On the wild and beautiful Morvern peninsula, fragments of Scotland’s rainforest still remain – living reminders of a richer, wilder past. Today, this rare habitat has been pushed to the edges, its native species crowded out by invasive rhododendron.
This project, a collaborative partnership led by RSPB Scotland, is about changing that. It aims to create the conditions for rainforest to recover, to expand out from surviving fragments, and to return at scale.
Bounded by Loch Sunart, the Sound of Mull, and Loch Linnhe, Morvern offers a unique opportunity to turn the tide. Its natural geography makes it one of the most practical and defensible landscapes in Scotland for landscape-scale rhododendron removal. Once cleared, the risk of reinvasion is low, allowing native woodland to re-establish and thrive.
Morvern’s supportive community and forward-thinking landowners also offer the right conditions for positive change – especially when it comes to applying thoughtful grazing management to support woodland expansion.
At its heart, this project is about regeneration – not just of rainforest, but of livelihoods – and local connection to the land. With eight new local jobs created, it brings together nature restoration and rural renewal, helping to shape a future where people and rainforest thrive side by side.
Project aims
We aim to create a peninsula free from invasive rhododendron by removing it from approximately 850 hectares of Morvern’s woodlands.
Since the project began, almost 500 hectares of rhododendron have been treated. This represents substantial progress and includes more than 181 hectares within nationally and internationally important protected rainforest habitats designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). This work will allow the native woodland to begin its natural recovery.
We’re working with Morvern’s Deer Management Group and local estates to ensure herbivore numbers are kept at levels that allow young trees and woodland ground flora to thrive. Our locally based Rainforest Advisor is supporting this essential work on the ground.
While you can’t plant a temperate rainforest, you can plant native trees that help create the conditions for degraded or absent rainforest to expand over time. We have established a tree nursery in Lochaline to support this process.
We are currently growing thousands of saplings across 12 native tree and shrub species including oak, hazel, rowan, alder, bird cherry, holly and aspen. Staff and our 10 regular volunteers work together to collect seeds and root cuttings within Morvern, as well as supporting propagation and nursery management. This ensures that future woodland creation uses locally sourced stock adapted to local environmental conditions, while also providing opportunities for volunteers to participate and develop valuable knowledge and practical skills in native tree production. This growing network of volunteers is part of a wider programme of community involvement, connecting people across Morvern with practical opportunities to support rainforest restoration.
On RSPB Glencripesdale nature reserve, we will restore 280 hectares of precious rainforest. This iconic site, nestled on the shores of Loch Sunart, holds some of Morvern’s richest surviving rainforest habitat, and is a key part of the wider recovery story.
Project partners
We are working in partnership with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest – specifically with Woodland Trust Scotland, Plantlife Scotland, NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland.
We are also working with community members and local landowners to ensure the outcomes of this project have a long legacy. We are already working with Morvern Community Woodlands, Ardtornish Estate, Drimnin Estate, Laudale, Oronsay and Carna Conservation Initiative, and we aim to work with more landowners as the project progresses.
Funding
This project is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot. RSPB would also like to thank Garfield Weston Foundation, The ERM Foundation, the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme, and a number of private funders and charitable trusts that have generously provided grant support. We also remain extremely grateful to Morvern’s landowners, whose collaboration has made this project possible.
We still have a funding gap for completing and maintaining all the rhododendron removal work and to support future native forest expansion. We are grateful for any donation large or small.
Donate
Please support RSPB Scotland to deliver the Saving Morvern’s Rainforest project by making a donation, or contact the team.
For more information contact: MorvernsRainforest@rspb.org.uk
