Help bring Ireland's rainforests back
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore nature in Ireland. Now we need your help to make it happen.
Ireland was once home to vast stretches of native Atlantic rainforest. Ancient oak woodlands, rich with mosses, ferns, lichens and extraordinary biodiversity, covered much of our western landscape.
Today Ireland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe. Less than 2% of the country is covered by native woodland, and only fragments remain of the temperate rainforest that once flourished along our Atlantic coast. But the conditions that sustained these rainforests are still here. Along Ireland’s western seaboard, our mild, wet climate creates the potential for one of Europe’s rarest and richest habitats to return.
Atlantic rainforest supports extraordinary communities of mosses, ferns, lichens, fungi, birds and mammals, while protecting water, storing carbon and strengthening the resilience of our landscapes and communities.
The Opportunity
The Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project is an opportunity to turn decline into recovery at an unprecedented scale - restoring native woodland, peatland and grassland across Ireland’s western uplands, reconnecting fragmented habitats and creating the conditions for nature to flourish for generations to come.
Through this project, we will purchase and restore land across the west of Ireland, bring native Atlantic rainforest back to our hillsides, work alongside farmers and landowners to create new opportunities for nature, and build spaces where communities can connect with and care for their local landscapes.
This summer, Hometree secured access to a €14.7 million investment for the Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project. It could enable one of the biggest leaps forward in Hometree’s history - restoring nature at landscape scale across Ireland’s west and creating the conditions for wild places to flourish again.
However, the investment is not a given. To unlock the funding, we must secure €3.9 million philanthropic match funding within an extremely short timeframe - by November 19th. This is about more than planting trees. It's about restoring entire ecosystems, supporting rural communities and creating a lasting legacy for generations to come.
We are working with major donors, foundations and funding partners to bridge this gap.
Now we are also inviting the public to be part of this defining moment for nature.
Our ambition: raise €1 million for Ireland's rainforests
Our goal is to raise €1 million through public donations, bringing us closer to unlocking the wider investment and delivering the Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project at scale.
Every contribution, no matter the size, will help us move towards this shared ambition. This is a rare opportunity for public generosity to help unlock an investment in nature far greater than any one donation.
What your support will help make possible
The Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project is designed to restore not just individual sites, but entire landscapes - creating the conditions for nature to recover and thrive.
Your donation will help us to:
Bring back native Atlantic rainforest: Restore land to healthy, biodiverse woodland, creating habitats for wildlife and supporting thriving ecosystems.
Work with farmers and landowners: Build partnerships that make nature restoration a viable and rewarding part of rural life.
Restore landscapes at scale: Reconnect fragmented habitats, restore degraded land and support the natural regeneration of native woodlands.
Create spaces for communities: Develop accessible sites where local people, schools and visitors can learn, connect and participate in nature restoration.
Build a legacy for future generations: Protect and restore landscapes that can continue to recover and flourish long into the future.
All funds raised will go towards our rainforest project. If we don't reach the full target, funds will still be used to deliver the objectives of the project, restoring native woodlands and habitats across Ireland.
To read the latest update on our Wild Atlantic Rainforest project, read our Summer 2026 report here.
Who we are
Hometree is an Irish nature restoration charity working to bring nature back to the landscapes of the west of Ireland.
What began as a small tree-planting initiative has grown into an ambitious, community-centred organisation working across native woodland creation, peatland restoration, ecological research, farming partnerships, education, arts and culture.
We believe that restoring nature isn't simply about planting trees. It's about restoring our relationship with the land and working with the people who live on it.
We bring together ecologists, farmers, landowners, artists, scientists, volunteers and local communities to develop practical, lasting solutions for nature recovery.
Our vision is of an Ireland where people and nature can thrive together, and where the west of Ireland can become a global leader in landscape-scale restoration.
This is our moment to act for nature.
Opportunities like this do not come around often. We have the vision, the expertise, the partnerships and a remarkable opportunity. What we need now is the collective support to make it happen.
Whether you can give €50, €100, €1,000 or more, your contribution will be part of something much bigger: a shared commitment to restoring Ireland's natural heritage.
Together, we can help bring Ireland's rainforests back.
Interested in making a larger contribution?
If you are in a position to make a significant donation, or would like to explore supporting the Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project through a philanthropic gift, foundation or business partnership, we would love to hear from you.
Matt Smith, CEO
matt@hometree.ie
+353877059979
Ray Ó Foghlú, Head of Partnerships & Development
ray@hometree.ie
+353872249226
For a Company: A donation of €250 or more made by a company in an accounting period is treated as a deductible trading expense or an expense of management. The tax benefit goes directly to the donating business, which reduces its taxable profit and lowers its Corporation Tax liability (typically at the standard 12.5% rate or 25% non-trading rate). The company claims this deduction directly in its annual tax return (Form CT1) without needing the charity to submit tax repayment forms on its behalf.
For an Individual: When an individual donates €250 or more in a calendar year, the tax relief goes directly to the charity rather than the donor. Under the Irish Charitable Donation Scheme, Revenue grosses up the donation at a blended rate of 31% (meaning a €250 gift yields approximately €362.32 for Hometree, at no extra cost to the donor).
To enable Hometree to claim this repayment, the donor simply completes an enduring tax certificate (Form CHY3 (5-year certificate) or CHY4 (1-year certificate)), provided they pay sufficient Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in Ireland to cover the grossed-up value.
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