The peatlands of the “Flow Country” in the north of Scotland was awarded World Heritage status at the end of July for its incredible unique ecosystem. This makes it the first peatland in the world to be included on the World Heritage List, alongside nature reserves such as the Serengeti, Galapagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. I have been able to live and work in this area for a number of years and it is fantastic that there is now global recognition of the importance of this peatland and that it can hopefully be protected even better in this way! 

Jasmijn Sybenga 

The Flow Country is the most expansive and best example of blanket bog in the world. It is estimated to store around 400 million tonnes of carbon, which is more than all the forests and woodlands in the United Kingdom combined. If the peat remains undamaged, this carbon is captured and stored and the growth of new peat, or the restoration of peatlands, ensures that more carbon is captured and therefore not released into the atmosphere. This is of enormous importance for the fight against climate change. It is also an internationally important site for wildlife, including breeding birds such as the red-throated diver, golden plover and green sandpiper. Beside aiding to environmental and nature conservation, it is predicted to benefit local (depleting) rural communities in the north of Scotland with a wide range of social, cultural and economic benefits.

I am very proud to have worked here for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), where I worked on the restoration of this beautiful nature reserve and where I spent four years doing my PhD research with UHI on the development of natural forests and peatlands over the past 10,000 years. I am immensely proud of everyone who made it possible for this special place to gain the status it deserves.  Now the whole world can appreciate this beautiful nature area.

This is the third blog about peatlants

Read also my blogs

Pealands blog 2: Power2Peatlands

Peatlands blog 1 -“We know the surface of the moon better than we know peatlands