King Charles 'very knowledgeable' on importance of UNESCO status

Highland News & Media

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00:00I was really impressed, this is the first time I met the King, but I was really impressed

00:06that he was able to talk to everybody, about crofters, about clipping and dipping, and

00:11foresters, about different riparian trees, and all the kind of stuff. Everybody I think

00:16really had a nice time with him, I think they all enjoyed, and we're all pleasantly surprised

00:20by how knowledgeable he was, and pleasant, yeah.

00:23We now have the Flow Country Partnership that will take the things forward, and we're hoping

00:27that with green finance, and having this wonderful peak that is obviously of international,

00:33international universal value, that that will help us go and bring the green carbon finance

00:40to this area, and that we will be able to improve, obviously improve infrastructure

00:45and things like that, but as always, try to encourage people to come to the area, to work,

00:50to make lifestyle choices, and yes, some of this green carbon will filter down from the

00:56bigger people that we all know get it, down to the smaller crofters, and then just communities

01:01themselves, and we're really hoping that that's what's going to happen, and we'll be working

01:04hard to do that from now on.

01:06And community definitely out in force today.

01:08The community is just great, absolutely fantastic that they all came along, just the stay it

01:12is, it's great, it's a really good community day, and yeah, so hopefully a lovely afternoon

01:17for the mid-sheets, allowing.

01:20It's absolutely fantastic, I mean there's a huge turnout here, and it's a huge recognition

01:25for all the work that's gone into getting the UNESCO bid for ETA to where it is today,

01:30and getting us listed as a World Heritage Site.

01:34It's like a massive thank you to everyone who's been involved, and the community members

01:38who actually have been looking after this land for so long, and that means it's in this

01:42brilliant condition to now be a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well.

01:47You know, when we're looking at something like this, we're talking about, you know,

01:51really shining a spotlight on what is on the doorsteps of all the communities up here,

01:55and really putting a focus on the area and the region, and community engagement is a

02:00huge part of that.

02:02In terms of, you know, it's bringing money through tourism into the local communities,

02:07it's slowing that kind of flow of the North Coast 500, and really making this north-east

02:12corner of Cadenesse and Sutherland just absolutely one of the best spots on the North Coast 500.

02:18Yeah, and obviously the visit from His Majesty today, just such a huge advocate over the

02:24years, throughout his whole life of the fight against climate change, and how proud did

02:31he come across today in this visit?

02:33He certainly looked very, very happy to be here.

02:35He's not just proud, he's extremely knowledgeable.

02:36You know, he knows a lot about the environment and about the bird species, and the questions

02:40that he's asking to people on the spot, you know, very, very poignant questions, really,

02:45really understands it and understands the value of the work that's being done up here

02:48in the flow country, and also the importance that bringing the UNESCO World Heritage status

02:53kind of brings to the community and the people in Sutherland.

02:55It feels really special that I think he acknowledges and understands why we have got the World

03:01Heritage site status, why we live here, why the people up here love this place as well.

03:05I think that came across in his knowledge and his questions, is that he understands

03:09it, he loves it, it's where we're protected.

03:12It's hugely privileged for the King to turn up today and to unveil a plaque which marks

03:28the inscription of the World Heritage site that we've now got, two of them, we've

03:32now got in fact in Sutherland.

03:35So very exciting and lots of people here who've been part of this bid, which has taken years

03:40in the making, it's not something that happens instantaneously, so all credit to

03:44all of them.

03:45I think he really enjoyed it.

03:47I mean, he's very well informed about this subject.

03:50He was asking some really quite penetrating questions of the many scientists who are here

03:54today and they all enjoyed it.

03:56I think you got the equivalent of scientific banter at the highest level, which was very

04:00special indeed.

04:01I think he really enjoyed the day as much as they did.

04:03Well, the flow country is a huge area.

04:05I mean, Sutherland, for me, is a two-hour drive west to east and two-hour drive north

04:09to south and the flow country sits pretty much in the middle, top dead centre of that.

04:14So to see so many people coming so far and travelling so far was incredible, but they

04:20all feel very much a part of this and I think that's something that's very special about

04:24the project is it's been very inclusive.

04:26It's really got everyone together and that's a wonderful thing for Sutherland.

04:30I think developing the project is the most important thing.

04:33It's what I would call a think to the finish moment.

04:36They've got to take this forward and it's always quite difficult to do that.

04:39You get to the climax, you get that inscription, but where do you take it from there?

04:44But the opportunities, I think, are huge for Sutherland, but most importantly, huge for

04:48the people of Sutherland because there are real opportunities here for tourism.

04:53There are great opportunities for the environment.

04:55There's opportunities everywhere you look and it's turning those into hard reality.

04:59That's the challenge now and that's what we're going to do.

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