Flow Country bid to become Unesco World Heritage Site is officially handed over
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A dossier outlining why the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland should become a World Heritage Site has been formally submitted to Unesco.
It marks a further step towards gaining international recognition for the protected area, which acts as a massive natural carbon store.
A copy of the 250-page dossier and accompanying draft management plan, which makes the in-depth case for designating the 190,000-hectare site as the world’s first peatland World Heritage Site, was hand-delivered in Westminster by Dr Steven Andrews, the Flow Country Partnership’s project coordinator.
He said: “A vast amount of work has gone into getting the nomination dossier prepared for delivery to Unesco in Paris and we are hugely grateful to both the UK government and also the Scottish Government for the support they have provided in helping us reach this important milestone.
“We look forward to continuing to work with them, as well as with the communities across the Flow Country, to bring the bid home successfully in the next 18 months.”
The document was received at parliament by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, UK minister for arts and heritage at the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport, and then submitted formally to Unesco by Laura Davies, the UK’s ambassador to the Paris-based United Nations body.
Officials from Unesco will visit the region to inspect the site during this year, with a decision on whether the Flow Country will be granted the status announced in 2024.
Lord Parkinson said: "Scotland's stunning and ancient Flow Country landscape offers breathtaking views and is hugely important for protecting against climate change.
"It would be a worthy recipient of Unesco World Heritage Site status and the UK government is supporting the push for this international recognition to help ensure that the area is preserved for future generations."
If the bid succeeds, the Flow Country Unesco World Heritage Site will provide a wide range of benefits and ensure the continued protection and conservation of this unique landscape that stores some 400 million tonnes of carbon – more than double the amount stored in all of Britain’s woodlands.
Scotland’s minister for environment and land reform Mairi McAllan said: “The Flow Country achieving Unesco World Heritage Site status would help give us an international platform to promote the natural beauty of Scotland’s landscape – and the importance of restoring and protecting it.”
The Flow Country Partnership, a collaboration that includes Highland Council, NatureScot, RSPB Scotland, UHI and Wildland Limited, said the status would help create new economic and cultural opportunities for the area’s rural communities.
