‘A tremendous feeling’: We’ve now got a World Heritage Site on our doorstep
An exciting future is in store for Caithness and Sutherland after the Flow Country peatlands were designated as a World Heritage Site on Friday.
The chief executive of tourism agency VisitScotland, Malcolm Roughead, said the status would help support so-called slow tourism in the far north, while keeping the interests of local communities as well as the environment at its heart.
Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner welcomed the news after watching the decision being announced via a live stream from Delhi in India.
Cllr Bremner, who is a councillor for Wick and East Caithness as well as a trustee of the Flow Country Partnership, said: “As a local member, to have a World Heritage Site right on our doorstep is a tremendous feeling.
“It has been a huge amount of work for lots of people and for a long time – long before I was elected – but it is something that I really wanted to be involved in. The Flow Country is part of our landscape in Caithness and Sutherland and stretches very nearly to the edge of the east coast, starting at the back door of where I live, the Hill of Oliclate.
“I’m delighted that the committee has agreed to add the Flow Country to the World Heritage List in recognition of its natural outstanding universal value.
“I know that today’s decision will be the culmination of many years of hard work by a wide range of stakeholders composing the Flow Country Partnership, working alongside the UK government and Scottish Government.
“More recently, following extensive community engagement and consultation and after passing the government’s technical evaluation stage in early 2020, the partnership submitted a full nomination package to Unesco in 2023, demonstrating why the Flow Country should become a World Heritage Site.
“This is another good news story for the far north and I’m looking forward to seeing the benefits that the status of the Flow Country as a World Heritage Site will bring to our area.”
Related news:
• Flow Country work recognised in Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards
The designation is expected to not only boost tourism in the area but also lead to the creation of green jobs including in landscape restoration and conservation.
The Flow Country covers around 4000 sq. km of peat bog which acts as a carbon store and supports a fragile ecosystem, as well as being a home for wildlife.
VisitScotland’s Mr Roughead said: “The Flow Country is a fascinating region of Scotland and a vital part of our natural environment, so it’s wonderful news that the area has achieved Unesco World Heritage Site status.
“World Heritage status acknowledges a place’s global value and its protection for the future and the Flow Country will join our already illustrious list of World Heritage Sites across Scotland.
“By working with our industry partners, we believe the Unesco designation for the Flow Country will support sustainable and responsible tourism across Caithness and Sutherland, with the interests of the local environment and communities at its heart.
“Slow tourism will be a key part of that activity, whereby visitors are encouraged to take their time to fully explore the area, act responsibly, and immerse themselves in the culture and natural environment.
“This marks the start of an exciting future for this special part of Caithness and Sutherland, and we hope it will further enhance our ambition for Scotland to become a sustainable tourism destination that benefits all.”
Professor Mike Robinson, non-executive director, culture at the UK National Commission for Unesco, said: “We are delighted that the Flow Country has been inscribed onto the Unesco World Heritage List in recognition of its Outstanding Universal Value.
“World Heritage status recognises the global importance of the Flow Country and its peat bogs, not only as an important ecosystem for wildlife but also, through their carbon storage, as a critical defence against the impact of climate change. In this sense, World Heritage and the protection afforded to it will contribute directly to sustainable development.”
