The Flow Country

The Flow Country

Located in the Highland Region of Scotland, the flow country is considered the most outstanding example of an actively accumulating blanket bog landscape. Has been accumulating for the past 9,000 years, this peatland ecosystem provides a diversity of habitats home to a distinct combination of bird species. Also, it displays a remarkable diversity of features which are not found anywhere else on Earth. Apart from this, it plays an crucial role in storing carbon. The Flow Country has an extensive record of peatland accumulation, with peat thicknesses which reach over eight metres. Ongoing peat-forming ecological processes continue to sequester carbon on a very large scale. Regarded as the type-locality for description of blanket bog, it represents a significant research and educational resource. In 2015, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and its partners created a 3D model for Flow Country's blanket bog to help people better understand Europe's biggest blanket bog. Plus, the Flow Country Organisation releases a game called Carbon Capture so as to let the public understand how to manage a peatland site for its natural properties to help reduce global warming, while causing minimal disturbance to the wildlife. Both actions contribute to the SDG 13 Climate Action. One of the targets of this goal is to improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. Through this digitalisation of the flow country, it could raise public awareness of climate change.

is51102025

Qianqian Zhang

Site

1461

01/04/2025

cm x cm x cm

current,58° 24′ 0″ N, -3° 42′ 0″ W;

The Flow Country

TEXT

Building

3890

public

1

qz48@st-andrews.ac.uk