Project to restore rare Atlantic rainforest receives £6m lottery grant

The £6m National Lottery Heritage Fund grant will support the Our Rainforest Futures project, an Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest initiative led by the Woodland Trust Scotland, to restore a rare Atlantic rainforest in Scotland.

Partners in the scheme are Argyll Countryside Trust, Community Woodlands Association, Plantlife, RSPB Scotland and SRUC, according to the announcement.

Caroline Clark, Scotland director of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said Scotland's rainforest is internationally significant but largely unknown. She said: "A 2025 survey found fewer than one in three people even know it exists." She added: "This major investment, using funds raised by National Lottery players, recognises that the future of our rainforest and the future of many west coast communities are closely linked. With the right support, both can thrive."

Julie Stoneman, Saving Scotland's Rainforest Programme manager at Plantlife, said the project is expected to create more than 20 jobs and 15 trainee posts.