Funding boost for ASR’s landscape projects

NatureScot has awarded over £1.76m to the ASR’s landscape-scale projects, right across the rainforest zone, from Assynt to Argyll. The grants will enable a range of activities to take place, including deer control and the removal of invasive non-native species, as well as recruiting, equipping and training staff and volunteers to carry out the work and community engagement.

> Incredible funding boost

National Park nature hero

Dr Oliver Moore from Plantlife Scotland has been named Nature Hero by Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park. It’s a much deserved accolade for Oliver, who has a wide-ranging role as the ASR’s lichen and bryophyte guru, working with rainforest projects to put these species at the heart of rainforest management, and sharing his enthusiasm for them with rainforest communities. You can read about Oliver’s journey in the link below.

> Bonkers for bryophytes

How to tackle the ponticum problem

More than 30 people December’s weather to gather at Argyll Countryside Trust’s Kilmory Hub at Lochgilphead for Rhododendron and the Rainforest, an informative open day focused on tackling this invasive, non-native species and one of the biggest threats to the future of Scotland’s rainforest.

> Inspiring day

Studying the rainforest

Highlands Rewilding has plans to extend the temperate rainforest on their Tayvallich Estate in Argyll. To help them better understand the habitat, last year they recruited the help of two MSc students who had chosen temperate rainforest for their dissertation topics. The projects examined the ecological health of different areas of woodland, and looked at how it relates to characteristics of the trees and their surrounding environment.

> Find out more

More opportunities for rainforest research

ASR’s Rainforest Research Working Group collate opportunities for students and have recently posted two new opportunities on our website. If you’re a student currently working towards an MSc or an MRes, and would like to be a part of important, and potentially ground-breaking, research, find out about current opportunities through this link.

> Research opportunities

How the ASR brings people together

The Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest brings together a dynamic team of people who work right across the rainforest zone, and beyond, that get little chance to meet face to face in these days where online meetings are so often the norm. So occasional trips to rainforest sites are vital for people working within the network to meet each other, share knowledge and get a better understanding of the landscapes that on-the-ground teams are working so hard to protect.

> Visiting the rainforest

Rainforest highlights of 2025

2025 was another busy year for Scotland’s rainforest. More people got involved, more projects became established, more restoration work was delivered and more research got underway. And the rainforest kept popping up on TV! Here are just a few of the highlights to remember as we get set for 2026.

> A year to remember

Find out more at www.savingscotlandsrainforest.org.uk
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