Scotland's rare Atlantic rainforest is to get a major boost after a five-year restoration project secured nearly £6 million in lottery funding. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £5.98 million to Our Rainforest Futures, a project that will create community hubs along Scotland's west coast and train local people to care for one of Britain's most important habitats.

The project is led by Woodland Trust Scotland as part of the Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest. It will set up hubs in Torridon and Morvern in the Highlands and in mid-Argyll, in Argyll and Bute, where residents will be offered training and work in habitat restoration, deer management and the removal of invasive species.

One of Britain's rarest habitats

Scotland's Atlantic rainforest is a temperate, rain-soaked woodland of ancient and native trees, open glades, boulders, crags, ravines and river gorges. It supports internationally important lichens, mosses and liverworts, as well as a wide variety of other wildlife. Only around 30,000 hectares remain, and the woodland is under threat from overgrazing, invasive species and habitat loss.

The Heritage Fund grant provides 72 per cent of the funding needed for Our Rainforest Futures, which has a total budget of £8.3 million. The project is also supported by NatureScot and by players of the Postcode Lottery. A survey in 2025 found that fewer than one in three people even know Scotland's rainforest exists, a gap the project aims to close by building local knowledge and a skilled workforce.

Jobs and training for west coast communities

The project is expected to create more than 20 jobs and 15 traineeships. Local people will be offered accredited and informal training in skills such as deer management, ecological surveying and invasive species removal, and community-led projects will be supported with grants and advice.

Caroline Clark, Scotland director of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the investment recognises that the future of the rainforest and the future of many west coast communities are closely linked, adding that with the right support both can thrive. Julie Stoneman, Saving Scotland's Rainforest programme manager at Plantlife, said the people who live and work in the rainforest zone are essential to securing its future.

The Torridon hub will involve communities in Kinlochewe, Shieldaig, Lochcarron, Applecross and Gairloch, while the Morvern hub covers Lochaline, Strontian and Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. Communities in mid-Argyll will also be asked to take part. The project's other partners are Argyll Countryside Trust, the Community Woodlands Association, Plantlife, RSPB Scotland and Scotland's Rural College, which will develop and deliver training for rainforest communities.