Saving Morvern’s Rainforest
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. Our locally based Rainforest Restoration Team is already well underway, and after just one year on the ground, 200 hectares have been successfully cleared. 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.
You can’t plant a rainforest outright. Rainforest is an ecosystem that takes centuries to form, shaped by climate, soils, lichens, mosses, and the relationships between countless species. But you can plant native trees, like oak, hazel, and rowan that help create the conditions for rainforest to re-establish over time. We’re establishing a community-focused tree nursery to support this process. All trees will be grown from locally collected seed, ensuring they’re well adapted to the area and resilient in the face of a changing climate. Run by our Tree Nursery Manager and supported by local volunteers, the nursery will be a vibrant hub for rainforest restoration, and we hope it will grow into a lasting community enterprise beyond the life of the project.
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 requirements
The estimated cost of delivery of this exciting project over five years is likely to reach over £3 million. We have secured some significant initial funding which is allowing us to start this ambitious and exciting work. We are particularly grateful to the Nature Restoration Fund and the Garfield Weston Foundation for their recent generous support, building on some important development grants from some private trusts. We still have a funding gap of about £1million required for us to complete and maintain all the rhododendron removal work and to support future native forest expansion, particularly in East Morvern. 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
