Saving Morvern’s Rainforest – Morvern Community Woodlands

Saving Morvern’s Rainforest was identified in the Live Life Morvern Action plan as high priority for the community. It has been one of the aims of Morvern Community Woodlands (MCW) since it was created in 2001.  Since then, the woodlands group has campaigned for; the conservation and restoration of native woodland on Morvern; better access to woodlands for local people; and the promotion of woodland skills and jobs. 

Over the years MCW directors, trustees and volunteers have contributed to this by both active conservation, woodland management and connecting local people to the woodland through forest school programmes, rhododendron clearing, guided walks, promoting skills such as carpentry, boat building,and wood turning, tree planting, woodland archaeology and theatre in the woods. MCW has had thirty five directors over the years , and countless volunteers and we are proud and grateful for the legacy of these many contributions and contributors over the years.

MCW’s continued efforts to bring woodland into community ownership are driven by the understanding that those who live and work on the land are best placed to care for it, particularly when they work together. Community woodlands across Scotland have demonstrated ecological restoration can come hand in hand with social resilience. The Lochaline Community Forest and Woodland Croft project forms part of this vision by expanding native woodland cover and helping to create rainforest corridors across the peninsula.

In addition to this, in response to the Live Life Morvern Action Plan, Morvern Community Woodlands commissioned a survey to identify areas of internationally significant Hazelwood rainforest in Morvern that are not currently designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). We contacted the landowners involved and all but one were supportive. We have since written to NatureScot to request recognition and protection of these sites. We hope this designation will strengthen ecological protection and enable access to restoration funding for those landowners.

MCW considers the protection of Morvern’s forests not to be a one off project for delivery by an external organisation, but as a continuous, community-rooted effort spanning decades. The current RSPB initiative builds on local knowledge, work, advocacy and engagement. It has been informed by the work of Morvern residents Donald Kennedy and Alasdair Firth. MCW believes that as long as there are people living on Morvern, there will be people caring for Morvern’s rainforests.