Project summary

One of the key challenges facing the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest (ASR) is the lack of capacity to deliver long-term habitat restoration work in rainforest communities up and down Scotland’s west coast. Our Rainforest Futures seeks to address that challenge and demonstrate to policy and decision makers the economic and social benefits of rainforest restoration.

The Our Rainforest Futures project has been made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Project partners

Our Rainforest Futures is an Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest project led by the Woodland Trust. Project partners include Argyll and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust, Community Woodlands Association, Plantlife Scotland, RSPB Scotland, Scotland's Rural College and the Scottish Rainforest Education Centre.

Project aims and objectives

Thanks to National Lottery players, the project is currently in its development phase. We are consulting and gathering evidence, engaging with communities and stakeholders, and piloting activities and courses. What we learn in this phase will inform future activity plans and a budget for the ‘delivery’ phase, which we estimate will be five years from 2026.

We’re working across the rainforest zone, but with a focus on three ‘hub’ areas in Morvern, Torridon and mid-Argyll. Our work is based around three key themes:

Rainforest Action – ensuring a critical mass of people in rainforest communities have the necessary skills and training to enable full-scale rainforest restoration.
Rainforest Futures – enabling existing rainforest restoration projects to have a long-term sustainable legacy, and supporting more rainforest restoration to get started.
Rainforest Connections – supporting shared learning between rainforest restoration projects within Scotland’s rainforest and beyond.

Below are some examples of what we’re doing under each of these themes during development.

Rainforest action

Scoping viable activities in each of the three rainforest hubs and how these can support work across the rainforest zone eg rainforest restoration squads.
Assessing opportunities for volunteering through consultation and trial events. This includes identifying barriers to participation and how these can be overcome.
Working with landowners to test and refine the ASR Rainforest Management Guidelines and develop a Rainforest Stewardship Scheme for rainforest managers.
Developing a capital grants scheme, including criteria, application process and terms and conditions. Supported by the findings of the current ACT/ASR FIRNS-funded project – ‘Saving Scotland’s Rainforest with Natural Capital’.
Identifying the sites of highest importance for lichen and bryophyte diversity. Agreeing and testing survey methodologies.
Exploring accommodation needs and options for key audiences – from spare room schemes to setting up woodland crofts.

Rainforest futures

Assessing the training needs of a range of audiences, including students, community volunteers and contractors. Developing a package of training options and courses.
Developing a pilot project to bring disadvantaged and youth groups to the rainforest to gain first-hand experience of why it is special – up to 25 people engaged.
Identifying potential community enterprise opportunities.

Rainforest connections

Organising a field trip for rainforest project teams across Scotland to learn from each other. Using their feedback to inform a field trip programme for the delivery phase – up to 15 partner representatives engaged.
Identifying opportunities to network specific aspects of rainforest restoration such as deer larders and tree nurseries.
Scoping and recommending what a digital information hub might look like for the provision of resources and advice for anyone involved in restoring Scotland’s rainforest.
Identifying opportunities for an events and speaker programme, to support delivery.

The new Our Rainforest Futures project team. Credit WTML

Estimated cost

Overall expenditure is likely to be around £8.9 million over seven years (two years of development/five years of delivery), split between:

Development stage £816k (£763k actual costs, £52k in kind) – NLHF grant of £686k (now confirmed)
Delivery stage £8.1 million – potential NLHF grant of £5.98 million. Match funding need - £1.6 million. Volunteer time/in-kind £500k.

Outcomes

As a result of this seven-year programme of activity we anticipate:

Scotland’s rainforest will be better managed and in better condition as agreed rainforest management standards have been disseminated across landowning audiences.
Restoration activity will be supported by an upskilled workforce, increased contractor capacity and enhanced volunteering opportunities.
Best practice will have been disseminated across Scotland’s rainforest and with other rainforest areas around the UK.
Awareness of the importance and value of Scotland’s rainforest will have been raised within local communities and beyond, and the actions those communities can take to support rainforest restoration will be clear and accessible. A wide range of audiences will be inspired to live and work in the rainforest.
The local economy will be boosted through the development of new community enterprises.
New landscape-scale initiatives will have been supported across the rainforest, creating a long-term legacy.

Our Rainforest Futures