North Highland
Peatlands of Caithness & Sutherland
Peatlands are one of Britain’s most undervalued and least understood habitats, yet they are one for which Britain holds great international responsibility.
In particular, because of the British climate, a special kind of peatland - called ‘blanket bog’ - has developed. Caithness and Sutherland have one of the largest and most intact areas of blanket bog in the world, supporting a distinctive wildlife community. These peatlands are a fascinating living system, but they are delicately balanced. The smallest of changes in conditions can destroy them.
- How large are the peatlands of Caithness & Sutherland?
- Why is there so much peatland in Caithness & Sutherland?
- Isn't this peatland all the same?
- Isn't there peatland all over the world?
- What plants grow there?
- What other wildlife is found on the peat bogs?
- Why is there now so much interest in these peatlands?
- Were there no forests here previously?
- How does modern commercial forestry affect the peatlands?
- Do other land uses affect the peatland?
- How are the peatlands being protected?
How large are the peatlands of Caithness
and Sutherland?
Most of the gently sloping hill ground is covered by a blanket
of peat. This is the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe, and covers
about 400,000 hectares (over 1500 square miles), or 52% of Caithness
and Sutherland.
Is this the same as the ‘Flow Country’?
The term ‘Flow Country’ has often been used to describe
only west Caithness and east Sutherland, where the landscape is flattest
and has the greatest concentration of pool systems. However, it is now
commonly applied to the entire area of peatland in the two Districts.
Why is there so much peatland in Caithness
and Sutherland?
The cool wet climate and the low rolling moorlands produce the waterlogged
conditions necessary for peat to form. This waterlogging stops plant
remains from decomposing. Over the centuries these plant remains build
up to form peat. For peat formation to continue there has to be a healthy,
actively growing bog plant community.Peat is still forming in many areas
of Caithness and Sutherland, a process which has been continuing in
some places for up to 6000 years. This is therefore one of the most
ancient and near-natural landscapes in Britain, whose entire history
is stored in the peat.
Isn’t this peatland all the same?
Although it may all look similar at first glance, there is in fact a
range of peatland types due to differences in local climate and landform
from west to east
In
the west the higher rainfall encourages purple moor grass and bog myrtle,
whereas in the drier east these plants only grow in damper parts. Heather
and bearberry are more common in the drier conditions. On the flattest
areas of peat - which can be up to six metres deep - there may be rounded
or irregularly shaped pools in a variety of intricate patterns. Connecting
these areas of ‘patterned bog’ are wide stretches of peatland
without pools, often associated with burns or steep slopes, or where
the peat is shallower.These differences provide a range of habitats
for the animals found on the peatlands. Any one species may use different
parts of the peatland for differing purposes. Many birds nest on drier
ground, but feed around the pools (‘dubh lochans’).
Isn’t there peatlands all over the
world?
Yes, but the treeless landscapes of blanket bogs are almost exclusively
limited to cool ocean seaboards, such as the extreme south of South
America (Tierra del Fuego and the Falklands), Newfoundland, Alaska and
New Zealand.Over one tenth of the world’s blanket bog is found
in Britain. Many of these areas are no longer forming peat, because
their surface vegetation has been damaged by drainage, agricultural
reclamation, peat extraction, forestry or air pollution. This makes
the bogs in Caithness and Sutherland of great international importance
- indeed the area may be recommended for World Heritage Status.
What plants grow there?
The most important plants on the peatlands are the sphagnum mosses.
These are the main powerhouse of the bog. They keep the surface moist
even in periods of severe drought, and also form acids which help prevent
the decay of plant remains. The remains of the mosses themselves make
up a large part of the peat.On the hummocks grow heather, bog cotton,
round-leaved sundew and occasionally dwarf birch. The ridges have cranberry,
cross-leaved heath, deep hair grass, the yellow bog asphodel, and a
different kind of sundew. Shallow pools have yet another sundew, along
with spike rush, bog sedge, and the spectacular bogbean. In the deepest
pools the unusual bladderwort is found.Plants of the peat bogs are cut
off from mineral soil, and so must either get their nutrients from rainwater,
or in the case of sundews, butterworts and the bladderworts, by trapping
insects and other invertebrates.
What other wildlife is found on the peat
bogs?
Greenshank, dunlin and golden plover arrive in the springtime to breed
on the peatlands. Arctic skuas soar over the area, whilst red and black-throated
divers, greylag geese, wigeon, teal and common scoter nest on and around
the lochs. Hen harrier, merlin and short-eared owl nest and hunt on
the bogs. 66% of the European Community’s greenshank breed here,
as do 35% of its dunlin and 17% of its golden plover. Overall, the area
holds considerable proportions of the EC’s breeding population
of several waders, waterfowl and birds of prey.Other animals which use
the peatlands include otter, red deer, roe deer, mountain hare, wildcat,
frog, adder, toad and newt. Insects are important too - several scarce
dragonflies occur here - and they are the main food supply for the waders
and wildfowl.
Why is there now so much interest in these
peatlands?
Extensive research has highlighted the small amount of blanket bog in
the world, whilst surveys by SNH have shown how varied and little damaged
are the Caithness and Sutherland peatlands. At the same time local expansion
of the forestry industry has resulted in some areas of peatland being
ploughed and planted with conifers.
Were there no forests here previously?
Following the last ice age some 10,000 years ago, an improving climate
led to sparse tree cover over much of Caithness and Sutherland. Peat
began to form in areas with poor drainage and, as soils deteriorate,
peat forming vegetation gradually replaced the scrub woodland. About
4000 years ago the climate became drier for a while and pine colonised
the bog surfaces. When the climate again became more moist and cool,
these trees died out as further peat bog development overwhelmed them.
Stumps of Scots pine which are occasionally found in ditches and erosion
gullies bear witness to this time. Any natural woodland remaining was
limited mostly to the lower straths and bordering watercourses.
How does modern commercial forestry affect
the peatlands?
Trees will only grow on a peat bog if it is drained and fertilised.
This has the effect of lowering the water level and changing the vegetation.
Peat formation is halted. Woodland birds which eventually colonise the
forest are already common and widespread, and in no way make up for
the moorland birds they replace. Ploughing can also cause rivers to
silt up, thus destroying the spawning beds of fish, whilst acidification
and fertilisers can harmfully affect freshwater plants and animals.However,
prudent management and extension of native woodland on land adjacent
to peat bogs can enhance the interest of the area and increase its value
both commercially and for nature conservation.
Do other land uses affect the peatland?
Commercial peat extraction involves the destruction of the surface vegetation
and removal of the peat deposit. However, crofting, farming, stalking
and fishing usually exist in harmony with the peat bogs and their wildlife.
Even grazing, controlled burning and domestic peat-cutting need have
only a limited and localised effect.These traditional land uses provide
jobs and so support the local community and help maintain the ‘Flow
Country’ landscape. For the future, wildlife tourism is one aspect
which offers potential for expansion.
How are the peatlands being protected?
Following advice from central Government and a report on land use strategy
by Highland Regional Council, large areas of high quality peatland are
being notified by SNH as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
A scheme introduced by SNH in May 1992 offers payment to crofters, farmers
and owners of land within these SSSIs in return for management practices
designed to improve their natural heritage value. With sympathetic land
use this ancient landscape and its wildlife should now survive for the
inspiration and education of future generations.
