Flow Country to feature at COP26 Blue Zone today
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The unique environment of the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland will be highlighted in the Blue Zone at COP26 this morning.
Joe Perry from Highland Council's climate change team will be speaking at the multi-level pavilion in the Blue Zone at COP26 at an event called “The Flows and the Future: Scotland’s Unique Contribution to Saving the Climate and Nature".
The event, which will be moderated by NatureScot CEO Francesca Osowka, will feature presentations and then a panel discussion on the importance of the blanket bog environments and the biodiversity they sustain, followed by questions and answers.
At the same time, members of Highland Council's Caithness committee will also be discussing the progress being made on the Flow Country's World Heritage Site nomination.
The bid process is being supported by project officer Dr Steven Andrews, whose post is co-funded by NatureScot, RSPB, Wildland Ltd and Highland Council.
He will update members of the committee on the work undertaken to prepare a detailed dossier and management plan which will ultimately be submitted to Unesco towards the end of next year. The dossier will highlight the Flow Country’s outstanding universal value; a justification of its global significance; its state of conservation; the protective and management measures in place and what monitoring will be undertaken to ensure it continues to be a resource for future generations to draw upon.
The committee will hear that significant progress has been made on defining a draft boundary, which is key in the description of the site. This is now complete and undergoing a peer review and will form the backbone of consultation in the coming months.
Alongside work on the boundary, a workshop, engaging with leading experts, has helped further define the attributes that the site can be nominated for, including its role in the sequestration and storage of carbon.
Consultation undertaken during the technical evaluation indicated broad local support for the project, a report to councillors states.
Further consultation will take place with maildrops, online forums and drop-in sessions planned.
The World Heritage Site bid will be the subject of further presentations at COP26 on Saturday.
