Anticipated to include:

• Providing training, advice and online resources to help community groups

  • set up and deliver project

  • access funding and finance

• Support community groups to set up and initiate community enterprises

• Establish networks, for example linking-up community tree nurseries or deer larders to help ensure ongoing support, knowledge and skills sharing

• Initiating and delivering a community grant scheme

The project aims to mobilise, train and equip people with the skills and knowledge to be guardians and advocates for Scotland’s rainforest. The project will increase awareness of the rainforest, build capacity and expand the available workforce. It will seek opportunities for local people to gain wellbeing, economic and social benefits from the rainforest.

It aims to leave both Scotland's rainforest habitat and its communities more resilient.

The development phase of the project has been made possible with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Our vision is: A national movement of rainforest custodians equipped and enabled to save Scotland’s Rainforest.  

The project is currently in its development phase and throughout 2025 we are consulting and gathering evidence, engaging with communities and stakeholders, and piloting activities and courses. What we learn will inform an activity plan and bid for a five-year delivery phase. We’re working across the whole rainforest zone, but with a focus on three ‘hub’ areas of Morvern, Torridon and mid-Argyll. Our work is based around three key themes:

• Rainforest Action - a critical mass of people in rainforest communities have the necessary skills and training to enable full-scale rainforest restoration.

• Rainforest Futures - existing rainforest restoration projects have a long-term sustainable legacy, and more rainforest restoration projects can establish, through community empowerment.

• Rainforest Connections - to enable shared learning between rainforest restoration projects within Scotland’s rainforest and beyond.

This is an Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest project led by the Woodland Trust.  

Project partners are each leading on a different aspect of the project. They 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

More information can be found here.

By taking part in this process, your group will:

• actively help shape what project support is available from CWA - this includes defining the role of a project woodland officer

• help co-design the community grant scheme, making it as useful as possible to community groups

• be a step ahead in your planning when the delivery phase of the project comes on-stream

• get help and support with projects you might have been keen to do anyway

Rainforest Monitoring

• apply for funding for an initial survey

• Train people in:

• Apply to a larger funding source for:

Tree Nursery establishment

• Funding for

• Training

• On the ground support

• Networking

Forest management

• planning and delivery of rainforest restoration

Deer Control

• training more people to do deer control - supplementing a paid worker

• Joining up groups in the area

• feed into a local deer larder in the area

Check out our online feedback form

We need you to feed back your plans to us. You can do this in 1 of 2 ways:

1. Ideally we would like to arrange to have a chat with some of your group via a videocall. You can select a time for this call using the CWA calendar - please book a slot and we will then send through a link for the meeting which we anticipate lasting around 30 minutes

2. If a videocall isn’t possible please feed back using our online form