West Cowal Habitat Restoration Project
West Cowal, Kyles of Bute. Credit Ian Dow
The West Cowal Habitat Restoration Project area includes the peninsulas of Kilfinan and Colintraive, which encapsulate the Kyles of Bute National Scenic Area and Isle of Bute.
Bounded by Loch Striven and Loch Fyne, this area of over 45,000 hectares contains a mosaic of natural habitats that includes remnant and fragmented rainforest. This globally important habitat is facing significant threats from conflicting land-use objectives, over-browsing by herbivores, and invasive species such as Rhododendron ponticum.
This ambitious project aims to take cooperative action at a landscape scale to protect, restore, expand and reconnect the remnant and fragmented rainforest and other natural habitats in the West Cowal area. It will also engage with communities and build the capacity to deliver habitat restoration and maintain a resilient, diverse natural environment that can contribute towards tackling the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis.
Project aims
To seek contribution from and work cooperatively with local communities, community groups, contractors, landowners and managers to maximise the opportunity to protect, restore, expand and reconnect natural habitats across a complex pattern of land use, interest and existing management objectives.
Restore, expand and reconnect rainforest across approximately 10,000 hectares of potential opportunity, much of it coastal.
Reduce herbivore impact to a level at which natural regeneration can occur.
Eradicate Rhododendron ponticum from across approximately 1,500 hectares of the Kyles of Bute and Glendaruel catchment, alongside a further 1,500 hectares of predominantly coastal infestation.
Deliver restoration enhancement techniques at Rhododendron ponticum eradication sites.
Carry out native woodland creation where temperate rainforest has been severely disrupted, establishing a viable diverse seed source to enable natural expansion when herbivore impact has been reduced.
Identify opportunities to reconnect and integrate temperate rainforest throughout the production forestry landscape of West Cowal.
Identify opportunities to integrate temperate rainforest into the agricultural landscape via farm woodland development and agroforestry practices.
Project partners
ACT – we work with the people of Argyll to make the most of our environment. ACT is a community-led SCIO established in 2014. We have a Board of up to 12 Trustees, 20 Advisors and over 400 members. Our charitable objectives are:
To care for and enhance our unique natural environment
To give people opportunities to experience, learn in, and be inspired by nature
To encourage investment in Argyll’s natural capital to support our economy
To increase opportunities for employment, skills development and volunteering in our environment.
We have an ACT Rainforest steering group comprising ACT board, advisors and staff, and work with partners on the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, including NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland.
In addition, ACT works alongside existing partnerships already established in West Cowal, including community woodlands such as Glenan, Bute and Stronafian; multiple private landholdings; and non-landowning organisations such as local development trusts and The Kyles Coastal Community group. We aim to build upon these relationships and develop further partnership opportunities as the project progresses.
If you are a landowner in the area who would like to discuss this with us, we would very much welcome your thoughts and insights.
Funding requirement
ACT has secured funding via the Priceless Planet Coalition to delivery 60 hectares of native woodland creation at two West Cowal sites, alongside the development of a biodiversity gain project at Glenan Community Woodland in partnership with SSEN. Both projects are well underway. However, the estimated cost to deliver the project aims are expected to exceed £5m.
For more information contact: Ian Dow, Woodland Coordinator, ACT at ian@act-now.org.uk
