Wester Ross Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 1976, in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Formerly known as Beinn Eighe, Wester Ross Biosphere Reserve is situated in the north-west of Scotland. It displays a suite of habitats primarily influenced by upland and oceanic factors. Most of Wester Ross is covered by open heathland, bare rock, scree and wet grassland, with scattered bogs and peatlands. Of national interest are two variants of dwarf shrub heath and a western variant of moss heath. Woodland, found below 300 m close to Loch Maree and in various isolated gorges, includes the best remaining examples of western pinewood in Britain, and also contains birch, holly, ivy, rowan, oak and juniper.