Lunchtime Learning: Preserving our Landscapes
In our latest Lunchtime Learning session, we were joined by Natalie from Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, who shared insights from her work on the Loch Lomond Rainforest Initiative. This project is part of the Park’s Future Nature strategy to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and ensure large-scale nature restoration by 2040.
Did you know Scotland has a rainforest?
“We’re taught from a very young age about saving the Amazon. But Scotland has its own rainforest, a temperate rainforest that exists in less than 1% of the Earth’s surface.”
This habitat is rich in mosses, lichens, and liverworts, and Loch Lomond holds around 7% of Scotland’s remaining 30,000 hectares. It’s a globally rare ecosystem that deserves protection.
Why it matters
- A rare and unique habitat, home to specialist species like the checkered skipper butterfly.
- A vital player in climate change mitigation and carbon storage.
- Supports local jobs and eco-tourism.
- Provides opportunities for education, volunteering, and wellbeing.
The threats it faces
- Overgrazing by deer and sheep, preventing natural regeneration.
- Invasive rhododendron, which “grows so well it chokes out everything else.”
- Self-seeding from non-native plantations, pests like ash dieback, and of course, the uncertainty of climate change.
Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest
The Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest (ASR) is a voluntary coalition of organisations driving this work forward.
The Loch Lomond Rainforest has been adopted as one of ASR’s focus projects, giving it visibility and access to shared expertise. Their website is packed with resources for anyone interested in rainforest restoration: scotlandrainforest.org.
What makes this initiative stand out is its ambition. It’s not just a project with a start and finish line, but a vision for decades to come. As Natalie put it: “It’s more of a vision that landowners and communities can hang their projects on.”
With milestones like halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and restoration by 2040, the work is already underway. The team has secured early funding for habitat surveys and are awaiting the outcome of a large scale bid. If successful, this would power major restoration across the National Park over the next 10 years.
For people and communities, this means exciting opportunities to:
- Take part in volunteering, from tree planting to rhododendron removal.
- Join citizen science projects, like fixed point photography to track changes.
- Explore visitor engagement programmes, designed for schools, families, and tourists.
- Develop local skills and jobs, as the Park builds a trained contractor base in restoration and woodland management.
It’s a project still in its early days, but one full of momentum, offering a chance to connect people deeply with Scotland’s landscape and create a legacy for generations to come.
Where to experience the rainforest now
If you want to see this habitat in action, Natalie recommends the RSPB Inversnaid site. “If you walk north along the West Highland Way from the RSPB car park, the further you go, the more ‘rainforesty’ it gets — with some fantastic examples at the far end of the reserve.”
Useful resources
- Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest – practical guides and updates.
- National Park “Future Nature” strategy – a roadmap for biodiversity restoration.
- Scottish Government Nature Restoration Fund – grant opportunities for community projects.
The Loch Lomond Rainforest project shows how long term vision, collaboration, and community connection can protect one of Scotland’s most precious landscapes.
