Heritage call for the Flow Country
Submitted by PaulM on Tuesday, 23 December 2003 Page Views: 2081
EnvironmentThe scenic peatlands of the Flow Country should have its international status reconsidered, according to environmentalists. The Scottish Green Party has renewed calls for the vast swathe of Caithness and Sutherland blanket bog to be made a World Heritage Site.The area was put forward in 1999 but only achieved a tentative listing.
Now the Greens are to lodge a motion in the Scottish Parliament urging an application to be put forward again.
Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, Eleanor Scott, said: "The Flow Country is the largest blanket bog in the world and deserves not just national protection, but also international recognition.
I am concerned that the Scottish Executive is not taking climate change at all seriously
"We are only just starting to understand how vital bogs are in stabilising the earth's climate, and this makes it doubly important to achieve the highest possible level of protection for this national treasure."
Dr Scott was spending Monday with staff at the Forsinard Reserve, learning about the history of the Flow Country and the damage that was done to it during the 1970s and 1980s as a result of afforestation.
She also highlighted the work of the Life Peatlands Project, which aims to restore the bog to a more natural condition, by cutting down the trees and blocking drainage ditches.
"I am concerned that the Scottish Executive is not taking climate change at all seriously," she said.
"Jack McConnell's government seems to be mostly interested in satisfying business travellers' demands for air travel, without thinking about the environmental impacts of this policy."
Dr Scott said she believed there was a strong case for the World Heritage Site nomination in light of the growing appreciation of the role that the bog plays as a carbon sink and the importance of the ecological restoration work that is taking place there.
Scotland's four current Unesco World Heritage sites are Edinburgh's Old and New Towns, St Kilda in the Western Isles, New Lanark, South Lanarkshire and parts of Neolithic Orkney.
Source: BBC On-line
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.