Protecting Arran’s Temperate Rainforest
Imagine a rich, green forest, bursting with life from the tree tops to deep into the soil, layers upon layers of life, creating a magical tapestry with a heritage thousands of years old. A true wild wood ecosystem, unique to our temperate climate.
Arran has fragments of such rare temperate rainforest dotted around the island. Rich, biodiverse forests draped in lichens, fungi and a myriad of species and one of the rarest ecosystems on Earth.
Once this rich forest ecosystem covered about 20% of the UK along its western side, where the damp Gulf Stream oceanic air allowed lush forests with huge biodiversity to flourish. Sadly less than 1% remains in tiny fragmented patches across the country, but Arran is blessed with having a few of these rare fragments, with some containing internationally rare species.
(source https://map.lostrainforestsofbritain.org/)
Arran Rainforest CIC was set up a year ago with the aim of helping to protect these last remaining gems of temperate rainforest, supporting education on this rare and relatively unknown habitat, and collaborating with other groups trying to protect rainforest on both Arran and beyond to help to preserve this amazing ecosystem for future generations.
The temperate rainforests on Arran contain a rich mix of trees, including oak, hazel, birch, ash and pine. Our remaining fragments are mostly found in gorges and alongside deep glens, featuring both clearings and dense tree cover, where the damp environment allows thick coatings of mosses, lichens, liverworts and fungi, which in turn support rich biodiverse insect and bird life.
Here are a few of the beautiful species that can be found here on Arran.
Hazel Gloves Fungus (above) is internationally rare and is part of a complex ecosystem, being a parasitic fungus, feeding on the Glue fungus that lives on Hazel trees.
Thousands of years ago, in Neolithic times, people came to Arran to forage hazel nuts in these forests. Our rich archaeological records here gives us a glimpse into its long past.
This amazingly rich, beautiful environment needs protecting. It is globally rare (rarer then its tropical rainforest counterpart), a store of rich biodiversity, a climate protecting ecosystem and part of our cultural ecosystem heritage.
If you are interested in finding out more, would like to help out or just follow our progress, please drop us an email to join the mailing list or check out our website for more information (see details below). We have a collaborative project coming this October with other groups – look out for details advertised locally.
Together we can help conserve Arran’s biodiversity and rare ecosystems for future generations to enjoy.
Pippa Downing
Arran Rainforest CIC
Email ; arranrainforest@gmail.com
All image credits: Arran Rainforest CIC
