The Flow Country Partnership has been working since 2012 to develop and put forward the case for World Heritage status and passed the UK Technical Evaluation stage in 2020.
In early 2023, and after many years of preparation, the blanket bog peatlands of The Flow Country were nominated to UNESCO to become a World Heritage Site. This means that if UNESCO decide to inscribe the site onto the World Heritage List The Flow Country would be seen globally as important as the Great Barrier Reef, the Serengeti, the Okavango Delta and the other 160+ World Heritage Sites inscribed on the World Heritage List for their outstanding natural values.
The Nomination process has involved a lot of work preparing a large and detailed dossier on The Flow Country proposed WHS, a draft management plan, and much else besides. The Nomination was submitted to UNESCO in January 2023 and IUCN assessed it on their behalf, including a week-long visit to The Flow Country in August 2023. Work has continued apace in the interim between IUCN assessment and UNESCO determination on the many aspects required to take a WHS forward.
Next Steps
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee are assessing The Flow Country bid in the last week of July 2024 and we currently await their decision to inscribe The Flow Country onto the World Heritage List.
If The Flow Country is inscribed, work then begins on assembling the team of people to operate and manage the WHS.
