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School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences (ARES) win contract with the Highland Council in Scotland

Lecturer in Environmental Sciences Guaduneth Chico and his team have secured a new contract with the Highland Council in Scotland to conduct a report to support the nomination of The Flow Country as the next UNESCO World Heritage Site in the UK.

Scottish highlands

This new contract will provide a comparative study at a European and global scale of blanket bogs, a type of peatland, which have a key role in the carbon cycle, as carbon storage and carbon sink. This comparative study will support the nomination of The Flow Country (Scotland), as the first wholly natural World Heritage Site in Scotland and will act as the world’s first peatland World Heritage Site.

We spoke to team leader Guaduneth Chico to find out more about the project, and NTU’s involvement.

“Our team at ARES were invited by the Highlands Council to propose a strategy and a methodological proposal to do this comparative study. Our team made an official proposal that was successful and approved by the Highland Council,” Guaduneth told us.

“I will be leading the team at ARES to produce a report comparing blanket bogs at global and European scale to support the uniqueness and singularity of The Flow Country,” he went on to explain.

The project will be divided into 5 main sections to enable the team to explore the importance of the blanket bog research in The Flow Country. This research will highlight the importance of this habitat and their preservation status in comparison with other blanket bogs across Europe. Finally, it will provide research to compare The Flow Country with other blanket bogs across the world, and how the Scottish blanket bogs are more singular in comparison with similar habitats across the globe.

“The project will be led by myself, with the collaboration of Dr Ben Clutterbuck and Dr Esther Kettel. We will also have the support of the Highland Council and the specific working group who are currently working on the nomination,” he went on to say.

Find out more about The Flow Country World Heritage Site bid here - https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/13550/momentum_builds_behind_flow_country_world_heritage_site_bid

Published on 24 May 2021
  • Category: Staff; School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences
  • Location: Brackenhurst Campus