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The Peatlands Partnership
Caithness & Sutherland

Contacts

Scottish Natural Heritage
The Peatlands Partnership
John Henderson Chairman
The Peatlands Partnership Scrabster House
Scrabster Caithness
 KW14 7UN
 t: 01847 893601
e: j.henderson@sol.co.uk

Ian J Mitchell
Secretary
The Peatlands Partnership
per Scottish Natural Heritage
The Links
Golspie Business Park
Golspie
Sutherland
KW10 6UB
t: 01408 634063 e: peatlands_partnership@snh.gov.uk w: http//www.snh.gov.uk 

Davie Black
Conservation Co-ordinator
Plantlife Scotland
Balallan House
Allan Park
Stirling FK8 2QG
 t: 01786 469778
e: davie.black@plantlife.org.uk
w: http://www.plantlife.org.uk

Caroline Eccles
Project Development Manager Flow to the Future
c/o RSPB Scotland
North Scotland Regional Office Etive House
Beechwood Park
Inverness IV2 3B
 t: 01463 715000
e: caroline.eccles@rspb.org.uk

Stuart Gibb Director, Environmental Research Institute North Highland College
UHI,
Ormlie Road, Thurso, Caithness, KW14 7EE
t: 01847 889 581/661
e: stuart.gibb@uhi.ac.uk
w: http://www.eri.ac.uk


Pete Mayhew
Senior Conservation Manager (North Scotland) RSPB
North Scotland Regional Office
Etive House
Beechwood Park
Inverness
 IV2 3BW
t: 01463 715000 e: pete.mayhew@rspb.org.uk
w: http://www.rspb.org.uk

Neil McInnes
Environmental Manager
Forestry Commission Scotland North Highland Forest District
The Links
Golspie Business Park
Golspie
Sutherland
KW10 6UB t: 01408 634063
e:neil.mcinnes@forestry.gsi.gov.uk w: http://www.forestry.gov.uk

Norrie Russell
Senior Site Manager
RSPB
Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve Forsinard
Sutherland
KW13 6YT
t: 01641 571225 e: norrie.russell@rspb.org.uk
w: http://www.rspb.org.uk

Nicole Wallace
Environment Manager
The Highland Council
Glenurquhart Road
Inverness
IV3 5NX
 t: 01463 702274
e: nicole.wallace@highland.gov.uk w: http://www.highland.gov.uk

Malcolm Wield
Environment and Social Forestry Manager
Forestry Commission Scotland Highland and Islands Conservancy 'Woodlands',
Fodderty Way,
Dingwall, Ross-shire,
IV15 9XB t: 01349 862144
e:malcolm.wield@forestry.gsi.gov.uk w: http://www.forestry.gov.uk



The Peatlands Partnership includes Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission (Scotland), Highland Council, RSPB Scotland, Plantlife International and The Environmental Research Institute. It liaises with local community groups, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate and the North Sutherland Community Forest Trust. It is independently chaired by John Henderson of Scrabster Farm, Caithness.

The Peatlands Partnership was formed at the end of 2006 following the completion of the LIFE Peatlands Project and aims to develop and build on that project. The Partnership comprises 'core' organisations, together with other interested organisation and individuals, who will carry out and help fund the objectives set out in the Management Strategy document, 'The Peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland'.

DID YOU KNOW? FLOW COUNTRY FACTS The Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland is part of a vast expanse of blanket bog. It is widely recognised as the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe. Blanket bog habitat covers approximately 400,000 hectares, 50% of the total area of Caithness and Sutherland. The area we now call ‘The Flow Country’, with its deep peat and typical patterned pools, etc., covers about 200,000 hectares. Peatlands are found in at least 175 countries and cover around 4 million km2 or 3% of the world’s land area. The UK is amongst the top ten nations of the world in terms of its total peatland area. The UK has between 9 -15% of Europe’s peatland area (46,000 -77,000 km2) and about 13% of the world’s blanket bog – one of the world’s rarest habitats. Underneath the living peatland surface of The Flow Country is an estimated 400 million tonnes of carbon. That’s more than twice the amount found in all of Britain’s forests combined. The carbon stored in Scotland’s soils (notably its peat and peaty soils) is equivalent to over 180 years of greenhouse gas emissions from Scotland at current emission rates.

The current activities of the Partnership include developing the Flow to the Future project, revision of the Peatlands Management Strategy and as a forum for discussing the possible listing of the Flow Country as a World Heritage Site. For details of these projects and the peatland related work of the partners, see the eNewsletters below.


22 September 08
Newsletter - Issue 2
(Pdf)
The second edition of the Peatlands Partnership Newsletter has some updates and several interesting articles including -
A Look At Developments At Forsinard by Norrie Russell
Looking Back To Look Forward by Dr. Althea Davies with details of her latest research project.
Wind Farms In Caithness & Sutherland by Andrew Coupar
Wind Farms On Blanket Bog by Andrew Coupar
Forsinain Trail Opening
Keeping the Bogs Healthy
by Norrie Russell
The Peatlands Project will soon have a new web site.  The Peatlands Project has been consulted about information to be on show at Caithness Horizons in the refurbished Thurso Town Hall

1 November 07
Newsletter - Issue 1 (Pdf)

The Peatlands Of
Caithness & Sutherland - Locations
A’Mhoine
Bad na Gallaig
Badanloch Bogs
Ben Griams
Ben Hutig
Ben Loyal
Blar nam Faoileag
Cnoc an Alaskie
Coir an Eoin
Coire na Beinne Mires
Druim na Coibe
Druim nam Bad
Dunbeath Peatlands
East Halladale
Forsinard Bogs
Grudie Peatlands
Knockfin Heights
Loch Caluim Flows
Loch Meadie Peatlands
Lochan Buidhe Mires
Lon a’Chuil
Mallart
Moss of Killiminster
Oliclett
Rumsdale Peatlands
Shielton Peatlands
Skelpick Peatlands
Skinsdale Peatlands
Sletill Peatlands
Strath an Loin
Strath Duchally
Strathmore Peatlands
Strathy Bogs
Stroupster Peatlands
Syre Peatlands
Truderscaig
West Borgie
West Halladale
West Strathnaver

The Caithness & Sutherland Peatlands are located across the northernmost parts of mainland Scotland. The Special Protection Area (SPA) contains a large proportion of these peatlands, which form one of the largest and most intact areas of blanket bog in the world. The peatlands include an exceptionally wide range of vegetation and surface pattern types (pool systems), some of which are unknown elsewhere. This range of structurally diverse peatland and freshwater habitats supports a wide variety of breeding birds including internationally important populations of raptors, wildfowl and waders.
From
'Peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland'.


Loch Meadie


Frozen Ponds


Golden Plover

Caithness Biodiversity Photo Collection