Grantee: Tayvallich Initiative

Duration:  15 months (June 2025 – September 2026)

 

Background

Throughout Scotland’s rare and endangered Temperate Rainforest, rhododendron ponticum poses a significant threat. This non-native invasive species forms dense thickets, blocking natural regeneration, effectively creating a ‘green desert’.

Recent years have seen the development of large-scale attempts to eradicate this invasive species, with varying success. National containment is logistically and financially unrealistic, and thus regional approaches to containment are now being pursued.

 

The Project

A £5 million rhododendron-removal project led by Argyll-based charity ACT is underway in Knapdale, Argyll. This peninsula is being prioritised due to its ecological importance and clear coastal boundaries, which increase the chances of successful regional eradication.

However, small pockets of rhododendron around the village of Tayvallich fall outwith the ACT project area. The largest of these is a 1.3 hectare block in an area of land owned by Tayvallich Initiative, a community a community organisation that owns and manages community assets while also delivering an environmental ranger project.

This project will tackle rhododendron removal through community engagement, recruiting volunteers and raising awareness of the environmental problem. Training and skills development in removal techniques will then allow Tayvallich Initiative rangers and volunteers to complete the rhododendron removal work.

Crucially, the skills acquired will have a long-term legacy, allowing the community to tackle future regrowth.