Come and be part of a global voice for wild plants and fungi
This autumn, help us find Britain’s most colourful and important fungi – waxcaps.
Fungi are crucial to nearly all life on Earth, but they are not given the recognition and investment they deserve. Will you join our mission to change that?
Our corporate partners benefit from 35 years of experience in nature restoration so they can achieve real impact.
Become a Plantlife member today and together we will rebuild a world rich in plants and fungi
The collaborative work of the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, of which Plantlife is a leading partner, could be finally starting to turn the fortunes around for this internationally–important habitat.
The fortunes of Scotland’s temperate rainforest have finally started to improve thanks to the efforts of Plantlife and our partners.
The Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest (ASR) – a voluntary partnership of 25 organisations – has stepped up its efforts for this internationally-important habitat during the year. Plantlife has continued to play a key role by hosting the project manager and leading advisory work on rainforest management. We are also contributing to communications and advocacy, as well as raising vital funds.
These collaborative efforts are designed to save a habitat which has been under threat for some time. Important lichens and bryophytes have been choked out by the spread of invasive Rhododendron ponticum, which is a non-native species.
High deer numbers are preventing woodland regeneration, while the tiny fragments of rainforest which remain lack the resilience to cope with climate change and other threats. As a result, only 30,000 hectares of core rainforest now remain.
Saving Scotland’s rainforest is no small task. Achieving full ecological restoration will involve a large-scale step-change in the way we work. It will require liaison across landscapes with multiple landowners. At the same time, it will also need to bring benefits for the community so that each project leaves a long-term legacy. All of this comes with an estimated price tag of around £500m – which remains our biggest barrier to success.
However, the continuing rise in profile of the rainforest has helped to capture the attention of key audiences. The Scottish Government has also re-emphasised its commitment to restore and expand the rainforest and has increased capacity within statutory agencies to deal with both Rhododendron and deer. 3 of the ASR’s 4 landscape-scale projects have also secured funding, with the fourth due to follow shortly.
In addition, education remains a vital element of the project. Our Lichens and Bryophytes Advisor held 15 training workshops on rainforest management for 197 people during the year. To complement these sessions, a set of ASR-endorsed rainforest management standards is now being developed. More than 100 people have also taken part in the Finding the Common Ground project, which aims to help stakeholders work better together to manage deer.
In addition, work has taken place to develop a collaborative project to increase community capacity in the rainforest. This new initiative – which will cost around £5m to deliver – will soon be presented to possible funders for their consideration.
Over the last year, partners have also started to explore ways to access finance through natural capital. This includes researching methods to convert Rhododendron into biochar to gain a carbon credit, trialling new investment models and building a case for future biodiversity credits.
If just one of these new forms of finance is successful, rainforest restoration efforts could be significantly upscaled. This could place us on the brink of achieving our aim and saving Scotland’s rainforest.
It was the most engaging course I’ve ever had on bryophytes, and the first time I’ve come away from one with confidence about being able to ID them and understand something of what they tell us about the habitats in our care.
A Property Manager during a workshop for NTS(May 2022)
It opened our eyes to the wonders of Scotland’s rainforest and it was amazing to discuss woodland management to protect this special habitat. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us in such an inspiring and engaging way. We were all buzzing afterwards and I’m not going to walk past the small things again!
A Community Woodland Engagement Officer(September 2022)
Your enthusiasm is truly infectious and is what made the experience so positive for me.
A participant on the FLS fieldtrip(Jan/Feb 2023)
Plantlife seized the opportunity presented by the global gathering of world leaders at COP 15 to inspire conservation action for plants and fungi.
We are continuing to act as a voice for wild plants and fungi by helping to shape the new Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.
