1 Overview
Stretching across the northernmost parts of mainland Scotland, The Flow Country is the most outstanding example of a blanket bog ecosystem in the world. This blanket peat and its intricate network of pools, hummocks and ridges covers some 190,000 ha of Caithness and Sutherland with the boundary comprising seven discrete, but adjacent areas.
The Flow Country has been accumulating peat for approximately 9,000 years. In places, The Flow Country’s peat reaches 8 meters deep. These deep layers of peat store an estimated 400 million tonnes of carbon, more than double that of all the forests and woodlands in the UK combined.
The rarity and quality of The Flow Country’s blanket bog ecosystem also make it an important natural habitat for biodiversity conservation. The diverse range of blanket bog features support an exceptional range of specialised blanket bog biodiversity and includes some species which are rare or threatened.
Location
Seven discrete areas making up 190,000 ha across Caithness and Sutherland
Contact
Email the Flow Country Partnership info@theflowcountry.org.uk.
2 Inscription and significance
The Flow Country is the most extensive and diverse example of an actively accumulating blanket bog landscape found globally.
While other World Heritage Sites contain peatlands, The Flow Country is the only World Heritage Site inscribed purely for its qualities as a peatland ecosystem. Inscribed in July 2024, it is Scotland’s seventh World Heritage Site and the first inscribed only under natural criteria.
As the first peatland World Heritage Site, The Flow Country draws attention to the importance of peatlands both in terms of wildlife conservation and their role in carbon sequestration. Globally, peatlands are significant carbon sinks; despite covering only 3% of the world’s land area, they hold nearly 30% of all the carbon stored on land.
These habitats have historically been undervalued and are still subject to widespread degradation.
Damaged peatlands release stored carbon back into the atmosphere, but healthy peatlands will sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Protecting and restoring peatlands is essential to reduce the impact of climate change.
3 Visit The Flow Country
The Flow Country is a very large area in Caithness and Sutherland with lots of walks and places to visit.
A good starting point is the RSPB reserve Forsinard Flows, where there is a boardwalk trail across the peat bog, a lookout tower which offers great views over the bog and its characteristic pools, and a small visitor centre.
Please visit The Flow Country website for more information and other places to visit.
4 Management of the Flow Country
The Flow Country is chiefly managed by the Flow Country Partnership, a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), and a partnership-based Steering Group with representatives from various stakeholders including:
Statement of Outstanding Universal Value and Management Plan
Each World Heritage Site has a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, which:
- clearly states the reasons for the site’s inscription on the World Heritage List
- identifies what must be protected, conserved and managed to protect its Outstanding Universal Value for the long term
UNESCO also requires each site to have a management plan. This provides a shared framework for a site’s active:
- conservation
- management
- enhancement
Find out more and download the Management Plan from The Flow Country website. This will soon be updated to reflect the site’s recent inscription. This document also includes The Flow Country’s Statement of Outstanding Universal Value.