 The next item of business today is the member's business debate on motion number 14521 in the name of Michael Russell on the Celtic rainforest. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would be grateful to those members who wish to speak in the debate. Could please press the request-to-speak button as soon as possible? I call on Michael Russell to open the debate. Seven minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am grateful to the Parliament for cross-party support from my motion and for the chance to talk about and celebrate what is an important issue for Scotland. The word rain, and its reality, is depressingly familiar to people in Scotland at present, particularly after what has been officially the wettest December on record. But most people will be more familiar with the term rainforest in connection with places that are somewhat more exotic and somewhat warmer than Scotland. It is only recently, as the excellent new book on the rainforest of Britain by the Edinburgh-based environmentalist Clifton Blane explains, that our own temperate rainforests, which are often rare and threatened habitats, have achieved formal conservation status. Our rainforest supports some of the oldest land plants on earth, which appeared long before the dinosaurs. The Celtic rainforests, which lie in our Atlantic coast, are also some of the most species-rich areas of plant and fungi not only in the UK but in the world. For example, in my own constituency, one of those forests, the one at Napdale, is a rare and fertile treasure house, containing no less than 25 per cent of all recorded types of Britain's mosses and liverworts. All along our north-western coast, there are abundant ancient species-rich havens, which are home to oak, ash and hazel woodlands, all packed with a plethora of colourful lichen, moss, ferns and fungi. The species that dot the forest floor and enjoy an aphithic bond with the overhanging trees contain a joyous mix of names and uses, from yellow speckle belly, to the stinky stitka, to deceptive featherwort, to the slender mousetail moss. However, I am going to declare a favourite, thanks to the excellent and imaginative cherry-tay plant life. I am the species champion of the tree lungwort, a large and verdantly green lichen that can be found in several of the rainforests in Scotland. John Gerard first documented the medicinal use of tree lungwort in 1597, although his prescription of the lichen to treat lung disease, based solely on its similar physical shape to a lung, might not be up to current diagnostic standards. More contemporary uses of the lichen include using extracts to treat the gastrointestinal system of rats. I am no lichenologist, I have to admit, and I am no lichenometrist either. A lichenometrist, as I am sure you know, is one who calculates the age of rock by measuring the diameter of the lichen, which covers it—something that I do not think anybody in this chamber knew until this afternoon. However, I admit to being growingly aware of the rich variety of the lichens that we have as our heritage here in Scotland, particularly in the Celtic rainforest, and growingly concerned at the very real threats to them. That is the primary reason why I have sought this debate, Presiding Officer, to draw attention to those threats, to inspire action from parliamentarians in Government and to celebrate the work that is being done already to protect and conserve them. There are two principal threats to our Celtic rainforest, and those are habitat fragmentation and the intrusion of non-native invasive species, particularly Rudidendron ponticum. Rudidendron was introduced to the UK from the Iberian Peninsula in the late 18th century and supplemented by Himalayan imports thereafter. It spread far and wide, and it threatens Celtic rainforest by its sheer vigor in what is an ideal habitat. It crowds out and overshades everything else. In recent years, SRDP funding has been vital in beating back the challenge, and it is essential that that funding line continues. Great work has been done by bodies such as the Scottish Natural Heritage and the Forestry Commission to assess and combat the spread of Rudidendron in key areas. Much of the actual work on the ground is being done by third sector bodies, community projects and volunteers. It is crucial that we not only value their work but give them the support that they need and deserve. The need for more trained and supported volunteers is flagged as a key outcome in the Government's challenge 2020 to develop understanding and awareness of nature. The means of combating habitat fragmentation is less straightforward. Plant Life Scotland is doing a commendable job working to identify zones of opportunity, whether there is a proper environment for species growth or whether there is not yet present all the species that would be able to flourish in that environment. Plant Life Scotland is working with land managers and teams of volunteers to identify the zones and make plans for how to manage them to ensure species growth. The bigger the area, the more contiguous areas there are in which Celtic rainforest species are able to grow, the more we can ensure the long-term survival of this unique and vital habitat and all that it contains. The Celtic rainforest is the largest of Scotland's 43 important plant areas, the criteria for which we are established in the global strategy for plant conservation. Plant Life Scotland has committed to providing effective management for 75 per cent of Scotland's IPAs by 2020, and it is incumbent upon all of us as environmentally concerned citizens to do everything in our power to help to achieve that task. As everyone here is aware, awakening interest and then converting interest into action is always a challenging task. Education is crucial and we need to engage the widest possible audience. One way to do that is to ensure that we commend and celebrate those who are already hard at work. In that regard, it is good to see the John Muir Trust, Plant Life Scotland, the Ardroy Outdoor Centre of Trust in my constituency, the National Trust for Scotland and the Forestry Commission working together to create an award scheme that aims to recognise those who are building a deeper connection between people and groups of all ages in the outstanding natural environment in which we live and take our recreation. Those organisations and many others work tirelessly to engage with communities, schools, families and landowners to build such connections, while undertaking the essential effective management of our wildness, wilderness and wetness, all parts of the typical Celtic rainforest. I am sure that the minister will want to join with me in thanking them. I look forward to hearing more of what she and the Scottish Government are doing to take the care and conservation of our Celtic rainforest forward. The Celtic rainforest in Scotland are fantastically beautiful by their repute and globally significant, and we should consider ourselves lucky to play host to such an extraordinary variety of very rare species. I welcome the conservation efforts of the organisations which my colleague Mike Russell has already highlighted and stress the support that is needed by the Scottish Government and how important the awards are for Plant Life and the National Trust for Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland and the John Muir Trust and the Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre Trust, which my colleague Mike Russell knows about, I am sure. Also, the heritage lottery fund is important in this context and, of course, the backing of Scottish natural heritage. I would particularly like to thank my colleague Mike Russell for his motion to highlight this important issue. A number of my constituents in South Scotland have raised their concerns about the issue of deforestation to me recently, and the loss of much of our native woodland is due to human impact and the changing climate, which is indeed a tragedy, and we must address this as parliamentarians. The Celtic rainforest ignites the imagination. For those who have not visited, myself being one, the names alone paint a picture of this otherworldly habitat. You could explore Puck's Glen or go on a hunt for blackberries and custard or octopus suckers, I understand. I am certainly now looking forward to a visit, perhaps over the summer recess if I am still here indeed. The balance of heavy rain and mild temperatures creates a vivid environment that is very humid and that is able to nurture the lichens, mosses, liverwats, fungi and ferns, which in turn help to maintain the humidity. Rarer than tropical rainforests, those ecosystems are an invaluable contribution to our biodiversity, supporting migratory birds and ancient flora and fauna. The RSPB informed me that those Scotland accounts for only 0.05 per cent of the world's land area. It is home to 5 per cent of moss species, calling it a global moss hotspot. The aforementioned environmental organisations have laid out positive steps for protecting these habitats. As Mike Russell has highlighted, Rhododendron ponticum, though attractive, spreads a forceful rate. Having tried to pull out quite a lot of it as a volunteer myself, it is quite a challenge and the volunteers should be commended to do this work. We need long-term plans to tackle this and other invasive species and I welcome the control initiatives that are being worked on by the RSPB in plant life. I am also pleased to see discussions of more effective deer management mechanisms and hope that the land reform bill will assist in this problem of overgrazing. Further difficulties can result from fragmentation. Small islands of habitat are far more vulnerable to weather disturbances and disease and networks need to be built up. We have a responsibility to acknowledge that our activities mean that these habitats may not be able to sustain themselves as they once could. In my region of South Scotland, where the species eye champion, the forest of moth, resides in daffled sunlight and moist open areas, there may be forests. That is a good example of habitat, such as the Celtic rainforest, which needs careful management. I am pleased to lend my support to raising awareness of those issues and echo the call of schools, community businesses, communities, businesses and local authorities to engage supportively in conservation work for the Celtic rainforest and right across Scotland. I am inspired also by the Governing Nectar Network, an exemplary initiative on the Ayrshire coast tackling the issue of fragmentation for pollinators. The co-operation of local people and businesses and the local authority has made this something that could be rolled out across Scotland, I believe. As Shadow Minister for Environmental Justice, I am delighted to see foresters, land managers and conservationists working together to preserve our Scottish rainforest. The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh has developed an innovative programme to calculate how best to manage a habitat within the big picture of climate change. Looking to the year 2080, where some of us anyway won't be here, I suppose, the tool can be used by forest managers to consider different development ideas. With a co-operative and science-based approach, those environments will thrive long beyond that, I hope, and won't be reduced simply to a myth. Thank you. Many thanks. I now call Jamie McGregor to be followed by Rob Gibson. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I, too, congratulate Mike Russell on securing this member's debate. I also thank Plant Life Scotland for their very useful briefing. As they suggest, the Celtic rainforest, that is the temperate woodland found along Scotland's Atlantic coast, and based on Cesarloke, Darnie Birch and Hazel, is often overlooked. Indeed, I suspect a number of members were quite surprised to hear Scotland does actually have its own rainforests, albeit ones that are certainly not tropical. But they are an important and globally rare natural resource and are valuable for the diversity of species they support, including the rare mosses, liververts and lichens to which Mike Russell has referred. I'm told that a typical forest ravine in Argyll can contain as many as 200 species of mosses and liververt. He mentioned the specific woodland in Napdale, which has 25 per cent of Britain's entire mosses and liververts, including a species that I don't think he mentioned, known as the prickly featherwort, and rare filmy ffans, which are so-called because of their translucent-looking ffons. It's no wonder that the Celtic rainforest has been described as a lyconologist mecca. I hope that we can encourage more lyconologists and lovers of rare plant species to visit our Celtic rainforest as this extra wildlife tourism could be a welcome boost to local economies in the countryside. I remember once visiting a rainforest in New Zealand and eating part of a cabbage tree, and I don't know what bush tuck I can be found in Scotland's rainforest, but I'm told by my oldest daughter Sabilla that the wild garlic does make very good pesto. Of the motion refers to the impact of the invasive rhododendron ponticum. I do agree with that. Indeed, I've spoken about the effect of invasive non-native species such as this on a number of occasions in this chamber. My late father Charles McGrigor was an expert collector of hybrid rhododendrons, and I readily accept that they produce wonderful colourful blooms in botanic and private gardens. Rhododendron and azalea gardens in Argyll in May are something to behold in their magnificence, but unchecked in the wild, ponticum can spread readily and snuff out other plant species in their wake, as can Japanese knotweed and Himalayan borsum as well. We need to see sustained action to prevent the spread, harming our biodiversity, and I would commend SNH for their continued good work in this regard and hope that the SRDP grants will continue in order to help volunteers and others take care of looking after our biodiversity in this way. The spread of rhododendron ponticum is a great threat to our Atlantic woodlands. I join Mike Ross and others in welcoming the efforts of organisations to educate young people about the forests in their communities, and I would encourage constituents to consider supporting schemes such as the Flora Guardian, where individuals can volunteer to help monitor and conserve some of the special plants in our woodlands. One note of caution to them if you're visiting a Celtic rainforest in summer, be sure to take a migeonet with you. These woodlands also are useful because they give shelter to rodea, reddea, sheep, and many native and migratory birds, such as the woodcock, which comes in the winter in particular. To conclude, Presiding Officer, I again welcome today's debate and hope that it will help to raise awareness of and understanding of the important Celtic forest habitat that we're fortunate enough to have in our guile and in the West Highlands generally, and whose long-term future we should all be aiming to secure. It's been there through changing centuries, and I hope it will be there for many more to come. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I think that Mike Russell is due considerable congratulations on bringing this important debate to the chamber here at the beginning of a year where climate change is in many people's minds the issues that affect Celtic rainforest, which stretch from the far north of my constituency at Lochheribol down to his own in Argyll, is one of the treasures of our country for various reasons, because it's a thermometer, it's a thermometer, it's the kind of measure about the way in which our natural habitats on the edge of the Atlantic are actually coping with the kinds of weather that we face. The Celtic rainforest at Ardvar in Ascent was one of the reasons why the Racky Committee got involved in one of the problems that face such of the Celtic woodlands that we're discussing today. Ardvar at about 58°25 north and around 805 hectares is an area of complex woods, old sessile oak, birch and birch dominated with oak in that area along with Loch Avulun. But the problem is that for many of these areas, the issues about the way in which they're managed will allow us to see whether they are regenerating or not. There's broadleaved deciduous woodlands in 32 per cent of Ardvar and about heath and scrub etc in 33 per cent. I have seen with my own eyes that there should be a lot more of the deciduous trees and a lot less scrub because of overgrazing. SNH is a partner in the Celtic rainforest approach. It does so as a lead body to advise the Government. I see that there are many other partners in that. I wonder whether, in fact, they have a handle on whether the John Muir Trust, one of the partners, has policies about deer culling that will aid the recovery of the Celtic rainforest or not. I have been very worried to read issues about the way in which their culling policy has left deer on the side of the hill and not taking it off the hills. I would like to know whether SNH feels that that is a good way for the John Muir Trust to behave. I have to say that we also have a problem about whether or not the local estates next to where the John Muir Trust is in Ascent near Ardvar can manage their deer because there are suggestions that there is very deep culling but which the public does not know the detail. The question about the Celtic rainforest being able to regenerate does allow us to question whether all the partners are doing their best to do so. The Ardvar example was what led to the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee investigating deer management across Scotland and led to ministerial intervention to protect our native woodlands like the Celtic rainforest. The debate that we are having today allows us to see that in a considerable context. It is very important. The RSPB has suggested to us that the Celtic rainforest is under real and present threat, one of which is the wrong level of grazing. That is why I brought the subject to the centre of my remarks just now. The production of the strategic local deer management plans, which is widely seen as a positive step in protecting native habitats from overgrazing, is an absolute essential for the Celtic rainforest in the future. I have sat at the exposed point of slate in the Isle of Skye, where six-inch high oak's nestle in the heather is stunted by the prevailing gales and by overgrazing pressure. There are many more potential Celtic rainforests out there if we get the balance between tree growth and deer management. That is why we have got to celebrate and encourage the conservation of the Celtic rainforest, as Mike Russell proposes. Many thanks. I invite Eileen McLeod to respond to the debate. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I begin by adding my thanks to my colleague Michael Russell for bringing this motion on the Celtic rainforest to the chamber this evening for debate. I share his enthusiasm for this important part of Scotland's natural environment, and I am especially grateful to the other members who have taken part in this evening's debate for their support. As we have heard this evening, the Celtic rainforest thrives on rare and misty conditions, high humidity and minimal fluctuations in temperature, and that creates an important habitat consisting of numerous common and rare species of mosses, liverwats and lichens. There are an exceptional number of plants growing on or hanging from trees, and the ground is often ankle-deep in a blanket of mosses and liverwats. Obviously, as Mike Russell has already mentioned, as a Scottish Environment Link MSP, he has already lent his support to the tree lungwort, a green leafy lichens that grows in Scotland's woodland along the west coast. I do not think that it is an exaggeration to highlight the international importance of the Celtic rainforest. As members have highlighted, as well as it being a habitat for those mosses, liverwats and a rich array of lichens, it also provides homes to many rare and important faunas such as the Pied Flycatcher and the Checkered Skipper Butterfly. The Celtic rainforest may not be as well known as, for example, the tropical rainforest of Amazonia, so I am pleased that we have had this debate in the chamber this evening so that we can recognise the real genuine value and be able to explore opportunities for their enhancement. Although the rainforest stretches along much of our Atlantic coast, Argyll is, of course, a heartland of Celtic rainforests in Scotland, with many iconic sites such as Glen Crenn, Glen Nant and the western shore of Loch Oll. We should not also forget, and I know that some members have already mentioned this, about the cultural and the tourism importance of those forests. It should be absolutely no surprise that the forests attract visitors from far afield who come to enjoy our ancient green scenery and the incredible wildlife. A recent publication by Clifton Bain, The Rainforest of Britain and Ireland, is a traveller's guide. That also highlights the very uniqueness of those habitats and encourages people to explore those spectacular lush woodlands and to understand their value to the environment and to society now. As Mike Russell and others have pointed out, unfortunately there are threats to those iconic forests, in particular our invasive and non-native plants, browsing pressure and climate change. However, I cannot tell you how much I need good news right now, but actions are being undertaken to protect and improve the condition of those habitats. That can only be fully effective with co-ordinated effort and that long-term commitment from a wide range of organisations. The Forestry Commission Scotland, for example, is finalising the national strategy for rhododendron control that encourages landscape-scale partnership work, specifically within designated sites, and that will be sometime in the spring. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Plattenlife Scotland is also working extremely hard to develop a project to restore Atlantic woodland, which includes the removal of rhododendron. That will focus on four special areas of conservation in Scotland, on each to the north balaculosh woods, the morphin woods, the sunurt and the Loch Lomond woods. On the national forestry state, the expansion of the Celtic rainforest is being achieved by the efforts of Forest Enterprise Scotland through removing the non-native trees from plantations on ancient woodland sites. I understand that there are plans for up to 40 sites to be cleared over the next two years, including a large area of spruce in Napdale Forest. The Forestry Commission Scotland's native woodland survey of Scotland recorded that a high level of grazing by deer and sheep contributes to the poor condition of many woodland habitats, including the Celtic rainforest. I take the points that have been raised specifically by Rob Gibson in this regard in terms of our deer management, but as Mr Gibson is aware, our deer management is always an issue that we are taking forward in the land reform bill. Under the Scottish Government's biodiversity route map to 2020, one of the areas that we aim to focus effort is on the reduction of browsing pressure, given how special it is. Overgrazing has been mentioned with sheep and deer. Is there going to be a formula to work out what a sensible grazing level is? The provisions that we are looking at in relation to the land reform bill are, as I said, the Scottish Government's biodiversity route map to 2020. One of the areas that we are aiming to focus our effort on is specifically on the reduction of that browsing pressure, because we know how special our Celtic rainforests are. They need to be protected properly. One project that has already been mentioned around the secrets of the Celtic rainforest was managed by Plant Life Scotland, and that is working with the land managers and communities across Scotland's west coast to deliver the improved condition of Woodland. That work is to be commended. I would also like to put on record my thanks to Plant Life Scotland for their very helpful briefing that they provided for this evening's debate. On dedicated sites, of which there are many within the Celtic rainforest, grant support is available under the current Scotland's rural development programme, demonstrating our commitment to protecting and improving important habitats in Scotland. Obviously, in the longer term, the climate change in just pressure may pose other threats, and the research is indicating that the potential for the future loss of biodiversity in species in these Atlantic woodlands is high. The smaller and the more isolated the woodland, the more vulnerable it is to those losses. That is why we are helping the forests to adapt to future changes through actions that encourage regeneration and expansion, and so we will build greater resilience and adaptability. All of the work is part of the Scottish Government's prioritised plan for meeting the international targets in a route map to 2020. In closing, I thank Michael Russell again for bringing this motion. A very important motion on the Celtic rainforest to the chamber this evening. I very much welcome the considerable attention that is given to these important habitats. I support the motion absolutely in recognising the importance of this woodland and the threats that it faces. I certainly commend the efforts of all those involved and all of our volunteers in its conservation. I am particularly pleased to learn that groups such as the Ardroy Education Centre Trust are helping to engage and educate local school children and communities, because education in this regard is so crucial and, indeed, embedding that understanding and awareness of such important places with local communities and young people is something that is very close to my own heart. Those are truly special places that deserve special care, conservation and management. Providing a living link to our natural and cultural heritage, we must all do our utmost to ensure that they are protected properly so that we can secure their long-term future, as my colleague Jamie McGregor said in his remarks, and to encourage more people to visit our Celtic rainforests, which are magnificent and very unique. Many thanks, minister. That concludes Michael Russell's debate on Celtic rainforest, and I now close this meeting in Parliament.