Saving Morvern’s Rainforest – RSPB

Since the publication of the Live Life Morvern Community Action Plan in June 2022, the Saving Morvern’s Rainforest Project (SMRF) has gone through a development phase and is now being actively implemented on the ground. 

Led by the RSPB, this project has been supported through various funding streams. In January 2023, the Nature Restoration Fund was awarded funding for 18 months, covering the development phase of SMRF. This allowed in-depth surveys to be carried  out relating to rhododendron cover and potential costs of removal, woodland expansion potential and increased understanding of existing landowner and community support. The Nature Restoration Fund then awarded further funding as part of their delivery grant, supporting active restoration works on Morvern between November 2023 and March 2026. So far, work clearing rhododendron has taken place around Lochaline village, on Ardtornish and Drimnin Estates, at Ferinish and on the Isle of Carna. Additional funding from the Rainforest Restoration Fund, also managed by NatureScot, was awarded in 2026 to support ongoing project delivery, as well as outreach and engagement with the community. Events related to this have included deer management related activities as well as education on the special character of the temperate rainforest that exists in Morvern, with school-sessions in Lochaline Primary School. An equivalent total of between 6 and 7 full time staff have been employed by RSPB on the project since mid-2024.
 
The RSPB are now aiming to secure funding for a further four years of project work through the Our Rainforest Futures project managed through the National Heritage Lottery Fund. If this funding bid is successful, it would pave the way for the next stage of the project, centred around community capacity building. The aim in this stage will be to embed the necessary skills in the community to allow local businesses and individuals to take on work on the ground in the long term. Rhododendron eradication work will continue, with the focus switching to East Morvern, and critical future follow up monitoring will be supported. 

So far, the project has encouraged awareness and understanding of rainforest through community outreach. A series of rainforest-focused events were delivered to the community of Morvern in March 2026. These included sessions on deer management, butchery and consumption, engaging deer stalkers, land managers and the wider community. Creative expression was also linked to rainforest restoration, with a painting workshop taking place in Drimnin Village Hall. School outreach has also taken place, including tree nursery planting days and a day visiting Achnaha Woods to look at rainforest lichens with Lochaline Primary School students. The tree nursery in general has become a hub for volunteer opportunities, with regular sessions occurring in seed harvesting and tree planting. 

Morvern Deer Management Group has been engaged more widely in the project. This is since Rainforest Advisor Alasdair Firth has been attending MDMG to provide deeper understanding of the rainforest habitat in relation to deer management. 

The RSPB’s tree nursery has progressed well, with many improvements to the site such as landscaping, the creation of two polytunnels and erection of a deer fence around the site perimeter. Future ambitions include linking the site to mains power and creating a more permanent shed for tool storage. The RSPB are in the final stages of securing a lease with Forestry and Land Scotland. The tree nursery site is part of the area owned by Forestry and Land Scotland that Morvern Community Woodlands (MCW) are hoping to purchase with the aid of the Scottish Land Fund. The purchase of this area along with the transfer of the lease to MCW would secure the site for the community in the long-term.