birds and plants. They are so valuable that they are covered by a number of different protected areas to conserve and enhance them.
Peatlands help to combat climate change by locking up carbon as peat continues to form. This can only happen in well-managed peatland, where the ground is wet and Sphagnum mosses can grow.
Some of these important peatlands were drained when conifer plantations were established in the 1970s and 1980s.
Bog restoration work removed conifers from some of the highest priority peatland areas, between 1996 and 2006, largely funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme.
This peatland restoration work has advanced enough that areas where restoration was started with EU LIFE funding have been added to the Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands protected area.
Sphagnum moss is now well established in these areas and rare birds such as greenshank have already returned. With continued good management, it is hoped that adding this land to the existing protected area will ensure further success for this peatland restoration work.
Most of these areas are within the Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve and are now owned by the RSPB, with smaller areas managed by Forestry and Land Scotland as part of the national forest estate and by private individuals.
The protected areas that have been extended are the Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands Special Area of Conservation (SAC); Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands Special Protection Area (SPA); and Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands Ramsar site.
In addition, 10 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) underpinning the above areas have been extended. These are Ben Griams SSSI; East Halladale SSSI; Forsinard Bogs SSSI; Loch Caluim Flows SSSI; Rumsdale Peatlands SSSI; Shielton Peatlands SSSI; Sletill Peatlands SSSI; Strathmore Peatlands SSSI; West Halladale SSSI; West Strathnaver SSSI.
