Rescue UK Rainforests from Extinction
The UK’s precious, prehistoric rainforests are dangerously close to extinction due to invasive species, pollution and disease. But we cannot afford to lose them — they help us fight climate change, give us clean air to breathe, and are home to ferns, mosses and lichens that are thousands of years old.
We’ve already lost nearly all of our rainforests: now we must come together to protect and restore these biodiverse havens before they’re gone forever.
Will you help protect temperate rainforests?
Donating just £15 could help train a land manager to preserve rainforest habitat, £40 could help identify and restore a hidden patch of rainforest and £100 could help rescue a rare species clinging to survival. Whatever you can give today will help rescue UK rainforests from extinction.
Why Do We Need Biodiverse Rainforests?
Right here in the UK, we need our rainforests, and their plants and fungi, to store carbon, slow floodwaters and clean our polluted air.
In 2022, UK woodlands removed 316,454 tonnes of pollutants from the atmosphere, saving over £1.7billion in avoided negative health impacts[4]. Temperate rainforests are an important part of this.
Our rainforests are some of the best carbon stores on Earth; on top of what trees can store, lichens, mosses and fungi lock away extra carbon, too. This makes them a vital ally in helping us fight the climate crisis.
The species found in temperate rainforests can also act as sponges, reducing impacts of flooding. They can help reduce soil erosion, regulate temperatures and even produce their own rain.
Think of what would be possible if our rainforests were restored and expanded.
Are There Temperate Rainforests in the UK?
Did you know the UK is a rainforest nation? In fact, we are home to some of the rarest rainforests on Earth – full of lichens and bryophytes.
Less than 1% of the Earth’s surface is covered by temperate rainforests and some of that precious, prehistoric habitat, lies along the western coast of the UK.
They may not be as famous as their tropical cousins, but temperate rainforests are just as rare and special. So, as a rainforest nation, why don’t our rainforests in Argyll, Gwynedd, County Antrim and Dartmoor receive as much recognition as those in the Amazon?
The UK’s precious, prehistoric rainforests are under threat like never before: pollution, invasive species and disease have ripped through them, leaving destruction in their wake. They desperately need help; can they count on you?
What Plants and Animals Live in Temperate Rainforests in the UK?
These incredibly biodiverse, ancient woodlands are also home to a vast array of wildlife, much of it scarce and threatened.
Species like the White Script Lichen are only able to survive in the rainforests of Scotland and Prickly Featherwort has its last global stronghold in Britain’s rainforests[1]. Horsehair Lichen, found in rainforests in Devon, is so rare that the world’s population can fit on just 2 sheets of A4 paper. And, Arthonia thoriana, is not known from anywhere else in the world other than Horner Wood in Somerset.
But temperate rainforests aren’t just home to a rich variety of plant and fungal life, they’re also home to animals such as Lesser Horseshoe bats, Red Squirrels, Pine Martens and they’re buzzing with insects.
This thriving insect life can attract visitors from thousands of miles away including Wood Warblers, Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers.
Our rainforests can be some of the most biodiverse places in the world. But, due to human influence, only isolated fragments remain in the UK, and they are heading towards extinction – taking these species with them.
How Can You Help Save Our Magnificent Rainforests?
We’ve already lost nearly all of our rainforests. Now it’s up to all of us to secure their future, before they’re gone forever.
We can’t save these places on our own. We don’t swoop in and buy up rainforest. Instead, we work with communities, building partnerships and alliances, working hand in hand with those who live in and around this incredible habitat.
From rescuing species hands-on, to influencing government policies – with your help, we’ll do whatever it takes to keep these vital habitats from becoming history. It is possible to reverse nature’s decline – with your support we can make this a reality.
Will you join a movement to protect and restore these biodiverse havens before they are gone forever?
This appeal represents Plantlife’s work to create a world rich in plants and fungi. Your gift will help support work from protecting habitats like temperate rainforests to campaigning for policy change, and working in partnership with people. Your gift will be used in the most effective way possible to make a difference to nature. We can only continue our conservation work through the generosity of supporters like you.
References
- BSBI Atlas-of-British-and-Irish-Bryophytes-V1-189.pdf
- Wildlife and Countryside Link’s 30 by 30 2025 UK Progress Report WCL_04_30x30Report2025_DIGITAL.pdf
- State of Nature Partnership: State of Nature 2023 TP25999-State-of-Nature-main-report_2023_FULL-DOC-v12.pdf
- Woodland natural capital accounts, UK – Office for National Statistics