Gordon Gray Stephens: Visualising and Saving Scotland’s Rainforest

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Gordon Gray Stephens, Saving Scotland’s Rainforest advisor and director of the Native Woods Co-op, about the growing movement for restoring temperate rainforests on the west coast of Scotland. Gordon reflects on how the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest coalesced around a single shared term, “rainforest,” and why that shift in language has made a material difference in conversations with policymakers, funders, landowners, and communities. He discusses the role of digital technologies in this restoration work, from mapping the spread of invasive rhododendron across the landscape to using thermal drones for deer counting. He also makes a case for keeping these tools in the hands of people working locally, rather than allowing them to merely feed decision-making processes from afar.

Interviewers: Jennifer Gabrys and Phoebe Hamilton Jones

Producer: Harry Murdoch

Image: The Woodland Trust