Since 2024, a growing community of volunteers has been recording species across West Cowal, helping to build a clearer picture of the area’s temperate rainforest and the wildlife it supports. From glow-worms and slime moulds to rare lichens and fungi, these observations are beginning to reveal the richness of a landscape that has seen little detailed recording since the 1970s.
Since the West Cowal Rainforest Biological Recording Project was launched, 171 volunteers have made 3421 records covering 1109 different species. These were identified with the help of a further 620 people through iNaturalist.
The project, which is run by the Argyll Countryside Trust (ACT), aims to build a clearer picture of how much temperate rainforest remains in the area, how at risk it is, and how it can be protected and regenerated. ACT’s Rainforest Manager Ian Dow said:
“Scotland’s rainforest is one of the most species-rich and globally rare habitats on earth. Because these remnants are fragmented across a complex mosaic of land use and often difficult to access, we don’t always have a clear picture of the rare species they support.
At West Cowal, there hadn’t been any meaningful survey work since the 1970s, so repeating that baseline has been crucial for guiding the regeneration work we’re now doing.
Without volunteers, we simply couldn’t have recorded this volume of observations. Platforms like iNaturalist allow us to pool the combined knowledge of hundreds of people, helping us build confidence in the identifications and the data we’re collecting.”
The West Cowal Project area, covers more than 45,000 hectares bounded by Loch Striven and Loch Fyne. It includes temperate rainforest, other woodland and peatland, which are all facing significant pressures from over-browsing by deer and invasive non-native species such as Rhododendron ponticum.
It’s part of Saving Argyll’s Rainforest project run by ACT, one of 12 landscape-scale projects overseen by the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest (ASR). This partnership of 25 different organisations that are working towards restoring and protecting Scotland’s rainforest up and down the west coast.
Species uncovered by the project include hazel gloves fungus, yellow specklebelly lichen, plum-fruited felt lichen, the European glow-worm, and a wide range of slime moulds.
Ian said:
“The work of our volunteers has resulted in an amazing species list. But for ACT and the wider ASR partnership, it’s also helped to build skills and knowledge in the local community, and provide an evidence base for supporting long-term rainforest recovery.”
Local volunteer and iNaturalist contributor Ben Mitchell said:
“I love spending time in these lush, green places, surrounded by life. It’s uplifting and therapeutic, and recording what you find helps build a shared picture of what’s there.”