Climate change threatens restoration of Scottish rainforests

The Scottish Rainforest Alliance, a network of over 40 organizations including the National Trust for Scotland and RSPB Scotland, has warned that climate change is complicating efforts to restore Scotland's rainforests. Experts note that projected warmer and drier summers pose a significant threat to the survival of these ecosystems and the sensitive species they host, such as rare lichens and bryophytes.

While Scotland contains some of Europe's best remaining rainforest locations, only about 30,000 hectares of high-biodiversity rainforest remain. Although there are 93,000 hectares of semi-natural forest in the zone, less than one-third possesses characteristic rainforest biodiversity. The alliance aims to restore all possible areas of rainforest biodiversity by 2045, but faces challenges from both shifting climate patterns and slow access to necessary funding.