Scotland’s rainforest in the news

"Volunteers uncover over 650 species including the Gibellula fungus during wildlife surveys for rainforest restoration project in West Cowal."

"A candy-floss-like “zombie” spider fungus, which had taken over the body of its host, has been discovered in Scotland’s west coast temperate rainforest."

"A rare fungus that acts like the Cordyceps fungus which inspired The Last of Us was recently discovered in a rainforest in Scotland."

"The Gibellula fungus, found in forests in West Cowal, Argyll, eats spiders from the inside out then bursts out of its body to claim its next victim."

"A community project set up to survey the wildlife of Scotland’s rainforest has recorded over 650 species, including a fungus that turns its spider victims into ‘zombies’."

"The sun rises in a different world today after the discovery of a rare fungus, similar to the Cordyceps fungus that inspired The Last of Us franchise, has come alive."

"An inspiring new quest has launched to unearth the stories and restoration potential of the country’s forgotten woodland sites."

"As part of a workshop organised by the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, Moore is leading a group of Knoydart residents through a remnant of ancient woodland, rich with a diverse assemblage of lichens, bryophytes and plants."

"Scotland’s bewitching temperate rainforest clings on, in the face of massive threats and pressures, as jewel-like fragments across our sinuous Western seaboard."

"A growing network of specially conserved forests are giving Scotland’s native trees the best chance of responding to climate change and disease – making them fitter for the future."

"Network Rail has completed a pioneering two-year biodiversity project with Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) near the Glenfinnan viaduct which has seen £300k invested into the West Highlands."

“Rhododendrons now cover many rural hillsides and are strangling some very important and rare habitats, such as Scotland’s rainforest.”

“The plan is to focus on nine key rainforest areas within the rainforest zone which are already undertaking action and engagement and developing co-operative working.”

“A new strategic approach for Scotland’s rainforest aims to improve its condition and health so that it can regenerate and expand, whilst providing benefit to communities.”

“A range of projects working to restore Scotland’s threatened temperate rainforest are set to bring economic benefits to some of the country’s most rural communities.”

“Paul Walton from RSPB Scotland said: ‘Scotland’s rainforests are incredibly rich woodlands that are bursting with life and support a diversity of rare and threatened species.’”

“In a world of limited public funding, we need to find alternative ways to help pay for the work that needs to be done. It’s a problem for all forms of biodiversity Could Scotland’s rainforest help show the way forward?”

“Beavers reintroduced to a Scottish rainforest 15 years ago may have created the right habitat for the area’s endangered water voles to flourish.”

“Plans to restore and expand Scotland’s last remaining rainforests got a boost this week, with the news that volunteers have collected 2.2m rare native seeds.”

“A Trees for Life and Woodland Trust Scotland initiative to increase the country’s availability of rare native tree seeds has smashed its first-year target by collecting more than two million seeds.”

“Earth is home to diverse landscapes, but no area is more diverse than the rainforests, which are home to up to 50 million different species.”

“Forestry and Land Scotland is working with the University of Edinburgh to explore whether airborne remote sensing technologies can help in the effort to restore Scotland’s temperate rainforests.”

“Forestry and Land Scotland has exceeded its targets for restoring native forests in the west Highlands. The restoration work involves planting native trees and removing invasive rhododendron bushes.”

“State-backed work to restore Scotland’s globally rare and threatened rainforests has exceeded national targets in the past year.”

“Fourteen projects across Scotland are to receive a share of £7.8m from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund… Work includes expanding woodlands… and controlling invasive non-native plants, such as rhododendron to benefit Scotland’s rainforest.”

“Wester Ross school kids have helped kick off a woodland creation drive at Gleann Shìldeag Estate between Torridon and Lochcarron. Ben Shieldaig in Strathcarron hosts a pine rainforest on one side, with a birch rainforest on the other.”

“A new map has revealed Britain’s surprising number of rainforests, which can be found from Cornwall in the south and all the way up to the isles of Scotland.”

“Conservationists have launched a search for Scotland’s “lost” native pinewoods to try and save them before they disappear forever.”

“So called ‘next generation’ plants, are being reared within the research facilities of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in a quest to battle back against Dutch elm disease.”

“Incredible maps reveal the beautiful ancient habitats dotted across the UK – as experts warn they're some of the most endangered areas in the world.”

“Turns out you don’t need to trek all the way to the Amazon to see a rainforest. The UK is actually home to its own ‘incredibly rare’ temperate rainforest.”

Conservationists have praised the launch of a new government strategy to revive the remaining fragments of the vast temperate rainforests that were once “one of the jewels of Britain’s nature crown”.

“An idyllic area on Scotland’s west coast, Argyll and Bute is home to an increasingly rare and threatened habitat made up of ancient native woodland, open glades, rocky cliffs and river gorges.”

“We’re also working with Forestry and Land Scotland on the Glenfinnan biodiversity project to protect and restore rainforest and peat and peat bog habitats in the West Highlands.”

“The grant rate for the manual and mechanical control of bracken in Scotland has been tripled in order to help grow new woodlands.”

“The Scottish Government has made £1 million of Forestry Grant Scheme funding available this year to support projects that help restore and expand Scotland’s rainforest area.”

“Awareness that Britain is a rainforest nation is finally growing. Environmental organisations are doing their best to get Britain’s rainforests the recognition they deserve.”

“Lismore, a small island off the west coast of Scotland in the Inner Hebrides, is reachable via a short ferry from Oban and has some of the most diverse fauna in the UK… it’s also home to one of the world's rarest rainforests.”

“Works on display were inspired by time spent immersed in the coastal temperate rainforests of Sunart and Morvern on the west coast of Scotland, also referred to as the Atlantic Woodlands or Celtic Rainforest.”

“A 16-year-old French Comtrois is the muscle helping to restore a remnant of Caledonian woodland and Scotland’s rainforest in remote woodland known as The Gusach.”

“One man and his horse are working in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands to clear timber in a traditional way to help restore a rainforest.”

“A breath-taking portrait of Scotland’s wildlife emerges in a new series which launches this month. Filmed in hundreds of locations from remote islands to busy cities, Scotland the New Wild has been more than three years in the making.”

“An ecologist has identified more than 900 species of flying insects in a West Highland wood. The study is believed to be the most thorough one ever conducted in a Western pinewood in Scotland’s rainforest zone.”

“In Scotland, home to one of the last significant bastions of a kind of temperate rainforest that once blanketed the Atlantic coasts of Europe, organizations came together in recent years to create the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest.”

“Visiting rainforests is a great way to learn more about their biodiversity and history. So, we’ve drawn together information on some of our best examples so that you can enjoy and learn more about these important habitats.”

We usually associate rainforests with distant places, but there is a commitment to restoring the rainforests located on our doorsteps.

A ground-breaking deal between the Tayvallich Initiative and Highlands Rewilding is being seen as a middle ground between private and community ownership.

“The complex variation among different types of woodland makes it difficult to classify them as either rainforests or non-rainforests. And while our climate is wet, the question remains: how wet is wet enough to support a rainforest?”

“Britain has rainforests. These rainforests consist of hazel, birch and oak instead of teak, kapok and fig. There are squirrels in their branches instead of monkeys. Jays and redstarts fill in for parrots and hummingbirds. But our rainforests are just as important for global biodiversity.”

“The new report sets out a number of recommendations, including long-term support for deer management and support for new technologies such as drone and thermal surveying. It also encourages the promotion of rainforest employment opportunities to schoolchildren.”

“Surging numbers of deers in Scotland are one of the biggest threats to the survival of vital temperate rainforests, a new report has found. The said that while deer are a natural part of the woodland ecosystem, if not managed properly they could be a “significant barrier” to its restoration.”

“Air pollution often poses the biggest danger to internationally rare habitats. 68% of our more sensitive habitats are impacted by excess nitrogen, like the temperate rainforests found along the west coast of Britain.”

“Network Rail says an industry-leading pilot project to enhance the natural habitat near the iconic Glenfinnan viaduct is making good progress with the completion of the first phase of work.”

“Alongside a loch on the Isle of Harris is a small group of rowan trees, their trunks crusted with lichen. Amid the bare landscape of the Outer Hebrides, they seem like sentinels from a different age.”

Join Scottish makar - or national poet - Kathleen Jamie as she explores a temperate rainforest on the Atlantic coastline near the Sound of Mull.

“In an extract from his new book, Guy Shrubsole argues that the first step to restoring these magical places is remembering we once had them.”

“There is a new awareness beginning to take hold in Scotland. The word ‘rainforest’ was once reserved for threatened tropical habitats. Over the past few years, however, we are beginning to understand and celebrate Scotland’s rainforest.”

“Rhododendron… is considered to be Scotland’s most threatening invasive plant… In Scotland’s rainforest zone on the west coast, which boasts some of the world’s rarest lichens, the plant has found a particular foothold.”

“Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is using drones to help map the best areas to focus rhododendron removal efforts in a bid to give breathing room to Scotland’s rainforest.”

“A film about a group of indigenous people from the Amazon and a visit they made to Scotland's rainforest will be given its Scottish premiere on Saturday.”

“A Highland estate house is to be transformed into the Scottish Rainforest Centre to help save the threatened internationally-important habitat. It is currently owned by Woodland Trust Scotland.”

“Scottish Forestry is aiming to appoint a rainforest action coordinator to protect Scotland’s rainforest. The successful candidate will work with organisations, including the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest.”

In the late eighteenth century Rhododendron ponticum was introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant that provided cover for game and produced vibrant flowers.

“RSPB reserve warden Izzy Baker lives and works all year round in a Scottish rainforest on the west coast of Scotland. We spoke with Izzy to find out what it's like to live in one of Scotland's most unique and beautiful environments.”

“The RSPB is turning to the public for help to protect one of Europe’s temperate rainforest strongholds, with £2.6 million needed to protect and restore this precious ecosystem on the Morvern peninsula.”

“Projects to restore rivers in the Cairngorms and protect the rainforest in Argyll are among the initiatives that will share £7.6 million through the latest round of the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund.”

“Projects that aim to restore Scotland’s rainforest and protect some of the country’s most threatened wildlife are among those set to benefit from a round of crucial new funding.”

“While they may not be home to monkeys or tropical birds, Scotland's rainforests are crucial to the global ecosystem and the Scottish Government has pledged £1.3million to save it.”

“Ours is a rainforest nation. Up and down the drenched western seaboard of England, Wales and Scotland, ‘temperate rainforest’ once carpeted our hills and valleys. According to Guy Shrubsole, it should – and could – do so again.”

“Temperate rainforest, which has been decimated over thousands of years, has the potential to be restored across a fifth of Great Britain, a new map reveals.”

“Recently, the Scottish Government committed £1.3 million towards the restoration of Scotland’s rainforest. This is a welcome first step on the road to recovery for this beleaguered habitat, but it’s just the start of the journey.”

“Across western Britain and Ireland, you can find patches of damp and misty woodland draped in a cover of green lichens, mosses and liverworts. But what actually are these rainforests – and how can we save them?”

“The Ghost Rainforest, documents what happened when five indigineous leaders from the Karajá, Munduruku and Huni Kuin tribes in the Amazon conducted a blessing in an Argyll forest during COP26.”

“RSPB Scotland has taken control of a Highland nature reserve in a plan to protect and restore Scotland's rainforests. Glencripesdale sits at the tip of the Morvern Peninsula.”

“A leading wildlife charity says it is “optimistic” about boosting Scotland’s rainforest recovery from invasive species and animal traffic after taking over management of a former nature reserve.”

“A first-time visitor to Scotland’s rainforest would know they had entered somewhere magical, yet it would not be because of the tree species that were present.”

“A rare orchid has been rediscovered in a part of the Highlands after a gap of 250 years. The National Trust for Scotland said the coralroot orchid - whose scientific name is Corallorhiza trifida - was found on its Balmacara Estate in Wester Ross.”

“A rare and unique species of flower has been discovered growing in the western Highlands for the first time since the 18th century. The coralroot orchid was last found in Wester Ross in 1772 but has made a surprise re-emergence in the region 250 years later.”

“You needn’t go halfway around the world to experience beautiful rainforests. This World Rainforest Day, discover the temperate rainforests right here in the UK.”

“Around 20 years ago, on our first visit to the west coast, my wife and I stumbled into what we quickly discovered was a remnant pocket of Scotland’s temperate rainforest.”

In the far northwest of Scotland near the village of Kinlochewe, grows a special woodland. The Scots pines found here are so distinct, the area has been recognised as the first genetic conservation unit in the UK.

“Four woodlands in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands and islands managed by the National Trust for Scotland have been chosen to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.”

“Environmental groups are demanding a £500 million commitment from the Scottish Government to make good its pledge to save the country’s unique rainforest.”

“Few realise a rare habitat with a name more associated with the tropics exists in the UK – but it does. And it's hanging on by a root.”

“To anyone whose idea of rainforest is a paradise of palm trees and parrots, Scotland’s hyper-oceanic woods may seem very different, but in fact these dappled woodlands are rarer and even more threatened than their tropical equivalents.”

“Glasgow-based roaster Matthew Algie has launched a new range of coffees to support the restoration of Scotland’s rainforest, in partnership with The John Muir Trust. The collaboration is expected to help preserve and restore 1000 hectares over the next three years.”

Conservation charities have announced a new 30-year partnership to help breathe new life into Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estates in the north-west Highlands.

Scotland’s rainforest will be restored and expanded as a natural solution to the climate emergency, Environment Minister Mairi McAllan has said.

“The Highland region is home to some of the last remaining rainforests in Scotland, including Ben Shieldaig in Wester Ross, Loch Arkaig Pine Forest in Lochaber and Uig Wood on the Isle of Skye.”

Scotland's national nature agency, NatureScot, is urging action to preserve and restore our woodlands for the benefit of communities and to tackle climate change.

Woodland Trust Scotland hopes to raise £8m to buy 4,500-acre Couldoran Estate in Wester Ross, which neighbours land the charity owns at Ben Shieldaig.

The country's woods and trees are approaching crisis point, with the Scottish Rainforest under particular threat, says a new study.

‘Saving Morvern’s Rainforest’, a £4.3 million landscape-scale partnership project, aims to protect Scotland’s rainforest, create local jobs, and boost ecotourism to the area.

“Help is being sought to halt the loss of Scotland’s rare and internationally important Celtic rainforests.”

“Naturalists were flabbergasted by the finding during their recent trip to Dunollie Wood on the Isle of Luing, west coast of Scotland.”