Saving Morvern’s Rainforest

In delivery

Nov 9

Led by RSPB Scotland, this project aims to enhance and restore important areas of rainforest on the Morvern peninsula, one of the most defensible and practical areas in Scotland for large scale rhododendron eradication.

The Morvern peninsula is an area of land of around 200 square miles, which is bounded by Loch Sunart, the Sound of Mull and Loch Linnhe. This means that if Rhododendron ponticum is cleared, it will be difficult for it to re-invade. This project will demonstrate best practice for clearing this invasive species with the scale and long-term maintenance required to produce long-lasting results.

Morvern’s supportive community and forward-thinking landowners provide a positive environment in which to apply grazing measures for woodland expansion. The ethos of this project is to bring local benefits, with the aim of locally employed project and eradication teams, generating seven direct new jobs.

Overall, the project represents a great model for green recovery – restoration of habitat and sustainable local livelihoods.

Project aims

Eradicate rhododendron from c.850 ha across the woodland areas. We have employed a works team of four, including one traineeship to deliver this work on the ground, creating local employment and developing rural skills. Our hope is that it can eventually be taken over as a community enterprise.
Enhance grazing management to ensure herbivores are maintained at a level that sustains temperate rainforest interest – working with Morvern’s progressive Deer Management Group and local estates. Our locally based project Rainforest Advisor will support this vital work.
Support woodland creation through tree planting, and establish a local tree nursery to provide local provenance seedlings to enrich the developing woodland. We have identified an ideal location just outside of Lochaline, and recruited a part-time tree nursery manager to support our running operations. We hope that the nursery will continue as a community enterprise beyond the lifetime of the project and act as a hub for community rainforest activities.
Restore and protect 280 ha of precious rainforest on the newly acquired RSPB Glencripesdale nature reserve on Morvern.

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 programme of works 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.