Turns out you don’t need to trek all the way to the Amazon to see a rainforest. The UK is actually home to its own ‘incredibly rare’ temperate rainforest. Okay, there aren’t any jaguars, sloths or spider monkeys, but it’s still a stunning piece of nature. In fact, it’s been called the ‘jewel of Britain's nature crown’. But it’s under threat.
The Atlantic woodland (also known as the Celtic rainforest) used to span all the way from Cornwall to the west of Scotland and was once a thriving forest bursting with lichens, mosses and liverworts.
Of course, over the centuries, the woodland has shrunk thanks to humans building towns, cities and pastures. The surviving pockets are spread out across the UK and in England there’s only 72 square miles of it left. They include Bovey Valley Woods and Fingle Woods, both in Dartmoor National Park. But those pockets are under threat from overgrazing sheep, invasive species and nitrogen pollution.
Conservationists have been campaigning for government action to save the habitat for the last three years, and finally it has launched a strategy to bring the rainforest back to life.
A total of £750,000 has been pledged for research and development around the Atlantic woodland, and the government said it would work alongside farmers and landowners to protect it. There’s also a promise to reduce grazing from deer, which is one of the main factors inhibiting recovery.
Guy Shrubsole, who leads the Lost Rainforests of Britain campaign, told the Guardian: ‘Before 2021, no politician had even mentioned temperate rainforests in the UK parliament. Now, the government themselves have not only mentioned it, they've actually devoted entire official policy documents to this habitat. That’s really cool to see.’
The UK’s forestry minister (yes, we have one of those) Rebecca Pow, said: ‘The UK is home to globally rare temperate rainforests supporting rich native habitats and rare species and plants. Most of our temperate rainforests are centuries old and form an important part of our natural heritage. It is vital they are supported and protected for future generations.’
The year of saving Britain’s wildlife
The news of the Atlantic woodland is the latest in a long line of uplifting rewilding stories over the past few years. The UK is in the midst of a full-blown beaver boom, a spectacular bird of prey was born in England for the first time in 240 years, rare red squirrels were born in Yorkshire and lots of ancient species were reintroduced to these woods near London. Here’s hoping nature continues to make a comeback in 2024!
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