Flow Country World Heritage Bid enters new phase with submission delivery to UNESCO
The campaign to secure World Heritage Site status for Scotland’s Flow Country has entered a new phase with the submission of the formal nomination dossier to UNESCO.
The bid for World Heritage Site status has been a long process, the Flow Country was first added to the UNESCO tentative list in 2012! Since then, there have been several stages, including technical evaluations, draft management plans and community consultations. The majority of this process has been overseen by the Flow Country Partnership, a collaboration of organisations and charities which includes RSPB Scotland, Highland Council, NatureScot and the University of Highlands and Islands.
The most recent step in this process involved the submission of the formal nomination dossier to UNESCO by the UK government. Dr Steven Andrews who coordinates the project, handed the dossier to Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, UK Minister for Arts and Heritage, at parliament. Laura Davies, the UK’s Ambassador to the Paris-based United Nations body, then submitted the documents to UNESCO. Throughout 2023, we are ready to host inspection visits by UNESCO delegates who will then make a decision on whether to aware the Flow Country World Heritage Site status next year.
If the bid succeeds, the Flow Country World Heritage Site would join the likes of The Grand Canyon and The Great Barrier Reef, becoming Scotland’s 7th World Heritage Site. Achieving this would provide a range of benefits, both to the environment and people of the Flows. As well as ensuring the continued protection and restoration of this very special blanket bog habitat, conservation of the rare species and creation of new economic, education and cultural opportunities for rural communities.
