World Heritage UK 2022 Annual Conference
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Read moreFlow Country
The proposed Flow Country World Heritage Site represents the most complete and extensive example of an intact and natural blanket bog ecosystem globally.
Scotland
Flow Country
Blanket bog is a specific and rare form of peatland and the proposed Flow Country WHS lies at the heart of one of the largest areas of blanket bog in the world and demonstrates an exceptional example of this ecosystem. Peatlands are unique habitats that support assemblages of highly specialised species, making an important contribution to biodiversity.
Furthermore, peatlands are the most efficient terrestrial carbon store globally: despite covering only 3% of the landmass, they store around 600Gt of carbon; greater than the carbon held in all the world’s forests. Although peatlands are found around the oceanic margins of the cool temperate zones of the northern and southern hemispheres, the British Isles is the global ’type location’ for the blanket bog, having been described in detail here first.
Official websiteDid you know..?
“The Flow Country” is an area of deep peat, dotted with bog pools, that forms the heart of the Caithness and Sutherland peatlands. Covering about 200,000 hectares, it’s more than twice the size of Orkney – https://www.theflowcountry.org.uk/
Blanket bog only forms in cool places with plenty of rain. The few plants that can grow here don’t rot away but build up to form deep layers of peat. – https://www.theflowcountry.org.uk/
The Flow Country’s bogs have been growing for over 10,000 years, ever since the glaciers melted away at the end of the last Ice Age, and the peat is now up to 10 metres deep. – https://www.theflowcountry.org.uk/
Stats
Location: Caithness and Sutherland, Scotland
Country: United Kingdom
Year of Inscription: n/a
UNESCO Criteria: (ix), (x)
Contact information:
For more information about Flow Country, visit the website