30 January 2020
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is encouraging people to celebrate World Wetlands Day on Sunday February 2 with a visit to one of Scotland’s wonderful wetland sites.
From the far north, through the central belt, to the Solway coast, Scotland is home to an internationally important range of these special places, including bogs, marshes, swamps, fens, springs and flushes, and wet heaths.
During the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020, SNH is highlighting the undiscovered beauty of our wetland habitats, as well as how crucial they are for the many services they provide.
In addition to being home to a great many birds, mammals, amphibians, insects and plants, our wetlands help to manage water levels and prevent floods, store large amounts of water which can keep rivers flowing during dry periods – all while filtering out pollutants.
Also important is their capacity to capture and store carbon, making wetlands a vital carbon sink and a nature-based solution to some of the effects of climate change.
SNH is working to protect and restore our vulnerable wetlands, making them more resilient to climate change and other threats, through projects such as PeatlandACTION and the Biodiversity Challenge Fund.
Deborah Spray, SNH Wetland Ecology Adviser, said: “Wetlands may not seem the most glamorous of habitats, but they are real undiscovered gems, wonderful places that are home to a huge range of wildlife and are so important for our ecosystems and society, from providing clean water to storing carbon.
“Above all our wetlands are fantastic places to explore, so why not visit your local site this World Wetlands Day to take in the natural beauty, spot wildlife and appreciate these special places and everything they do for us.”
Great examples of wetlands can be seen at National Nature Reserves (NNRs) across the country, including:
Insh Marshes (near Kingussie)
Covering 10 square kilometres of the River Spey floodplain, this RSPB reserve is said to be one of the most important wetland areas in Europe, supporting populations of breeding waders including curlew, lapwing, redshank and snipe.

Insh Marshes NNR, near aviemore. ©Lorne Gill. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot
Insh Marshes
Muir of Dinnet (near Aboyne)
Lying within the Cairngorms National Park, Muir of Dinnet NNR is a mosaic of wetlands, woods and moors and a great place for wildlife.
Bull rushes and willow carr at Muir of Dinnet NNR. ©Lorne Gill/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot
Muir of Dinnet
Loch Leven (near Kinross)
A huge expanse of open water, Loch Leven NNR provides an ideal home for countless birds. With more freshwater breeding ducks than anywhere else in inland Europe, and links to Mary Queen of Scots, it combines history and nature.

Lomond Hills and Loch Leven from bird hide.
©George Logan/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot
Flanders Moss (near Stirling)
Flanders Moss NNR is a vast expanse of all things damp and wonderful. As one of the largest remaining intact raised bogs in Britain, Flanders Moss is a wild and ancient landscape and worth a visit at any time of year.

Aerial view of Flanders Moss a raised bog.
©Lorne Gill/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot
Blawhorn Moss (near Blackridge, between Edinburgh & Glasgow)
An oasis of open windswept moors hidden in the lowlands, Blawhorn Moss NNR is a site full of secrets with more than 8,000 years of history locked into the peat layers of this raised bog.

Sculptures and raised walkway at Blawhorn Moss NNR.
©Lorne Gill/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot
Caerlaverock (near Dumfries)
Dramatic coastal scenery and a rich range of wildlife combine to make Caerlaverock NNR an outstanding wetland. Mudflats and saltmarsh – or merse – provide a winter feast for birds such as barnacle geese, bar-tailed godwit and knot.
Mudflats and creeks on the River Nith Estuary, Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. September 2012.
©Lorne Gill/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot
Moine Mhor (near Kilmartin)
Moine Mhor NNR is a wild landscape of hummocks, hollows and pools, where glistening dragonflies dance and graceful hen harriers hunt. This ‘Great Moss’ forms the wild heartland of Kilmartin Glen.

Moine Mhor NNR
©Lorne Gill/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot
Forsinard Flows (near Thurso)
Forsinard Flows is part of a vast expanse of blanket bog, sheltered straths and mountains known as the Flow Country. The Flow Country is one of Scotland's most important natural treasures and the RSPB looks after more than 21,000 hectares of it.

Viewing tower at Dubh lochans on the blanket bog at Forsinard Flows National Nature Reserve.
©Lorne Gill/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot
Loch Fleet (near Golspie)
An extensive tidal basin fringed by a mosaic of coastal habitats and native Scots pine forest, Loch Fleet is an internationally important wildlife reserve on the north-east coast of Scotland.

Saltmarsh with Thrift and creeks at Loch Fleet NNR.
©Lorne Gill/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot