Britain’s Rainforests are Under Threat

Britain’s remaining rainforests are globally important and highly biodiverse, yet these vanishingly rare habitats are now some of the most endangered in the world.

Britain's rainforests - moss-covered trees in ancient wood, Dartmoor

Britain’s fragile temperate rainforests are now some of the most endangered in the world. According to the Woodland Trust – the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity – they are now thought to be even more threatened than their tropical counterparts.

Dripping with moisture and shrouded in mists, these mysterious habitats are home to rare mosses, lichens, fungi and wildlife. Lush rainforests like these once covered swathes of the UK’s western seaboard, from the north of Scotland to the south-west of England. Today, only fragments remain, including woods such as Loch Arkaig and Ben Shieldaig in Scotland, Llennyrch in Wales and Fingle Woods, Hall Farm and Ausewell in Devon.

These “vanishingly rare” habitats face a number of threats, including invasive species (such as rhododendron), air pollution, tree disease and chronic overgrazing.

Ferns and moss growing from a tree, Britain's rainforests

Moisture-loving mosses, lichens and ferns adorn tree trunks and branches

How to help
The Woodland Trust has acquired more than 100 sites in the rainforest zone and is working to restore and expand woodland, carefully removing non-native trees and helping wildlife to flourish. If you’d like to support their conservation work, you can donate to the Rainforest Appeal.

Further information

The Woodland Trust’s guide to temperate rainforests includes information about how to visit these ancient woodlands.
Lost Rainforests of Britain is campaigning for the Government to implement a strategy that’s committed to restoring and protecting Britain’s temperate rainforests.

Lead picture credit: Louis Tripp / Unsplash