The red carpet will be rolled out across Scotland next week for one of the UK’s wildest living landscapes and all its fantastically boggy inhabitants.
The inspirational Flow Country, spanning Caithness and Sutherland, is the only World Heritage Site inscribed by UNESCO specifically for its peatlands and home to the largest blanket peat bog in Europe.
An important wildlife habitat storing 400 million tonnes of carbon – more than double the amount in all of Britain’s woodlands – it is vital for both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
To mark the prestigious recognition, events in Inverness on 28 January and Glasgow at Celtic Connections on 2 February will offer a unique opportunity to see an immersive cinematic and musical experience. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra will perform a world premiere live score alongside a triptych showing of the film When Fish Begin to Crawl, featuring the people of the Flow Country. Bafta-winning Morag McKinnon and Jim Sutherland’s film celebrates the mystery of the beginning of life on earth, evolution, the explosion of biodiversity, and challenges us to face the current climate and nature crises with a message of hope.
The remarkable ability of the Flow Country’s peatlands to store carbon is only possible if the bogs are kept in healthy condition, but huge areas are degraded and contributing to climate change, rather than reversing it.
As The Flow Country Partnership of NatureScot, RSPB Scotland and Highland Council work to futureproof this first mainland UK World Heritage Site inscribed for the global importance of its natural ecosystems, 2025 will see innovative projects spring to life.
The locally-led peatland restoration of the Flow Country Green Finance Initiative supported by Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS) funding will step up to the challenge of stopping nature loss by raising money to restore peatlands at scale, blending public and private finance. It aims to support community development goals, create high quality jobs, carbon investments, ecosystem services, and support circular business models.
Incoming Chair of The Flow Country Partnership, and Head of Operations, North for NatureScot, Graham Neville, said, “This premiere of When Fish Begin to Crawl connects the evolution of life, from the first creatures stepping onto land to the critical shifts we face today due to rising temperatures and human impact. It is a journey reflected in the narrative of The Flow Country itself.
“These events celebrate the Flow Country’s unique ecosystem, the stewardship of generations of farmers and crofters, and the impact of past damaging land use policies. But most importantly, they highlight the message of hope – that working together, we can protect and enhance these wonders of nature. This is crucial as we look to a sustainable future and community-led nature restoration that supports this special place and its people.”