Almost £6m of lottery money to restore Scotland's rare Atlantic rainforest and create local jobs

A five-year project to save one of Britain's rarest and least-known habitats, Scotland's Atlantic rainforest, has been awarded almost £6 million by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Our Rainforest Futures project will set up three hubs, in Torridon, Morvern and mid-Argyll, where local people will be trained and employed to restore the woodland, BBC News reported on 11 November.

A rainforest in Britain

About 75,000 acres of rain-soaked woodland on Scotland's west coast are designated Atlantic rainforest, because of the rare oceanic plants that thrive in the constant damp. The forests are home to hundreds of species, including glow worms, slime moulds and rare lichens.

The surviving fragments face serious threats: overgrazing by deer and livestock, invasive plants and disease. The project will give communities training and work in habitat restoration, deer management and removing invasive species.

Communities at the heart of it

Each hub will work with nearby communities. In Torridon, that means Kinlochewe, Shieldaig, Lochcarron, Applecross and Gairloch. In Morvern, Lochaline, Strontian and Tobermory on Mull. The mid-Argyll hub will involve Crinan, Tayvallich, Lochgilphead, Ardrishaig and Tarbert.

Our Rainforest Futures is an Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest project led by the Woodland Trust Scotland, with the Argyll Countryside Trust, the Community Woodlands Association, Plantlife, RSPB Scotland and SRUC also involved.

Caroline Clark, Scotland director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the rainforest was internationally significant but largely unknown. "A 2025 survey found fewer than one in three people even know it exists," she said.

"This major investment, using funds raised by National Lottery players, recognises that the future of our rainforest and the future of many west coast communities are closely linked. With the right support, both can thrive."

Julie Stoneman, Saving Scotland's Rainforest Programme manager at the charity Plantlife, said it was hoped the project could create more than 20 jobs and 15 trainee posts.

Why it matters beyond Scotland

Temperate rainforest is rarer worldwide than tropical rainforest, and Britain's west coast holds an important share of what remains. Restoring it is part of the wider effort to reverse the loss of nature across the UK, and the National Lottery money behind this project comes from tickets bought by players everywhere, including in Birmingham.

Closer to home, the same lessons apply to the city's own ancient woods and green spaces: controlling invasive species, protecting young trees and involving local people make the difference. Volunteers can find woodland conservation days through the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust.

For anyone planning a trip north, the rainforest can be explored at reserves such as Taynish, near Tayvallich, where moss-covered oaks grow close to the shore.