Grantee: Mull and Iona Community Trust

Background

The West Coast of Scotland is home to some of the last ‘Temperate Rainforest’ – a unique habitat consisting of native trees, rivers, and globally-rare plants such as ocean bryophytes. However, centuries of clearance and overgrazing have resulted in only small fragments remaining, which are at risk of further decline. Threats such as invasive non-native species (INNS) and deer overgrazing mean that conservation and restoration measures must be adopted to prevent further habitat loss.

The project

Ardura Forest, on the Isle of Mull, was purchased by the Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT)  in 2019 to help meet the environmental, social and economic needs of the community (read more here). Spanning 200-hectares, the site would once have been a thriving rainforest habitat, but now only remnants of native woodland exist alongside commercial plantations of non-native trees.

HIEF has awarded the following grants to MICT:

• July 2022: £7,500 towards the creation of a Biodiversity Action Plan
• April 2024: £11,915 towards the initial stages of the plan implementation
• December 2025: £13,534 towards a Wetland Restoration project

Grant 1: Biodiversity Action Plan (July 2022 – September 2023)

The MICT took on management of the forest with an ambition to reverse the loss of ancient woodland habitats on-site. However, this vision required a plan: clear, measurable, and achievable outcomes and activities for evaluating, protecting and restoring the forest.

The first HIEF grant (match funded by Rewilding Britain and other donors) enabled MICT to hire forestry consultants TreeStory to undertake a Biodiversity Action Plan. This assessed the current condition of habitats and species, and set out methods to protect and restore biodiversity over a 20 year period. A habitat survey, native tree inventory, lichen and bryophyte survey, and peatland condition assessment together informed the ecological evaluation, while a ‘dendrochronology’ revealed the woodland’s history and heritage.

This year-long process culminated in a 154-page plan which found the majority of habitats to be in poor-moderate condition. Without significant intervention, these habitats would continue to decline. Thus, a detailed management plan sets out the actions required to conserve and restore habitats through a phased approach.

Grant 2: Phase 1 of implementation (April 2024 – August 2025)

The second HIEF grant supports the implementation of Phase 1 (until summer 2025), which tackles two key threats to biodiversity: INNS (specifically Sitka Spruce) and deer overgrazing, which both impact the natural regeneration of native woodland.

Volunteer training sessions and work parties are attempting to remove invasive Sitka Spruce and diversify habitats through deadwood creation and tree veterenisations. Seeds and cuttings are being collected to boost future regeneration work and tree shelters are being used to provide targeted tree protection from deer browsing where fencing is not an option. While carrying out this work, native species will be closely monitored to evaluate the biodiversity strategy

The HIEF grant is covering the staff, volunteer and equipment costs for the INNS removal work, seed and cuttings collections, and creation of tree shelters.

Grant 3 – Wetland Restoration Zone 

In 2026, Ardura Community Forest will kickstart efforts to restore wetland ecosystems. This was a identified as a key area in the Biodiversity Action Plan, and its importance has been further underscored by the increasing risk of wildfires across Scotland.

A forest to bog restoration approach will focus on the enhancement of existing mire (marshland) and the creation of transitional bog woodland habitat. This will involve the removal of artificial drainage ditches that were installed during the establishment of a commercial conifer crop, causing the drying and erosion of vital peat. Blocking drainage ditches, removal of historic ploughing and the implementation of other forest to bog techniques will help raise the water table. Ground smoothing will then help reinstate areas of peatland which have been deeply degraded in the past, allowing the hydrology and natural processes of the area to act naturally again.

The wetland ecosystems, once restored, will effectively act like a sponge, slowing the flow and holding water on the site. This will increase climate resilience through reducing wildlife risk and sequestering carbon. Simultaneously, the wetland will improve biodiversity through providing complex habitat for a range of freshwater invertebrates and amphibians, such as the palmate newt.  In turn, this will support populations of bats, birds and mammals such as Daubenton’s bat, house martin and snipe (red and amber listed), and Eurasian otter.

Outcomes and Impact

The Biodiversity Action Plan has allowed MICT to prioritise their focus and activities, enabling action to take place in an effective and efficient manner.

Implementing these next steps will directly combat biodiversity loss and climate change at the local level. The impacts of INNS and overgrazing will be reduced, allowing native tree coverage to regenerate and expand. The additional work in habitat creation and tree planting will further enhance the ecological complexity of the site.

It is hoped that this project will become an example of community-led conservation, sharing knowledge and expertise with future projects. This is facilitated partly through membership of Northwoods Rewilding and Rewilding Britain.

Partnerships with other community groups – Mull Aspen Group and Mull Community Native Tree Nursery – are being strengthened through the seed cutting and growing process.

Images from Autumn 2024: Ringbarking invasive sitka spruce to create standing deadwood, and a ‘leaky dam’ workshop from River Revivers. The rewetting process not only improves biodiversity but also prevents sitka from reseeding.